Meeting JCAHO Standards with Pollution Prevention

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Eliminate Mercury—Meeting JCAHO Standards with Pollution Prevention

Pollution prevention (P2) activities make great performance improvement initiatives. They can help you achieve JCAHO standards included in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) and meet rules, regulations and Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) goals. They also promote the health of the public-keeping in line with the basic premise of health care.

Eliminate sources of mercury from the organization. Mercury—a toxin associated with nervous system disorders— is especially toxic to newborn babies, children and pregnant women. It can also have an adverse effect on wildlife.

Mercury is found in esophageal dilators, fluorescent bulbs, laboratory reagents and stains, sphygmomanometers, switches, thermometers (fever and laboratory), thermostats and more.

H2E’s Mercury Elimination Plan provides information and resources on eliminating mercury.

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Achieve JCAHO CAMH Standards

Meet Rules, Regulations and Goals

EC.1, EC.1.2: The organization plans for a safe environment and implements its plan.
	Eliminating mercury provides for a safe environment by lowering the risk of spills and risk to employees, patients and visitors associated with exposure to mercury.

EC.4: The organization improves conditions in the environment.
	Eliminating mercury improves conditions in the environment by lowering the risk of spills, risk of employee, patient and visitor exposure, and reducing pollution in the community.

GO.2: Performance improvement is financially sound.
	Eliminating mercury reduces costs associated with employee, patient and visitor exposure, and waste management, storage, disposal and liability.

PI.1.2: Performance improvement is consistent with the organization’s mission as it relates to community health.
	Eliminating mercury improves community health by reducing pollution to the air, water and land.

PI.2: Improved and new processes are well designed and consider patient safety.
	Eliminating mercury improves patient safety by reducing the risk of patient exposure.

Clean Water Act, National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 122 and 403
•	Hospital wastewater, 40 CFR 460
•	Local wastewater permits. Restrict discharge ofcertain chemicals, heavy metals and high biological loads to sanitary sewer.

P2 Act of 1990, U.S. Code (USC) Title 43 the Public Health and Welfare Chapter 133. Established P2 as a national policy and developed a hierarchy of waste management.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 40 CFR 261-263
•	Requirements for hazardous waste management
•	Waste minimization sec 3002(b)

Universal Waste Rule. Reduced regulatory requirements for batteries and mercury-containing equipment if they are recycled.

H2E goal: Nearly eliminate mercury by 2005.

Pollution prevention activities that make great performance improvement initiatives:

JCAHO introduction page

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