Standards › ASF Health Standards v10 › Standard 2B
Standard 2B
Facility, Environment and Equipment
The physical environment: access, reception, waiting, water, equipment, shared spaces and facility risk.
At least one reception or registration point is at a height a wheelchair user can approach and communicate with the receptionist at eye level — not looking up at a standard-height counter designed only for someone standing.
Why it matters. A patient who uses a wheelchair cannot register if the reception counter is too high to reach or speak across. A facility that cannot be used by every patient fails the basic test of access.
What the surveyor checks
- Is at least one reception or registration point at a height a wheelchair user can comfortably use?
- Can a wheelchair user communicate with the receptionist at eye level, not looking up at them?
- Is the lower section kept clear and usable, not blocked by files, equipment, or signage?
Documents
E-learning
- Access & Arrival: Getting Patients Through the Door (H-01)
- Reception & Information: The First Ten Minutes (H-02)
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Patients waiting for registration, triage, or an ambulatory appointment are managed through a defined queue system with visible, honest wait-time information — rather than leaving patients unsure how long they will wait or whether they have been forgotten.
Why it matters. Long, unexplained waits drive patients away and hide problems. A defined queue, honest wait information and a check on waiting patients keep the flow safe and fair.
What the surveyor checks
- Is there a defined queue management system for registration, triage, and ambulatory waiting, not an informal first-come approach with no structure?
- Is honest wait-time information visible or communicated to waiting patients?
- Is there a mechanism to notice if a waiting patient’s condition changes or worsens while they wait?
Documents
E-learning
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Water quality is tested on a defined schedule and a contingency plan exists for interruption — not an assumption that municipal supply is automatically safe.
Why it matters. Water supply in a field setting is often the first thing to fail and the most important for health. Testing it on a schedule, with a plan for when supply stops, prevents disease outbreaks.
What the surveyor checks
- Is water quality tested on a defined, regular schedule, with records kept?
- Is there a documented contingency plan for water supply interruption?
- Are test results reviewed and acted on, not just filed?
Documents
E-learning
- Water Source Testing & Documentation (WATER-01)
- Legionella Prevention & Hot Water Systems (WATER-03)
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
A maintenance programme covers all clinical equipment on a defined schedule, and faulty equipment is removed from use, not kept in service until it is repaired.
Why it matters. Clinical equipment that is faulty and still in use causes injury. A maintenance schedule and removal of faulty items prevent it.
What the surveyor checks
- Is there a documented maintenance schedule covering all clinical equipment?
- Is faulty equipment removed from use, not kept in service while awaiting repair?
- Is there a named person or role responsible for the maintenance programme?
Documents
E-learning
- Environment & Shared Spaces (H-03)
- Electrical Safety & Appliance Inspection (ELEC-01)
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Shared clinical and waiting areas are cleaned on a documented schedule, with cleanliness verified by more than a visual check on the day of assessment.
Why it matters. Shared clinical and waiting areas are where infection spreads from one patient to the next. Cleaning on a documented schedule, checked by more than a look, is what keeps those areas safe.
What the surveyor checks
- Is there a documented cleaning schedule for shared spaces, with records kept?
- Is cleaning verified through more than a visual check, such as a defined inspection process?
- Are high-touch surfaces specifically included in the schedule, not just visible floor and surface areas?
Documents
E-learning
- Environment & Shared Spaces (H-03)
- Environmental Hygiene Standards for ASF Accreditation (HYG-01)
- Linen, Laundry & Housekeeping Standards (HYG-02)
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Water safety, fire safety, equipment maintenance, and other facility risks are tracked together in one reviewed risk register — not as separate, disconnected checklists that nobody views as a whole picture.
Why it matters. Facility risks tracked on separate lists, one for water, one for fire, one for equipment, are seen by different people and can be missed. One integrated register shows the whole picture to the people who must act.
What the surveyor checks
- Do water safety, fire safety, and equipment maintenance data feed into one integrated risk register, not separate untracked lists?
- Is the register reviewed on a defined schedule by facility leadership, not just maintained by individual department staff?
- Does the register prioritise risks, not just list them?
Documents
E-learning
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
The facility has a specific, documented environmental sustainability programme — covering energy use, waste reduction, and resource consumption — with tracked progress, not a general statement of environmental awareness with no measurable action behind it.
Why it matters. A facility uses energy, water and produces waste every day. A documented sustainability programme with targets turns that use into something that is measured and reduced.
What the surveyor checks
- Is there a specific, written sustainability programme covering energy, waste, and resource use?
- Is progress tracked against defined, measurable targets?
- Is there a named person or team responsible for the programme?
Documents
E-learning
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Policy Framework v1.2. (E-006)
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Evacuation routes, emergency exits, restrooms, and procedure or department doors are clearly and consistently signed throughout the facility — not only the entrance and reception area covered under wayfinding, and not assumed adequately covered by evacuation drills alone.
Why it matters. In an emergency, people must find the exit within seconds, and patients who cannot read a sign easily must still be guided. Clear, complete, consistent signage throughout the building is part of the emergency plan.
What the surveyor checks
- Are evacuation routes and emergency exits clearly signed throughout the facility, not only near the main entrance?
- Are restrooms and procedure or department doors clearly and consistently labelled?
- Is signage periodically checked for damage, obstruction, or fading, not installed once and assumed permanent?
Documents
E-learning
Planned course: Facility signage. New course planned.
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Power, water, medical gases, ventilation and clinical information systems are identified as critical, each has a planned prevention and back-up arrangement, and failures are recorded and analysed so that the same fault does not recur.
Why it matters. Power, water, medical gases and ventilation fail when they are only repaired after breaking. A tested schedule and analysis of failures prevent most of them.
What the surveyor checks
- Is every critical service (power, water, medical gases, ventilation, clinical information systems) identified, with a named owner and a documented back-up arrangement?
- Is there a planned maintenance and testing schedule for these services, with records kept?
- Are failures recorded and analysed, and is each analysis followed by a preventive change?
Documents
E-learning
- Environment & Shared Spaces (H-03)
Planned course: Planned fault prevention and maintenance. New course planned.
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
Endoscopes and endoscopic equipment are maintained, tested and reprocessed to a documented standard before each use, and records allow every use to be traced to the device and the reprocessing cycle.
Why it matters. Endoscopes can carry infection from one patient to the next if they are not reprocessed correctly. Each use must follow a documented standard, with the equipment tested and recorded.
What the surveyor checks
- Is every endoscope tested and maintained on a schedule, with the results recorded?
- Is reprocessing carried out to a documented, validated procedure, and is each cycle recorded?
- Can each patient’s procedure be traced to the device used and its reprocessing cycle?
Documents
E-learning
References
- Accréditation Sans Frontières (2026). ASF Expert Committee consensus on Standard 1. (E-009)
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