No Locks On Hospital Bathroom Doors

Policy and procedure for patient bathroom door locks.

No locks on hospital bathroom doors.

The same situation has unfolded countless times. A core component of the nfpa 101. Hospitals shall have policies and procedures for readily gaining access to a locked bathroom in a patient s room. Public bathrooms in other areas of the hospital also have locks and the engineering department and nursing supervisors nights and weekends have keys.

Historical fires like the triangle shirtwaist factory which occurred in new york city on march 25 1911. Life safety code is free egress which means occupants must be able to exit a building without the use of any keys tools special knowledge or effort. Hospitals shall have policies and procedures for readily gaining access to a locked bathroom in a patient s room. This act was signed into law in 2010 by the governor of illinois and became a statewide requirement as of january 1 2011.

Section 5 of the hospital licensing act was amended to include the following under section 11 6 for those who might wish to track down the original source. Some bathroom doors are equipped with mortise locks with an indicator and a turn knob on the exterior. Locked egress doors trapping occupants in a building. Learning how to lock a door without a lock will help you deal with damaged locks or doors that do not have locks installed on them.

This act was signed into law in 2010 by the governor of illinois and became a statewide requirement as of january 1 2011. The spring loaded t turn is normally horizontal whether the door lock is locked or unlocked. Taking the time to learn how to lock a door without a lock can help you improvise emergency locking solutions in dire times like active shooter situations and it can be the very thing that helps save your life. If the door is locked and hospital personnel need access turning the t turn clockwise unlocks the locking mechanism permitting access.