Chapter 025
2018 -- S 2238
Enacted 06/04/2018

A N   A C T
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - LICENSING OF HEALTH CARE FACILITIES

Introduced By: Senators Coyne, Calkin, Seveney, DiPalma, and Miller
Date Introduced: February 01, 2018

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Chapter 23-17 of the General Laws entitled "Licensing of Health-Care
Facilities" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
     23-17-49.1. Workplace and patient safety - evacuation of surgical smoke plume
required in operating rooms.
     (a) As used in this section, the following definitions shall apply:
      (1) "Smoke-evacuation system" means smoke evacuators, laser plume evacuators, or
local exhaust ventilators that capture and neutralize plume at the site of origin and before plume
can make ocular contact or contact with the respiratory tract of employees.
     (2) "Surgical smoke" means the by-product of use of energy-generating devices,
including surgical plume, smoke plume, bio-aerosols, laser-generated airborne contaminants, and
lung-damaging dust.
     (b) In order to protect patient and health workers from the hazards of surgical smoke,
each hospital and freestanding ambulatory surgical facility licensed in the state of Rhode Island
pursuant to this chapter shall adopt policies to ensure the elimination of surgical smoke by use of
a smoke-evacuation system for each procedure that generates surgical smoke from the use of
energy-based devices such as, but not limited to, electrosurgery and lasers.
     (c) Each hospital and freestanding ambulatory surgical center shall report to the
department of health within ninety days (90) of the effective date of this act that policies pursuant
to this section have been adopted.
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2019.
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LC004158
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