A new self-assessment tool provides hospitals with a means of
evaluating decontamination plans and capabilities against current
regulatory standards, recommendations from subject matter
experts, and national and international health care
decontamination best practices. The Hospital Decontamination
Self-Assessment Tool helps hospitals plan for, and respond to,
small and large-scale incidents requiring the decontamination of
patients contaminated by or exposed to chemical, biological,
radiological, or nuclear agents. The tool is intended for use by
hospital emergency preparedness planners, hospital
decontamination team members, and other personnel with a
responsibility for their facility’s decontamination plans and
procedures.
The Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management website offers
a comprehensive, user-friendly, web-based resource that is also
downloadable in advance, so that it would be available during an
event if the internet is not accessible.
This resource was developed to enable first responders, first
receivers, other healthcare providers, and planners to plan for,
respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of
mass-casualty incidents involving chemicals.
The intent of the attached tool is to provide hospitals with
planning guidance for managing the waste water and runoff
generated by decontamination of victims presenting to the
facility for emergency care and treatment.
This document provides recommendations for protecting healthcare
providers and managing patients in the event of a hazardous
materials exposure. Content was compiled through nationally
recognized, current practice standards and formatted into
user-friendly materials.
In addition, compliance with regulatory agencies such as the
California Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(Cal-OSHA), State of California Water Resources Control Board and
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
were considered. These recommendations, developed for hospitals
by hospital experts, will be revised and updated as indicated by
practice or need.
