static electricity in hospital

[fayc]

Good morning,

Static electricity, I am looking for ideas on how to eliminate it or prevent it.in anyway.

Either a nurse, visitor, housekeeper, transporter etc...that comes in contact with a push button for automatic doors, a badge reader, the hardware on a wooden door etc... they get a shock. no certain push button, badge reader, door hardware etc...and no certain area in the hospital.

And when this happens it's a trip to the emergency room, incidenece report and the safety commitee is gets involved etc...

So any ideas would be very helpful!

Thankyou.

 

[jmd445]

Why do you need to fill out an incident report for a static electricity shock?

Check the building humidity, if it is low this will happen.

Jim

 

[fayc]

static electricity in hospital

Jim thankyou.

people don't believe that it's static electricity, they are determined that the got an electrical shock from what ever they touched.and they tend to make a issue out of it.

I have gone so far as to install "rubber" push to open buttons.

 

[muskiedog]

If you have low humidity and carpeted areas you are going to have problems. You can put static tinsel on carts etc to help dissipate the charge build up on carts. Anti-static matting can work also. Check any safety company for anti-static products.

Any safety committee should decide when reviewing items if it is something that should be addressed. An incident report for static seems to be a waste of a report. I get shocked once a day here in the winter in Minnesota due to humidity levels. I would be filling out a report a couple of time a day.

 

[edamico11]

fayc

fayc

I just want to understand, every time someone touches the push button they get a shock, which they notice? This happens even after you installed a rubber mount? I agree with muskiedog about eliminating the static electric, but I have never known static electricity to happen in a such routine way. Have you metered the push button just to see if it was getting and wayward voltage?

Just a thought..

ed

 

[peteo]

Jim & Muskie have the right answer. I dealt with ESD issues in electronics manufacturing for several years.

Just a note, that very many floor cleaning solutions will exacerbate the issue. I'm thinking of this, especially as hospitals can have nightly floor polishes with wax. One of the specialties of static control, is testing and chemical treatment of flooring. Finding the right person to talk with is absolutely necessary, as you're spinning your wheels as a safety committee without the correct information.