Bill Text: NJ A5765 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires health care facilities to adopt policies to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and employ smoke evacuation system.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-08-27 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A5765 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-A5765-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY, No. 5765

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED AUGUST 27, 2019

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  NANCY F. MUNOZ

District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires health care facilities to adopt policies to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and employ smoke evacuation system.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  

An Act concerning surgical smoke and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.  a.  As used in this section:

     "Health care facility" means a health care facility licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.)

     "Smoke evacuation system" means smoke evacuators or exhaust ventilators that help to capture and neutralize surgical smoke at the site of origin and before the surgical smoke makes ocular contact or contact with the respiratory tract of an individual.

     "Surgical smoke" means the smoke that is generated from the use of a surgical device, which shall include, but shall not be limited to, bio-aerosols, laser-generated airborne contaminants, and lung damaging dust.

     b.  A health care facility shall adopt policies to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and employ a smoke evacuation system for each procedure that generates surgical smoke.

 

     2.  The Commissioner of Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

 

     3.  This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill provides that a health care facility is to adopt policies to reduce exposure to surgical smoke and employ a smoke evacuation system for each procedure that generates surgical smoke.  The Commissioner of Health is to adopt rules and regulations as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.