Failure to maintain an egress as well as failing to protect people from smoke and fire are all too common, yet easy to discern. Better yet, all are preventable through improved staff performance or implementing affordable solutions. Here is a list of ten typical life safety violations along with solutions that can help keep facilities safer for visitors and staff.

According to “Joint Commission Perspectives,” a 2009 survey revealed that the most common types of Joint Commission standards citations given to hospitals were for Life Safety Code violations. In fact, Life Safety Code-related violations were the first, second, fourth and sixth most frequently cited, includinf failure to maintain an egress as well as failing to to protect people from smoke and fire (source: Joint Commission Perspectives). These findings are likely in part to be the result of The Joint Commissions’ increased focus in this area and the addition of Life Safety specialists to the inspection team.