"Joint Commission standards are not specific to the length of time that this data is maintained. A surveyor would look to see that you are in compliance with recommended guidelines on sterilization. If records are requested during survey, they would need to be available to the survey team as requested by the surveyor. You may refer to IC.4.10 EP 1 requires that "Interventions are designed to incorporate relevant guidelines* for infection prevention and control activities. * Examples of guidelines include those offered by the CDC, Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), and National Quality Forum (NQF). Please refer to the guideline entitled Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 1999, available on the CDC website. It will provide very specific sterilization and process control recommendations. An additional resource would be your state's health department or hospital licensing act, which may have further regulations."