Medical Gas: A Matter of Life and Death
“When they put the mask on you before you go under for surgery, it would be comforting to know that the medical gas system had been properly installed. I would sure want to know that a trained, certified plumber did the work.”
That’s what my colleague, Local 12 Business Manager Harry Brett, said recently in an article, “Medical Gas: A Matter of Life and Death,” published in “The Pipeline,” a newsletter for the Eastern Massachusetts Plumbing Industry. It’s something to which we can all relate.
And yet, because of a lapse in the Commonwealth’s laws, there are no regulations that govern the installation of medical gas piping systems in Massachusetts. A bill currently before the state legislature would establish regulations and bring medical gas piping systems under the control of the Massachusetts Board of Examiners of Plumbers and Gasfitters. The board would set standards to ensure that licensed, trained plumbers would perform the critical work.