This paper examines facility risk management as applied to newborn security in hospital settings, with a particular focus on infant abduction prevention. It outlines the foundational steps of risk management planning — identifying risk classes, documenting hazards, and deploying assessment tools — before analyzing a specific hospital's Newborn Security Code (AB 900.02.10). The paper details security measures such as electronic tagging systems, staff identification protocols, controlled transport procedures, parent education, and emergency response procedures. Drawing on data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and industry literature, it evaluates how proactive planning, physical safeguards, and staff training combine to reduce the risk of infant abduction in healthcare facilities.
The paper demonstrates applied policy analysis: it takes a general risk management framework (risk identification, documentation, planning, and deployment) and systematically maps each component onto a specific healthcare security scenario. This technique shows readers how to move from theoretical models to institutional implementation, a skill central to health administration and facility management coursework.
The paper opens with a definitional introduction to risk management, then walks through the general planning process before narrowing to a specific hospital's newborn security protocol. It progresses logically from broad framework to granular operational detail — covering staff identification, transport rules, parent education, physical safeguards, and emergency response sequences — before closing with a brief evaluative conclusion. This funnel structure (general → specific → evaluation) is well-suited to applied policy papers.
Risk is defined as "anything that threatens the ability of [a] business to accomplish its mission" (Pakeys, 2010). The risk management plan is considered "much broader than the emergency preparedness plan" and involves the management of risk in ways that protect against unforeseen hazards as well as the routine risks faced by workers each day (Pakeys, 2010). The express purpose of a risk management plan in facility management is to lower the likelihood that an accident or failure event occurs and to minimize the consequences when such events do take place.
According to the Nurses Service Organization, there are specific steps to be taken in facility risk management planning, including: (1) stating the goals of the organization; (2) describing the program's scope, components, and methods; (3) delegating responsibility for implementation and enforcement; (4) demonstrating commitment by the hospital board; and (5) delivering guarantees of confidentiality and immunity from retaliation for those who report sensitive information (Nurses Service Organization, 2006).
There are several important steps that must be taken in risk management, the first of which is to identify potential risks, or "Risk Classes" (Busowsky, n.d.). Risk Classes include: (1) asset failure — the unexpected failure of an asset; (2) asset degradation — the relatively slow decline of an asset's performance over time that goes unnoticed; (3) asset invasion — the invasion or colonization of an asset; (4) unexpected human behavior — situations in which people behave in completely unanticipated ways; and (5) possible human misinterpretation — such as instructions or signs that are misleading or poorly worded and result in danger to individuals (Busowsky, n.d.).
The second step is to document, or collect information concerning any potential risks. The third step is to plan, which involves the use of Risk Assessment Collection and Planning Forms. The fourth step is the deployment of the Risk Management Plan (Busowsky, n.d.).
Busowsky (n.d.) notes that facilities such as hospitals require a formal risk management assessment form. This form contains a checklist covering: (1) asset description and location; (2) risk classes involved; (3) potential failures; (4) types of failure; (5) consequences of failure; (6) likelihood of failure; (7) what could be done to minimize failure; (8) what can be done to recover from failure; (9) what could be done to prevent failure; (10) agreed-upon risk minimization actions; and (11) agreed-upon frequency of those actions.
This study focuses on risk management in the area of newborn security, drawing on the Newborn Security Code AB 900.02.10 (2008), which specifies that the hospital will implement and maintain a system to ensure the security of infant patients. This system involves the identification of both the infant and the mother. Infants are footprinted immediately after birth, and an Accutech Security Tag is applied before the newborn leaves the admission nursery.
Staff are required to wear proper identification at all times. Nursing students and instructors must wear specifically approved uniforms and an accompanying name tag, as well as a hospital-issued Pink Maternal Infant Unit Badge. All hospital staff must wear photo identification badges with a pink background. Only staff wearing the pink GHS picture ID or medical staff picture ID are permitted to transport an infant off of the Maternal/Infant Unit (Newborn Security Code AB 900.02.10, 2008).
The proper transport procedure states that infants: (1) are transported from Labor and Delivery to the admitting unit in a bassinet or transport isolette; (2) are taken to mothers one at a time and are never left unattended in the hallway; and (3) anyone carrying an infant in the hallways will be stopped, identified, and questioned about their actions by a staff member (Newborn Security Code AB 900.02.10, 2008).
Staff education is also addressed in the risk management plan. Staff will be trained in: (1) the risk of infant abduction; (2) types of unusual behavior to watch for and how to report them; (3) infant abduction prevention procedures; (4) the critical incident response plan and Code AB; (5) use of the "Infant Safety" badge; and (6) the Accutech security system (Newborn Security Code AB 900.02.10, 2008). Infant security issues and measures are included in the annual competency assessment for Women and Children's Services staff, and mock Code AB drills are conducted by the GHS Public Safety Department on at least a semi-annual basis.
Parent education is another component of the plan. During facility tours and prenatal education classes, parents are advised of the facility's commitment to infant security and the basic components of its security measures. Upon admission to the Maternal Infant Unit, patients are asked to review and sign the Family Education Guide for Infant Security, which explains the parent's role in infant security. This signed document is placed in the mother's chart (Newborn Security Code AB 900.02.10, 2008).
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