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section 8

Contents

• Overviewofequipmentmanagement

• Equipmentassessmentandprocurement

• Equipmentregister

• Equipmentstorage

• Equipmentmaintenance

• Replacingandupgradingequipment

• Disposingofequipment

• Referencesandresources

• Appendix:Informationforinclusioninanequipmentregister.

Equipment management

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8.1 Overview of equipment managementTheprimarypurposeofhavinganequipmentmaintenancesystemistoensurethesafetyofclientsandcarersduringusebymakingsureallmovingandhandlingequipmentisfitforuseandkeptinefficientworkingorder.Theusefulworkinglifeofequipmentcanbeextendedthroughregularscheduledchecksandmaintenance.Thissectionprovidesasetofguidelinesforequipmentmaintenancethatcanbeadaptedasrequired.ThissectiononequipmentmaintenancecomplementsdescriptionsofthetypesofmovingandhandlingequipmentcoveredinSection7.

Equipmentmaintenanceisanorganisationalresponsibilitythathasimplicationsforengineering,maintenance,procurement,financeandthecarerswhousetheequipment.Clientandcarersafetydependsontheadequatemaintenanceofmovingandhandlingequipment.Properequipmentmaintenanceisnotonlyanassetmanagementfunction,butalsoacentralpartofmaintainingacultureofsafetyinan organisation.

Theday‑to‑daymanagementandmonitoringofmovingandhandlingequipmentmaybetheresponsibilityofamanagerinfacilities,healthandsafety,engineeringormaintenance.Maintenanceresponsibilitiesmayalsobedelegatedtospecificpeople.Withinmanagementsystems,thereshouldbeclearlynegotiatedareasofresponsibilityaboutwhomonitorstheequipmentanditsuse,whoisresponsibleforcarryingoutroutinechecksandmaintenance,andwhopaysforanyrepairandmaintenancecosts.

Allprocurement,maintenanceanddisposalsofmechanicalandelectricalequipmentshouldbecompliantwiththeStandardsNew ZealandrequirementsinAS/NZS3551:2004Technical management programs for medical devicesandwithAS/NZS2500:2004Guide to the safe use of electricity in patient care.Thesestandardscoverprocurement,theacceptanceprocess,safetyandperformancetestinganddisposal.1Movingandhandlingequipmentisusedinmultiplelocationsinworkplacesandhomes.Establishingwhohasownershipofandresponsibilityforcheckingandservicingequipmentisanimportantfactorindevelopingamaintenancesystem.

1. Thesestandardswerebeingrevisedin2011.Checkforupdates.

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Section 8: equipment management

8.2 Equipment assessment and procurementGiventhewiderangeoftypesofequipmentandtheneedtoinvesttimeinassessingequipmentpriortopurchase,itisimportantforhealthcarefacilitiestoprovideeffectiveprocurementsystemsforpurchasingequipmentformovingandhandlingpeople.

Wherethereisanexistingprocurementsystem,suchasaprocurementcommittee,thecommitteeshouldincludethepersonresponsibleformovingandhandlingintheorganisation.Theycanprovidetheknowledgerequiredtomakepurchasesbasedonclinicalneedsratherthanpurelyfinancialfactors.Itiseasyforpotentialpurchaserstobeconfusedbythevastarrayofclientmovingandhandlingequipmentwithverysophisticatedtechnicalfeatures.Purchasersmaynotbeknowledgeableenoughtomakeclinicalchoices,soshouldseekexpertadvice.Organisingapriority‑basedclinicalneedsassessmenttoolwiththemovingandhandlingperson,thecarerswhoaretousetheequipmentandtheprocurementsectionwillhelptoensurearobustselectionprocessthatfollowsduediligencewithoutcompromisingclinical requirements.

Box 8.2

Some key points for equipment procurement

• TherearemultiplecompaniesinNew Zealandthatsupplyequipmentformovingandhandlingpeople

• Therehavebeenmajordevelopmentsinmovingandhandlingequipmentinthepast10years,andequipmenttechnologyisdevelopingrapidly

• Robustequipmentwithadvancedfeaturesandarangeofaccessoriesisgenerallymoreexpensivebutmaybemorecosteffectiveforlong‑term use

• Whenacquiringnewequipment,givedueconsiderationtopossiblefuturedevelopmentsforfacilityuse,suchasceilinghoists

• Adequateneedsassessmentsareessentialtoensureefficientpurchasing.

• Manytypesofmobileequipmentarepoweredbybatteries,soeasyaccesstobatterychargingisimportant.

Suppliersareoftenveryhelpfulinprovidinginformationabouttheirownequipment,butremembertheyaretheretomakesales.Yourorganisationshouldhavearobustprocurementprocedurethatavoidscostlypurchasesofequipmentthatmaynot

Box 8.1

Collaboration for equipment procurement

Acollaborativeeffortinvolvingtheprocurementcommittee,staffwhowillusetheequipment,clientfeedbackwhiletriallingequipment,andinformationfromsupplierswillusuallyresultinwellthoughtoutprocurement decisions.

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functionasintended.Insmallorlimited‑budgetorganisations,staffmemberscanbeallocatedresponsibilityforbecomingfamiliarwithparticulartypesofequipment.Forexample,aphysiotherapyassistantcouldlookafterwheelchairsandotherstaffcouldlookaftercommodechairs.

Equipment procurement systems

Whenselectingequipmentfortrial,hireorpurchase,therearesomegeneralconsiderationstobearinmind.Iftheproposedequipmentorderislargeorexpensive,itisworthputtingadditionalworkintotheinitialconsultationandassessmentprocesstoincreasethelikelihoodthattheequipmentwillbesuitableforitsintended purpose.

Figure8.1setsoutcommonstagesthatcanbeusedinpreparationformakinglargeequipmentorders,especiallywhereanewtypeorbrandofequipmentisbeingpurchased.Forsmallorders,orroutinereplacementsofequipment,somepartsoftheprocurementprocessmightbereducedoromitted.However,consultationandinitialassessmentarealwaysimportant.

Figure 8.1 Stages for equipment procurement

Consultationwithkeypeople(e.g.ward/clinicstaff,finance,facilityowner,occupationalhealthandsafety,infectioncontrol,laundry,

maintenancestaff)

Initialsearchofavailableequipment

Demonstrationofselected equipment

Trialofselectedequipment

Listoffeaturesorattributesrequiredfornewequipment,includinganycompatibility

expectationswithexistingequipment

Shortlistofequipmentmodelsandsuppliers,costsanddeliverytimes

Selectionofmodelfortrialling

Decisionaboutpurchaseofequipmentortriallingofequipmentfromdifferentsupplier

Leadsto

Leadsto

Leadsto

Leadsto

Consultation

Whenpurchasingequipment,especiallyduringthedesignorredesignoftheworkenvironment,consultingpeoplewhosejobswillbeaffectedbythenewequipmentisessential.Thefollowinglistprovidesexamplesofthepeopleandgroupswithwhomconsultationmaybeuseful.

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Section 8: equipment management

• Moving and handling coordinator:Givethecoordinatorinformationaboutthelocations,carersandclientsusingtheequipmentsotheycanprovideadviceonwhattypeofequipmentwouldsuittheirneedsandrequirements,suchasequipmentstorage,facilitydesignandmaintenance

• Users of the equipment:Asktheendusers(notusuallythemanager)whattheyneedtheequipmentfor,whatfeaturesaremostimportanttothemandwhetheranyproblemsorpasthistorywithequipmentcouldserveaslessonslearned.Involvethemintheequipmentselectionprocessandtrialling

• Colleagues or contacts in other health servicesandotherfacilitieswhohaveboughtthesameequipment,haveusedthesamesuppliers,orhavethesameneedsandcouldsharetheprocess,makingalargeresourcepoolandenablingbetterbargainingpowerwithsuppliers

• Suppliers of equipment:Inadditiontoequipmentspecificationsandprices,asksupplierstoprovidecontactdetailsofotherpurchaserssotheycanbecontactedfortheircommentsandpossiblesitevisits

• Maintenance and laundry managersorstaffiftheywillbeinvolvedinservicingandmaintainingthenewequipment

• Infection control:Forthecleaningrequirementsofanyequipmentpurchased

• CPR (cardio‑pulmonary resuscitation) staff or committees:Toensureequipmentcompatibilitywiththeirneeds.Forexample,whenpurchasingbeds,theCPRfunctioninanacutesettingisvital

• Fire officer:Forcommentsaboutemergencyevacuationequipmentorproceduresandalsotoensurethattheinstallationanduseofequipmentdonotblockfiredoorsoressentialexits.

Anoutcomeoftheconsultationprocesswillbethedevelopmentofcriteriafordesiredfeaturesoftheequipmenttobepurchased.

Box 8.3

Consultation on electric beds

Whenourorganisationwasintheprocessofbuyingnewelectricbeds,theprocurementpeopleaskedformyadvice.OneofthethingsImadesureofwasthesebedsshouldhaveamanualemergencyrelease–pullaleverandtheheadofthebedcomesdownimmediately.

Becauseofmybackgroundasanurse,Iknowhowimportanttheemergencyreleaseiswhenapatienthasacardiacarrest(heartattack)andneedsresuscitationimmediately.Everysecondisvaluable.IfIdidn’thaveanursingbackground,Iwouldhaverecommendedthattheprocurementcommitteegetsomeonewithappropriatenursingexperiencetobeonthe committee.

Source:Manualhandlingcoordinator

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Initial assessment

Theselectionprocessshouldstartwithaneedsassessmentofthetask,areaandclientgroup.Thepurchasingteamcanthencontactsuppliersandidentifyallequipmentmodelsthatperformthedesiredapplicationsinareasonableandsafemanner.Literatureforthespecifiedequipmenttypesshouldthenberequestedfromeachidentifiedsupplierordistributor.

Followinganinitialreviewoftheproductliteraturetoeliminatethoseproductsthatwouldnotbesuitablefortheintendedapplication,teteamcanincludeinformationonanypreviouslyperformedorongoingfield‑andlaboratory‑basedequipmentevaluationsaspartofthetenderprocess.Ifthemanufacturerhasperformedtheequipmentevaluation,notanoutsideresearchfacility,theevaluationmightbebiasedorincomplete.Conductawebsearchforuserevaluationsandcommentsontheequipment,andaliteraturesearch(forbothpeer‑reviewedandotherprintmediasources,suchasindustrymagazines),tofindoutmoreinformationforspecificequipmentmodels.

Anotherimportantpointforconsiderationistheadaptabilityoftheequipmentbeingacquired.Decisionsshouldincludenotonlythepriceoritsimpressivefeatures.Amongthequestionsthatshouldbeaskedduringtheinitialassessmentprocessare:

• Future proofing:Willtheequipmentbecomeobsoleteifthemanufacturerstopsprovidingspareparts,orcangenericsparepartsbeobtained?Willtheequipmentalsoserveanychangesinthecurrentserviceorclientcondition?

• Compatibility:Willitbecompatiblewithexistingequipmentoranyprocured later?

Thefollowinggeneralcriteriamayberelevanttoanequipmentassessment:

• Appropriateness:Theequipmentmustbe‘fitforpurpose’andbeabletocarryoutthetasksforwhichitisintended

• Accessibility and storage:Doesthebuildinglayoutinthewardsorunitsforwhichtheequipmentisbeingpurchasedallowtheequipmenttobeusedandchargedeasily?Cantheequipmentbestoredsoitisreadilyavailableintheareastobeused?Itisgenerallyrecommendedthatstorageareasbewithin20metresofhandlingareasandwithin10mofnursestations

• Compatibility:Willthenewequipmentbeusedinconjunctionwithanyexistingequipment?Howwillthenewequipmentintegratewithexistingequipmentandoverallclinicalsystems?

• Infection control:Itemsmustbeabletobecleanedasrecommendedbytheinfectioncontrolrequirements,particularlywhenthereisalikelihoodofdirectexposuretoskinorbodyfluids

• Value for money:Whatistheexpectedusefullifeoftheequipment?

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Section 8: equipment management

• Servicing:Willtheequipmentrequireroutineservicing?Whatisthecostofservicingandwhowillprovideit?Whatqualificationsarerequiredtomaintaintheequipment?

• Training requirements:Willtheequipmentrequireadditionaltrainingforstaffusingit?Willthesupplierprovideinitialtraining?Willtrainingfortheequipmentbeincorporatedintheongoingtrainingprogrammeformovingandhandlingpeople?

• Funding:Hasthefundingallocatedincludedthecostsofthepurchaseprocessandsubsequenttraining?

Demonstration of selected equipment

Onceashortlistofsuppliershasbeenconfirmed,requestademonstrationoftheequipment,preferablyatthefacilitywhereitwillbeused.Invitestaffandmanagersfromwardsorunitswheretheequipmentwillbeused.Atthebeginningofthedemonstration,giveallattendeesevaluationformsandaskthemtofilltheminbeforetheyleave.Wherepossiblebringalloptionsintothesameroomatthesametimetoallowforcomparison.

Trial of selected equipment

Oncethetopcontenderhasbeendecided,ausefulstrategyforlargeorcomplexitemsofequipment,suchasmobilehoists,istoaskforatrialoftheequipmentforaspecifiedperiod.Thisallowsamoreextensiveassessmentofthesuitabilityoftheequipmentthanispossiblewiththeearlierassessmentstages.Duringthetrial,askfordocumentedfeedback.Thiswillassistwithinformationabouttheequipment’sperformanceandgivetheparticipatingcarersownershipandinclusionintheprocess.

Hiring equipment

Forsomefacilities,hiringorleasingequipmentmaybemorecosteffectivethanpurchasingequipment.Iftheequipmentneededcanbehiredorleasedinitially,thiswillallowamoreextensiveassessmentoftheequipmentsuitability,anditcouldreducethefinancialoutlay.Ensurethatthehireagreementincludesinformationabouttheongoingresponsibilitiesforcleaningandmaintenanceoftheequipment.Allocatingresponsibilityforanyreplacementsfollowingdamageorbreakdownisalsoimportant,alongwithexpectedtimeframesandanyassociatedcosts.

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8.3 Equipment registerOneofthemanagementtoolsoftenusedinanequipmentmaintenancesystemisanequipmentregister.Thisregistercanbeintheformofalogbook,spreadsheetorcustomisedassetmanagementsoftware.Whateverformittakes,itshouldallowregularmonitoringofessentialinformationregardingequipmentlocation,useandmaintenance.Decisionsaboutwhomakespurchasingorprocurementdecisions,whenequipmentshouldbereplaced,andhowobsoleteequipmentwillbedisposedof,aremanagementplanningroles.

Itisimportantforallorganisationsthathavemorethanafewitemsofequipmenttodevelopandmaintainequipmentregisters.Followingconfirmationofpurchaseanddeliverytoafacility,allequipmentitemsshouldbegivenauniquenumberforentryintotheregister.Inlargeorganisations,theequipmentregistermaybeextensiveandincludeawiderangeoftypesofequipment.Ifthereisacombinedregisterofequipmentfordifferentpurposes,movingandhandlingequipmentshouldbeassignedaspecificcategory,sothatallmovingandhandlingequipmentcanbemonitoredasasinglegroup.Insmallfacilitiesasimplersystemmaybeused.Itemspurchasedinlargenumbers,suchasslidesheetsandslings,maybeenteredasgroupsintheequipmentregister.

Toestablishanequipmentregisteritisnecessarytodevelopalistofallmovingandhandlingequipmentheldbytheorganisationorfacility.Appendix8.1showsexamplesofspecificinformationforanequipmentregister.ThedatafieldsshownintheAppendixtablecanbereviewedforinclusioninafacilityequipmentregister.

Theequipmentregisterismostflexiblewhencreatedusingspecialisedsoftware.Forsmallorganisationswithfewitemsofequipment,theregistercouldbedevelopedusingexistingspreadsheetordatabasesoftware.Largeorganisations,wheretheequipmentregistercontainsthousandsofitems,willmostlikelyacquireordevelopcustomisedsoftware.Intheseorganisations,theregisterswillneedtobeaccessedandupdatedbymultipleusers.

Equipmentitemstoenterintotheregisterasapriorityshouldbethosethatareelectricallyoperated,requirescheduledservicingandareusedinmultiplewardsorunits.Formovingandhandlingequipment,thisincludesmobilehoists,ceilinghoists,sittostandhoistsandelectricbeds.Aswellasbeingusedtomonitorservicingandmaintenancerequirements,anequipmentregisterisusefulforkeepingtrackofthelocationofequipmentandforinventorycontrolforitemssuchasslidesheetsandhoistslings.

Box 8.4

Standardisation of equipment storage procedures

Staffrotationbetweendifferentwards,sectionsandunitsiscommoninmanyfacilities.Standardisingequipmentproceduresandstorageforregularlyuseditemswillassiststaffinlocatingandusingthem.Forexample,slidesheetswithloopsattachedtothemcouldbehungbesideclients’bedsafterallocation,throughoutahospitalorresidentialhome,asastandard procedure.

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Section 8: equipment management

8.4 Equipment storageThestorageareasandlocationsrequiredforequipmentwilldependonthelayoutoftheunitorfacility,andonthetypeandamountofclienthandlingequipmentprovided.

Equipmentshouldbestorednearwhereitismostused.Itshouldalsobereadilyaccessibletostaff(i.e.thereshouldnotbeotherthingspiledontopofitorblockingaccesstoit).Itemsofequipmentusedtogethershouldalsobestoredtogether.Forexample,slings,mobilehoistsandsparehoistbatteriesshouldbestoredtogether.Transferboardsshouldhaveslidesheetsstoredwiththemforeaseofuse.Equipmentthatisbatteryoperated,suchasmobilehoistsandstandinghoists,mayneedstoringclosetoapowerpointsothatthebatteriescanbecharged.

Equipmentstorageshouldbeorganisedsothatpeoplewhousetheequipmentmostoftencanaccessiteasily.Specificthingstoconsiderwhenplanningstorageareasare:

• Storeitemstogetherthatareusedtogether(e.g.mobilehoistsandslings)

• Slidesheetsthatareinuseshouldbestoredbesideclients’beds,eitheronhooksorinspecifiedlocationsorcontainers

• Thestorageofceilinghoistsshouldbedesignedatthetimetheyare installed

• Thestorageoflargeitems(e.g.mobilehoists,sittostandhoists)shouldnotblockaccesstosmallitems

• Storageareasneedtobelocatedinthewardorunitwheretheywillbeused,preferablywithin20mofhandlingareasandwithin10mofnursestations

• Storageareasshouldnotblockorreduceaccessways

• Storagedoorwaysneedtobeatleast1,500mmwide

• Theuseablecorridorwidthbetweenstorageareasandhandlingareaswheretheequipmentwillbeusedshouldbeatleast1,500mm.

Box 8.5

Mobile hoist access and storage

Wekeepourmobilehoistinthecorridorduringthebusyperiods.Itisnotidealbutitiseasilyaccessibleforstaff,anditwasn’tgettinginanybody’sway.Ournewmanagercamealongandinstructedstafftostorethehoistoutofsightbecauseitmadetheplacelookuntidy.Heshouldhaveaskedwhyitwasinthecorridorinthefirstplace.Thehoistisinconstantuseduringpeakhours.Ithastobeaccessibletostaffwhenit’sneededotherwisetheydon’tuseit,especiallyasourstorageroomisabitoutoftheway.

Source:Healthworker,aged‑carefacility

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8.5 Equipment maintenanceThepurposeofmaintenanceistoensurethatequipmentcanbeoperatedasintended.Movingandhandlingequipmentrangesfromlowcomplexity(suchasslidesheetsandwalkers),throughmediumcomplexity(wheelchairs)tosophisticatedhoistsandelectricbeds.Themaintenancesystemneededforequipmentwillberelatedtoitscomplexity.Maintenanceformanytypesofequipmentwilltypicallycoverthreetypesofcheck:

• Visualchecksorassessmentspriortoeachuse

• Moreextensiveperiodicchecks

• Scheduledservicechecksthatarecarriedoutbyauthorisedpeople.

Table 8.2 Equipment types and maintenance tasks

Equipment category Specific types of equipment Examples of maintenance tasks

Electricalandmechanicalequipment

Mobilehoists

Ceilinghoists

Electricbeds

Wheelchairs

Loadtesting

Visualcheckforanyobvioussignsofwearandtearanddamage

Scheduledmaintenancelist

Lubricationandadjustment

Checkmainssupplyelectriccords

Batterycheck

Tilttesting

Fabrictransferaids Hoistslings

Slidesheets

Visualcheckforfrayedandtornsections

Laundrysystemformultiple‑useslidesheetsandslings

Disposalsystemfor‘usewithoneclientonly’slidesheetsandslings

Othertransferaids Transferboards,walking frames Visualinspectionfordamage

Whereanorganisationownsequipmentthatisonloantoclients,suchequipmentshouldbeincludedintheorganisation’smaintenanceprogrammeunlessitcomestosomeotherarrangementwiththeclient.Forcommunityorhomecare,movingandhandlingequipmentmaybeprivatelyownedbyaclientortheirfamily.Althoughtheowneroftheequipmenthasresponsibilityforitsservicingandmaintenance,thecarerorotheruserhasaresponsibilitytocarryoutavisualcheckoftheequipmentpriortoeachuse.Box8.6givesanaccountofanincidentthathighlightswhyproperequipmentmaintenanceisessential.

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Section 8: equipment management

Visual checks prior to use

Priortousinganyequipmentthecarer,orstaffpersonincharge,shouldcarryoutavisualcheckoftheequipment.Equipmentshouldnotbeusedifthereisanyindicationthatitmaybefaultyornotsafetouse.Fabrichandlingaids,suchasslidesheetsandhoistslings,shouldbecheckedfortears,loosestitching,soilinganddampness.

Visualchecksofelectricallyoperatedequipmentandequipmentwithmovingpartsmayincludethefollowing:

• Theequipmenthasacurrentcertificateoffitnesswhererelevant

• Thedesignatedsafeworkingload(SWL)isshownontheequipmentandtheweightofthepersonbeinglifteddoesnotexceedtheSWL

• Allpartsandaccessoriesneededtooperatetheequipmentarepresent

• Thewheelsmovefreely

• Thebrakeswork

• Thebatteryhassufficientchargeandthelocationofasparebatteryisknown

• Thehandset(remotecontrol)works

• Inrelationtoelectricalwiring,therearenobarewiresordamagetosockets

• Therearenovisiblesignsofdamagetotheequipment

• Thereisnovisiblesoiling,contaminationorleakage.

Periodic checks

Periodicchecksarethosethataremoreextensivethanvisualcheckspriortousebutnotasextensiveasscheduledmaintenancechecks.Theymaybecarriedouteveryfewmonthsatthedirectionoftheequipmentmanagerforthewardsorunitswheretheequipmentisused.Equipmentmayalsoneedtobecleaned,decontaminatedanddriedinaccordancewithcurrentinfectioncontrolpracticesandthemanufacturers’ instructions.

Periodicchecksalsocoverdisposableitemssuchasslidesheetsthataresuppliedandcleanedbyacontractor.Thecontractshouldstipulatewhichpartyisresponsibleforqualitycontrolandmaintenancecheckstoensurethattheequipmentissuppliedreadytouse.

Scheduled maintenance checks

Electricallyoperatedequipmentandequipmentwithmovingparts,suchashoistsandwheelchairs,shouldbeexaminedandservicedatscheduledintervalsbycompetentpeople.ThefrequencyofscheduledmaintenanceshouldbeconsistentwiththerelevantNew Zealandstandard2,themanufacturers’recommendationsandhowoftentheequipmentisused.

2. AS/NZS3760:2010In‑service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment.

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Routinemaintenanceformechanicalorelectricallyoperatedequipmentislikelytorequirethefollowingtasks:

• Checkforwear,tearand defects

• Lubricationwhereneeded

• Adjustmentstothe equipment

• Batterycapacityforequipmentwithrechargeablebatteries

• Replacewornoutanddamagedparts

• Replaceparts(whichhaveuse‑bydates)beforeexpiry dates

• Cleaninganddecontamination(ifneeded)

• Fitnesscertificateswithexpirydatesareupdated

• Updatingoftheservicescheduleinequipmentregister.

Forequipmentsuchashoistsitisrecommendedthatanexaminationschemebepartofscheduledmaintenance.Anexaminationschemeinvolvesachecklistandspecifictestingrequirementscarriedoutaspartofscheduledmaintenancechecks.Theexaminationschemeshouldbedesignedtofittheoperatingconditionsofaspecifictypeofequipment,and:

• Shouldidentifythepartsoftheequipmenttobeexaminedthoroughly

• Cancoveranumberofsimilaritemssubjecttothesameoperatingconditionsandsimilarlevelsofuse

• Canbedrawnupbytheuser,owner,manufacturerorsomeotherperson,aslongastheyhavethenecessarycompetence

• Shouldbereviewedregularly,followingeachexaminationandafteranyeventthatmayaltertherisksassociatedwiththeequipment.3

3. AdaptedfromHealthandSafetyExecutive(UK),2008.

Box 8.6

The wheels fall off

Asawomanwaspusheddowntheroadinawheelchair,awheelcameoffunexpectedly.Thewomanfellintothepathofoncomingtraffic.Althoughshewasfortunatetosurvivetheaccidentunscathed,ithadthepotentialtocauseseriousharmtoherandhercarer.ThewheelchairwasonloanfromthelocalDistrictHealthBoard.Thewheelchairhadnotbeenservicedormaintainedpriortotheaccident.

Source:Districthealthboardemployee’saccountofanactualevent

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Section 8: equipment management

8.6 Replacing and upgrading equipmentOrganisationsshoulddeveloppoliciesandassessmentcriteriarelatedtoreplacingandupgradingmovingandhandlingequipment.Theseshouldincludepurchasingandleasingnewequipmenttoreplaceobsoleteitemsandreplacingwornanddamagedequipment,orpartssuchasslidesheets,slings,batteriesandmotorsonhoists.

Replacingobsoleteequipmentwithnewequipmentshouldbedoneafteranassessmentbyacompetentperson(suchasanequipmentcoordinator)andconsultationwithstaffusingtheequipment.Thereplacementandupgradingofequipmentcouldalsobediscussedwithsuppliersbeforetheequipmentispurchased.Checkwithsuppliersregardingtheavailabilityofpartsandthecostsofreplacementorupgrading.

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8.7 Disposing of equipmentWhenequipmentbecomesobsolete,isnotsuitableforuseforavarietyofreasons(damaged,canbeusedbutpartsneedreplacing,makingitcheapertobuynewequipment,etc)orissurplustorequirements,thereshouldbeawaytodisposeofit.

Wherepossible,recycleequipmentbygivingittootherorganisationsorindividualsinthecommunitywhocanmakeuseofitaslongasitissafetodoso;otherwiseitmustbedestroyed.Therecipientmustbeinformedofwhatneedstobecarriedwiththeequipment(e.g.replaceapart)beforeitcanbeusedagain,ifsuchactionisrequiredbeforeuse.Equipmentmarkedfordisposalcanalsobeusedasasourceofspare parts.

Forequipmentthatcannotberepairedandreused,suchasslingsandslidesheets,adisposalsystemisneeded.Suchequipmentshouldbedisposedofasrecommendedbythemanufacturers.Checkwiththesuppliersormanufacturersonhow‘dead’batteriescanbedisposedofsafely.Mostbatteriescontaintoxicmaterialsandshouldnotbesenttolandfills.

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Section 8: equipment management

References and resourcesEnos,L.(2008).Safe Patient Handling – Equipment Purchasing Checklist.OregonCoalition

forHealthCareErgonomics(OCHE).Retrieved22March2011fromhttp://hcergo.org/Equipment%20checkilist%20guide%20for%20SPH%20programs%202008.pdf.

HealthandSafetyExecutive(UK).(2008).Thorough Examination of Lifting Equipment.(LeafletINDG422.)www.hse.gov.uk.

StandardsNew Zealand,AS/NZS3551:2004Technical management programs for medical devices

Seewww.standards.co.nz.

StandardsNew Zealand,AS/NZS3760:2010In‑service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment.Seewww.standards.co.nz.

UnitedKingdomlegislativestandardsonequipmentmaintenance(The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998).www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2306/contents/made.

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Appendix 8.1 Information for inclusion in an equipment register

Data field in register Purpose and comments

Equipmenttype e.g.ceilinghoist,mobilehoist,wheelchair

Brandormodel Manufacturer’snameandmodeldetails

Supplier Nameandcontactdetailsofcompanysupplyingequipment

Acquisitiondate Datepurchasedorleased(usedeliverydatetofacility)

Serialnumber Manufacturer’sserialnumber(ifrelevant)

Identificationnumber Auniquenumbersuppliedbyowningorganisation(ifrelevant)

Equipmentdescription

Detailsofequipmentitemandanyaccessoriessotheycanbeeasilyidentified(e.g.photo,diagramorwrittendescription)andaccompanyingaccessories(e.g.handheldremotecontrol,spare battery)

SWL Safeworkingloadinkilograms(ifrelevant)

Warranty Periodofsupplierwarrantyandwarrantyexpirydate(ifrelevant)

Expectedworkinglife Expectedworkinglifeofequipmentbeforeitneedsreplacement

Post‑purchasecheck Personresponsibleforcommissioningequipment,checkingitpriortouseandensuringanyrequiredlabelsorstickers(suchasSWLsandexpirydates)arepresentandclearlyvisibleontheequipment

Location Usuallocationinorganisationandanyspecialstoragedetails(e.g.accesstobatterycharging,slingslocatedinsameareaashoists)

Routineservicing Detailsofroutineservicingneeded(e.g.batterychargingforhoists,laundryserviceforslidesheetsandslings)

Responsibilityforequipment

Nameofmanagerorpositionresponsibleforequipmentanditsallocationtousers

Availableforloan Detailsaboutwhetherequipmentcanbeusedinotherunitsorloanedtoexternalusers

Serviceschedule Serviceperiod(e.g.sixmonths,12months)

Specificservicedetails

Replacementdateforspecificparts(e.g.batteries)orexpirydateafterwhichtheequipmentcannotbeusedwithoutaservicecheck

Serviceprovider Nameofpersonorunitresponsibleforservicingornameofprovider(ifexternallyserviced)

Dateofservice Dateofmostrecentservicing

Servicingcomments Specificcommentsmadeabouttheequipmentbypersondoing servicing

Servicingcomments Specificcommentsmadeabouttheequipmentbypersondoing servicing

Specificservicerequests

Notestaffnames,datesandtypesofrequestforspecificrequestsforservicingorassessmentsofequipment

Incidentsinvolvingtheequipment

Detailsofanyincidents(e.g.accidents,nearmisses)involvingequipment,detailsofequipmentfailuresordesignfaultsanddetailsofanyfollow‑upactionneededortaken

Continued …

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Section 8: equipment management

Data field in register Purpose and comments

Generalcomments Commentsfromusersrelatedtothedesignandusefulnessoftheequipmentorthespecificmodel–thisinformationmaybeusefulforfuturepurchasingdecisions

Equipmentdisposalpolicy

Anyspecificequipmentdisposalrequirements(e.g.disposableslings,slide sheets)

Equipmentdisposedof Date,wheredisposedtoandpeopleinformedaboutdisposal(if needed)

Equipmentreplacement

Detailsaboutnewequipmenttoreplaceequipmentdisposedof

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