Healthcare Facilities Management Society of New Jersey, Inc.
Serving Healthcare Since 1949



***General Membership Meeting***

Minutes to the Meeting of
January 20, 2005

President Elect John DiGirolomo called the meeting to order on Thursday, January 20, 2005, at the Galloping Hill Inn, Union, New Jersey commencing at 6:05 p.m. A moment of silence was observed. The Pledge of Allegiance was conducted followed by self-introductions by all in attendance.

SOCIAL SPONSOR

Mr. Mark Allen from Beacon Medeas was the presenter. Mr. Craig C. Ranalli, from Sherman Engineering, was the sponsor for the evening. Mr. Allen’s topic was Waste Anesthesia Gas Disposal (WAGD). (See synopsis attached hereto and made a part hereof as if set forth at length)

DINNER BREAK AT 7:05 P.M.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

SECRETARY

Minutes are published on our website.

TREASURER

Robert Thompson reported that we are solvent. Books will be audited tonight. Please send completed forms in with dues. Company check should have your name and purpose of funds written on the check.

GOLF OUTING

Golf outing hand out were on the table. The outing is Tuesday June 7, 2005 at Fox Hollow Country Club. Anyone interested in sponsoring should contact Roger Ennis.



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January 20, 2005 General Meeting Minutes

ADVOCACY

AIA Guidelines will accept comments until January 31, 2005. Some issues are highlighted on our web page, (i.e. extra hand washing sink in room, universal single bed rooms only). Robert Roop will draft a letter outlining those and other issues.

NJ State Assembly Bill. Plumbing permit for shower valves revised. Healthcare will be exempt. EAB worked with the NJHA to effect this change.

EDUCATION

Our topic for February is solar energy for healthcare energy savings. Funds for reimbursement may be available from the State.

All-day CHFM Course is in the planning. Joint meeting with Delaware Valley/HEADV is possible.

MEMBERSHIP

Peter Appelmann advised that there are 4 people in., Roger A Shults, Allan Sacks, Richard A. Schneider, Bruce Lindstrom were voted in the organization. The following memberships are pending Charles Hovis, Anthony C. Denike, and Jan M. Gasparec.

**Bill Anderson made a motion to accept proposed members. Said Motion was seconded by Rob Thompson and passed.**

Fred Minick asked if we check the ratio. John DiGirolomo advised yes. The ratio is 60%/40% (healthcare members/professional associates). Do vendors invite healthcare people to join our organization and come to our meetings. Ed Cichiwicz calls on 4 to 5 hospital people a day and talks about our organization. We need a plan to get more healthcare people here.

EAB REPORT

HFMSNJ – Meeting of January 20, 2005
New Jersey Engineering Advisory Board Report
EAB Meeting of December 15, 2004 – John Schliewenz, Chairman

ARCHITECTS

An issue raised during the meeting was that parents of a patient in the PICU/NICU could be handicapped. Attention must be given to the design to accommodate their needs under the ADA.

SAFETY

Handout 2002 NFPA 99 at 5.1.11. This is for valves in the open. If you identify a valve above the ceiling with a dot you then have to put a sign on it listing gas/chemical and location. See handout attached hereto and made a part hereof.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE

A request was made to member to check with their hospital social workers to assist in us getting a home to upgrade for a family in need.

Toys for Tots was a complete success. Toys were brought to Picatinny Arsenal.

At February’s meeting please bring old coats, sleeping bags, blankets, etc. We will distribute them to the needey. Please note that any clothing items should be cleaned and in good shape. The Bridges Run is April 27^th . please contact Mr. Frank Keller if you are interested in participating.

It was noted that Christmas In April Project, Inc., may have been dissolved or may be using another name to carry out its charity work. The current name was unknown to us at this time. Habitat For Humanity was contacted. Mike DePadova, CHFM stated that his sister, who has Multiple Sclerosis, was in need of a ramp for her handicap.

VENDOR COMMITTEE

Mary Padgett advised that there was no new business.

WEBSITE

John DiGirolomo, CHFM gave report in Frank DelGuidio’s absence. Our website has been turned over to a new web master. Look for a new look with interactive features and Paypal so that members can use their credit cards for payment.

DOH UPDATE

No new business to report.



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January 20, 2005 General Meeting Minutes

JCAHO

Next inspection is at Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck and Englewood Hospital. JACHO asked about a mercury reduction program. It was advised that this is only a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal EPA and the American Hospital Association. It is not a law and is not a rule that must be implemented. It is only a MOU. The JCAHO inspection is going to St. Peters in New Brunswick, NJ, next.

OLD BUSINESS

No old business to report.

NEW BUSINESS

No new business to report.

CALL TO ADJOURNMENT AT 8:45 P.M.

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January 20, 2005 General Meeting Minutes

Please See Attachments
Below

Summary of Presentation: Mark Allan


We've got issues with WAGD.

The issues are twofold: First, we1re seeing pumps working harder than in the
past - in one reported case a pump 3suddenly started to run hard2 after 24
years of service. Why? The facility installed new anesthesia machines.
Second, we are seeing a definite increase in reports of pump fires. We
hasten to point out that there is not enough data available at this time to
reach any conclusions. What we do know is that all the reported fires (13
reports over three years) were in oil lubricated pumps in dual use service.

North American medical gas designers have over the years largely come to
share a common set of assumptions about WAGD:
1. Dumping the WAGD into the medical vacuum source is cheap. This is
assumed to be true in equipment terms and also in the designer1s own time -
no line sizing or pump sizing needs to be done other than what must be done
for the vacuum anyway.
2. Any oxygen will arrive at the pump sufficiently diluted to render it
harmless.
3. Any other problem will be handled by someone else.
These assumptions have lead to the most common implementation of WAGD in
North America today - a WAGD terminal or two at each anesthetizing location
piped into the medical vacuum line and thence into the medical vacuum pump.
Many of these vacuum systems are then connected to an oil lubricated pump.
In no area of medical gases are international practice and North American
practice more widely divergent. The major anesthesia machine manufacturers
operate globally and these manufacturers are now selling anesthesia systems
originally designed in europe in North America. These machines reflect
their ISO origins in the way they handle WAGD.
The Œtraditional1 interface valve would draw something like 6-9 liters per
minute when in operation, whereas as an example, one of these newer
interface valves is calibrated to draw 36 lpm at 12 inches of vacuum. This
is consistent with what is expected under ISO. However, the standard sizing
assumptions used in North America for WAGD assume only 1 scfm (28.3 lpm) per
anesthetizing location.

As new anesthesia machines come on line, the first anyone downstairs knows
of any change may be when the facility begins experiencing pump problems.

How one should deal with an existing mixed system which is having trouble?
There are many answers, and each has subtleties, but in general the options
are:
Simply put on a larger pump.
Divide the systems, taking WAGD to it1s own pump, and leaving the medical
vacuum on the existing pump.
Abandon or demolish the current WAGD inlets and install a dedicated WAGD
system.





In order to evaluate a decision on dividing the systems, you will need the
answers for the following:
How is your present system organized?
Is the objective a complete update of the WAGD system to minimize all risks
or merely enough to attenuate an immediate fire risk?
Are there obstacles outside of the engineering and construction related
challenges?
General requirements for any WAGD system under NFPA 99 include:
1. A unique, dedicated WAGD terminal placed wherever nitrous oxide or
halogenated anesthetic is intended to be administered (13.3.5.2, 14.3.5.2).
This will obviously include any location piped with nitrous oxide.
Consideration should also be given to areas which are not traditionally
piped with nitrous, but where nitrous oxide mounted on the anesthetizing
machine can reasonably be expected to be used.
2. WAGD inlets must be separate from and non-interchangeable with the vacuum
inlets (even if they ultimately are piped to the same source). WAGD has
it1s own color code (White letters on violet).
3. All WAGD producers are required to be duplex.
4. A local alarm indicating Lag WAGD producer in service. This alarm must be
relayed to the master alarm.
5. The WAGD producer is required to include a source valve.
6. Exhausts for the producer must exit the building.
7. Electrical power must be from the essential electrical system, equipment
branch.
8. Centrally piped WAGD is required to be valved like any other medical gas
or vacuum system.
9. The master alarms for a piped WAGD system will include an indicator for
3Low WAGD2 and an indicator for 3WAGD Lag Producer Running2.
10. Any area fitted with piped WAGD requires a WAGD area alarm.

It is no longer OK to simply dump the WAGD into the vacuum system. The good
news is that safe and compliant options for dealing with WAGD are many and
any number may be acceptable in any given situation.

This article is an extract from a detailed discussion entitled 3WAGD
Systems2 available from BeaconMedaes. To obtain a complimentary copy,
please send an E-mail with your address to mallen@beaconmedical.com
indicating your interest.



Advocacy Minutes January 2005 Meeting



Proposed Legislation

We have received no response to the letters we sent to legislators who sponsored bills on liability for damage to underground facilities, permits for each time a shower valve was replaced, or that placards be placed at every entry notifying the public of hazardous materials.

However, we learned that Assembly 2996 that would have required a construction permit be obtained each time a shower valve was replaced has been amended to exempt healthcare institutions from this requirement. Our position on this issue was accepted. Another success for healthcare.

No news on the rumor that Home Depot will be reporting sales of shower valves to individual consumers to the local AHJ.




AIA Guidelines on Design and Construction of Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities

Chapter 7, General Hospitals and Part 2, Environment of Care of the draft Guideline were reviewed and new requirements with the greatest potential to impact engineering operations were identified. A several page document was made available on the website for review by members.

At the January executive Committee meeting, it was determined to respond to the AIA on two issues:
The requirement that each patient room be single bed and
The requirement that each patient room have a hand washing station in addition to that in the toilet room.

Draft letters will be prepared and posted on the web site for members use. They should be downloaded, customized for the member’s institution, edited as needed and sent to the AIA Guideline committee. The more responses the committee receives, the more likely they are to consider them. Responses to the AIA are due by January 31, 2005.



Respectfully submitted,

Robert N. Roop, P.E.
Chairman Advocacy Committee