Safety briefing part of survey process starting in January 2023
The Joint Commission is adding a safety briefing to all accreditation surveys — including for the Behavioral Health Care and Human Services Accreditation Program — effective Jan. 1, 2023.
The informal briefing — which is not expected to take more than 5 minutes — allows organizations to tell surveyors about any potential contemporary safety concerns and how the surveyors should respond if the organizations’ safety plans are implemented while surveyors are onsite. Organizations should identify staff who will provide the briefing prior to the surveyor arriving.
The briefing will be incorporated into the arrival and greeting activities held on Day 1 of surveys. Topics that an organization should be prepared to discuss during the briefing include:
- Fire, smoke, or other emergencies.
- Workplace violence, including active shooter scenarios.
- Any specific issues the organization is aware of that surveyors may encounter during their time onsite.