Equipment type and operation systems vary widely across the whole spectrum of medical equipment and life expectancy. It can be as low as 5 years for software driven systems to 15 years plus for solid made devices with simple control circuits.

Each item of equipment must be taken on merit.

Reasons for condemning equipment are usually given as:-

• Obsolete
• Clinically unsafe
• Electrically unsafe
• Mechanically unsafe
• Beyond economic repair
• Spare parts unavailable
• Withdraw from use instruction on a Hazard Warning issued by the MDA
• Unreliable operation

Equipment condemned and disposed off can have an actual value of £0.00 but have a book write off value of thousands of pounds.

4.1 Condemning procedure.

When a decision has been made that an item of equipment has reached the end of its working life, the equipment manager and the EBME manager will jointly complete a Condemning and Disposal Form for Electromedical Equipment. The equipment manager shall complete part 1 and the EBME manager or the Director of Facilities part 2.
A decision will also be made in part 2 as to the safest, and most cost effective means of disposal.
Cannibalisation of equipment in order to keep similar equipment in use is not an option.
On disposal of the equipment the EBME manager shall remove the equipment from the department inventory, cancel the maintenance schedule and any outstanding service contract.