Bill Text: NJ A2185 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires establishment of and compliance with infection control risk assessment (ICRA) standards for hospital construction work.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)
Status: (Failed) 2014-02-06 - Withdrawn from Consideration [A2185 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A2185-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Lampitt and Riley
SYNOPSIS
Requires establishment of and compliance with infection control risk assessment (ICRA) standards for hospital construction work.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning hospital construction and supplementing P.L.1971, c.136.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Health shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), establishing standards, which shall be known as the "Infection Control Risk Assessment" or "ICRA" standards, to reduce the risk from infection in hospital facilities licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.). The standards shall include, but not be limited to, minimum standards for the design, construction, renovation, maintenance, and inspection of new and existing hospital facilities and minimum training standards for persons performing construction work on hospital facilities. The commissioner is authorized to adopt by reference, with or without amendment, any code or standard issued by a nationally recognized organization upon a finding that adoption of the code or standard would promote the purposes of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. All construction work performed on a new hospital facility and on the expansion of an existing hospital facility shall be compliant with ICRA standards. The licensure application for a newly constructed or an expanded hospital facility shall include a copy of a certificate issued by the municipality in which the facility has been constructed indicating that the facility is compliant with ICRA standards.
c. A person shall not perform construction work on a hospital facility unless the person is certified by the commissioner as provided in subsection d. of this section.
d. (1) The commissioner shall establish a certification program to assure the competency of persons to perform construction work on a hospital facility in compliance with ICRA standards.
(2) The commissioner shall certify a person who satisfactorily completes the certification training course and meets any other requirements for certification that may be established by the commissioner.
(3) A certification shall be valid for a period not to exceed two years and shall be non-transferable. It shall be carried upon the person while performing construction work on a hospital facility.
(4) A person may apply for recertification during the 90-day period before the certification expiration date or the 90-day period after the certification expiration date; except that a person who applies after the certification expiration date shall not perform any services for which certification is required until the certification is renewed. If a certification has expired for more than 90 days, the person is required to obtain a new certification.
2. This act shall take effect the first day of the tenth month next following the date of enactment, except that the Commissioner of Health may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Commissioner of Health to promulgate standards, to be known as the "Infection Control Risk Assessment" or "ICRA" standards, to reduce the risk from infection in hospital facilities. The standards would include, but not be limited to, minimum standards for the design, construction, renovation, maintenance, and inspection of hospital facilities and minimum training standards for persons performing construction work on hospital facilities. The Commissioner would be authorized to adopt by reference, with or without amendment, any code or standard issued by a nationally recognized organization upon a finding that adoption of the code or standard would promote the purposes of the bill.
All construction work performed on a new hospital facility or on the expansion of an existing hospital facility would be required to comply with ICRA standards, and a hospital facility that is newly constructed or that was expanded would be required to forward with its application for licensure a copy of a certificate issued by the municipality in which the facility is located certifying that the facility is compliant with ICRA standards.
The bill would require the commissioner to establish a certification program to assure the competency of persons to perform construction work on a hospital facility in compliance with ICRA standards. Certification would be a requirement for performing construction work on a hospital facility. A certification would be non-transferable, valid for two years, and would be carried upon the person while performing construction work on a hospital facility. A person would be permitted to apply for recertification during the 90-day period before the certification expiration date or the 90-day period after the certification expiration date; except that a person who applies after the certification expiration date would not be authorized to perform any services for which certification is required until the certification is renewed. If a certification has expired for more than 90 days, the person would be required to obtain a new certification.
