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A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 44-7-387 SO AS TO REQUIRE A LICENSED FACILITY TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES TO PREVENT EXPOSURE TO SURGICAL SMOKE BY REQURING THE USE OF A SMOKE EVACUATION SYSTEM.

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 7, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 

    Section 44-7-387.  (A) As used in this section:

       (1) "Surgical smoke" means the gaseous by-product produced by energy-generating devices such as lasers and electrosurgical devices. The term includes, but is not limited to, surgical plume, smoke plume, bio-aerosols, laser-generated airborne contaminants, or lung-damaging dust.

       (2) "Smoke evacuation system" means equipment that effectively captures and filters surgical smoke at the site of origin before the smoke makes contact with the eyes or the respiratory tract of occupants in the room.

       (3) "Licensed facility" means a hospital or ambulatory surgical facility as defined in Section 44-7-130.

    (B) A licensed facility must adopt and implement policies to prevent exposure to surgical smoke by requiring the use of a smoke evacuation system during any surgical procedure that is likely to generate surgical smoke.

 

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect on July 1, 2026.

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