Florida Senate - 2014                                     SB 554
       
       
        
       By Senator Thompson
       
       
       
       
       
       12-00713-14                                            2014554__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to patient lifting; creating s.
    3         395.1013, F.S.; requiring hospitals to establish a
    4         protocol concerning the lifting and associated
    5         handling of patients by hospital employees; requiring
    6         that the protocol be developed by a committee;
    7         providing for membership of the committee; providing
    8         factors for the committee to consider in developing
    9         the protocol; establishing a continuous assessment and
   10         evaluation of the protocol; providing an effective
   11         date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Section 395.1013, Florida Statutes, is created
   16  to read:
   17         395.1013 Patient lifting and handling.—
   18         (1) A hospital shall establish an evidence-based protocol
   19  regarding the safe lifting and associated handling of patients
   20  by hospital employees which minimizes the risk of injury to
   21  patients and employees. The protocol shall be developed by a
   22  committee comprised of an appropriate mix of management and
   23  nonmanagement employees, including registered nurses engaged in
   24  direct patient care. The hospital may assign the task of
   25  developing the protocol to a new or existing committee.
   26         (2) In developing the protocol, the committee shall:
   27         (a) Use relevant data to evaluate the risk of injury to
   28  patients and employees.
   29         (b) Determine the appropriateness of alternative strategies
   30  for lifting and associated handling of patients based on the
   31  population of patients at the hospital and identified hospital
   32  specific risk factors. At a minimum, the committee shall
   33  consider:
   34         1. Training employees engaged in caring for patients to use
   35  safe lifting and associated handling practices.
   36         2. Using teams of trained employees to lift and handle
   37  patients.
   38         3. Integrating the use of mechanical lifting devices or
   39  other engineering controls that minimize the need to manually
   40  lift and handle the patient.
   41         4. Designating physical space and incorporating
   42  architectural design to accommodate mechanical lifting devices
   43  or other engineering controls during construction or renovation
   44  of the hospital.
   45         (c) Develop an ongoing evaluation process to determine the
   46  effectiveness of the protocol established under this section.
   47         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.