To be prepared for a visit from The Joint Commission, use these following checklists for each inspection:

Fire Safety Physical Inspection:

• Are exit doors and stairwells clear? Main, corridor, and stairwell exits cannot be blocked by any means.
• Are exit doors clearly marked “exit” and illuminated? Check for burned out bulbs.
• Do fire doors latch properly? Close the fire doors to see if they latch properly and see that there is no gap less than 1/8 inch in the middle.
• Are corridors and passageways free of obstruction?  The corridors can have mobile items (wheels on them) that are patient care or emergency needed items and are in use.
• Are pull stations or fire extinguishers unobstructed? There must be nothing to obstruct access.
• Are doors not propped/held open? Doorstops or homemade hold open devices are not allowed while no one is in the area. They are allowed as long as someone is in the area but once they are out of the area, it must be removed. Tape is not allowed over any corridor doors.  Any of these items must be removed immediately.
• Is there any excessive decorations of possibly flammable materials? Decorations or other objects shall not be placed in a manner that would obstruct access or visibility to EXIT signs, fire alarm equipment, fire alarm pullboxes, fire extinguishers/cabinets etc. Fire/smoke doors may not be decorated including the glass vision panels in these doors. Desks, walls, columns, doors, ceilings etc. cannot be decorated with flammable decorations.
• Are all materials stored a minimum of 18 inches from sprinkler deflectors? The distance between the sprinkler deflector and stored items is 18” for buildings with sprinklers. 
• Are storage rooms and equipment rooms free of clutter and unsafe conditions? Make sure that items are not falling down or overstocked.

Safety Management Physical Inspection:

• Is the area free from evidence of smoking?
• Are cables or wires exposed?
• Are ceiling tiles clean, stain free, and in good condition? Indicate where these bad tiles are located.
• Are heavy items stored at low levels or mid-levels in storage? Make sure the heavy items are stored at waist level or lower shelves
• Are compressed gases stored properly and is proper signage indicating oxygen storage in place? Compressed gases need to be chained to the wall or on a cart secured.  Freestanding bottles are not allowed. 

Utilities Physical Inspection:

• Are all mechanical, electrical, janitorial, communications rooms clean and no storage? Indicate which rooms are not clean.

Infection Control Physical Inspection:

• Are gloves, gowns, eyewear, and masks readily available?
• Is clean linen covered?
• Is clean linen kept separate from the dirty linen disposal?
• Are refrigerator logs maintained and up to date in medicine and patient refrigerators?
• Are medicines and food kept in separate refrigerator?
• Are needle boxes under 2/3 full?
• Are there any expired hand sanitizer dispensers or bottles?
• Were employees eating and drinking in designated areas only? Staff should not have food/drink in patient care areas.

Hazardous Materials & Waste Physical Inspection

• Is only appropriate medical waste kept in red biohazard bags or containers?
• Are eye wash stations tested weekly and logs are posted in initialed.
• Are chemicals stored separately from patient contact or other clean items?
• Is the Hazardous Chemical Inventory adequate and available to all employees? OSHA requires that each department have an up to date chemical inventory log that is available to employees at all times.
• Are appropriate procedures, instructions, or directions available for obtaining Safety Data Sheets (SDS)?

Security Physical Inspection:

• Is staff’s personal items properly secured? Check for purses, billfolds, money, keys, etc. left out for you to take.
• Are all employees wearing their ID badges in plain view?
• Are all mechanical, electrical, janitorial, communications room locked? Indicate which rooms are not locked.
• Are medications kept in locked rooms?

Medical Equipment Physical Inspection:

• Does equipment have any exposed wires? Check the plug for exposed wires.
• Are all medical equipment tags current? Check all equipment for expiration dates. Leased equipment must also have been initially inspected.
• Does the equipment’s cleanliness, paint, wiring and covers appear satisfactory?
• Do storage room doors self-close and latch? Ensure these doors are not propped open and close easily.

Emergency Management:

Do employees know where to access the Emergency Operations Plans?