The HASC Emergency Codes Workgroup is asking hospital employees in safety, emergency and related roles to complete a brief survey by Friday, June 6. The survey data will help the workgroup identify which codes are currently in use as it supports hospitals in transitioning from color-coded to plain language alerts.
Background
In April, HASC announced the formation of a workgroup comprising hospital professionals in safety, security, facilities, clinical operations and emergency management. The group’s purpose is to support the transition from color-coded emergency codes to plain language alerts — aligning with best practices recommended by CMS, The Joint Commission, FEMA, CDC, CISA and HHS.
Hospitals rely on a common set of emergency codes to quickly communicate with staff about specific types of incidents — such as a fire, security threat or medical emergency — without alarming patients or visitors. These codes, often announced over public address systems, are a critical part of hospital emergency response protocols.
Recognizing the need for consistency across facilities, HASC originally partnered with SoCal hospitals to develop a standardized set of emergency codes based on colors. This approach aimed to reduce confusion for staff who work at or transfer between multiple hospitals.
Today, as emergency management best practices evolve and the shift toward plain language alerts gains momentum nationwide, the reconvened Emergency Codes Workgroup is reassessing the current color-code system.
Next Steps
The workgroup convened its inaugural meeting on May 13. As an initial step in assessing current practices, hospitals are asked to complete a brief survey designed to identify which emergency codes are currently in use. The data collected will help the workgroup determine areas of alignment and variation across facilities.
The survey aims to gather information on:
- Emergency color codes or code names used for security, medical and facility events or incidents
- Communication channels hospitals use for emergency alerts
- Each hospital’s status in transitioning to plain language emergency alerts
Your Response Requested
The survey should take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. To ensure accurate data collection, please coordinate internally to submit one response per facility.
Participate in the Emergency Code Events Survey by June 6: https://research.sogolytics.com/r/NUZlZO
Your participation will be instrumental in guiding this initiative.
For more information, please contact Teri Hollingsworth at [email protected].