In November, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) published the revised Health Care Facilities Code, NFPA 99-2018. This code is normally revised on a three-year cycle – the previous edition was 2015. ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 6000, Professional Qualifications Standard for Medical Gas Systems Personnel, is referenced within NFPA 99 and is always revised immediately following its publication. This year is no exception, so we find ourselves in the middle of revising the ASSE Series 6000.
ASSE International develops all standards under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) process. Recently, a working group of individuals who have interest and expertise in the field of medical gas was formed. The ASSE 6000 Working Group is an advisory group to the ASSE Professional Qualifications Standards Committee, which is the consensus body recognized by ANSI. This working group has reviewed the revised NFPA 99, as well as the ASSE Series 6000-2015, and has submitted proposed changes to be considered for the 2018 revision.
There are 51 members of the ASSE 6000 working group participating in the task of revising the ASSE Series 6000. On Feb. 6, 31 members of the working group met at the ASSE International office in Mokena, Ill. to lend their expertise to this project. Approximately 200 changes were initially proposed, and additional proposed changes were entertained during the Feb. 6 meeting.
Changes to NFPA 99-2018 were included in the proposed changes to the ASSE Series 6000. These included, in part, the use of oxygen concentrator units, the allowance for corrugated medical tubing, additional requirements for dental systems, and a change in terminology from “bulk medical gas” to “Compressed Medical Gas (CMG) Cryogenic Fluid Central Supply.” In addition to the proposals from changes to NFPA 99-2018, the working group also proposed additional changes to the 10 standards and the 14 Annexes that make up the ASSE Series 6000. The attempt is to continually improve the standard.
This important industry standard allows the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to have nationally recognized standards, developed in an open consensus process, to use in helping to ensure that the individuals who work on medical gas and vacuum systems possess the knowledge and experience required to successfully and safely perform the installation, testing, maintenance, inspection, and verification needed within the industry.
ASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Series 6000 will continue to change through revision – not only because of periodic updates to NFPA 99, but also because the medical gas industry continually responds to the experience gained through the use of these standards.
We applaud the individuals who are currently giving of their time to volunteer on the ASSE 6000 Working Group. We thank the many volunteers who participated in the initial development of this standard and its subsequent revisions. Each year, so many people participate in the ASSE standards development process – whether they are involved with professional qualifications standards, like the ASSE Series 6000, or product performance standards, we appreciate all that they do to improve our industry.
And the story continues … you will be receiving ASSE International’s new magazine, Working Pressure, in March. In this issue, you’ll find an article about medical gas and the standards discussed here.
