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Integrity

Life Safety Systems

Clinton Slier

Furniture in a Health Care Facility Corridor

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Skilled Nursing Facilities looking to create more of a home-like environment often incorporate furniture for resident use throughout the building. Typically, this would not include corridors, but the 2012 edition of NFPA 101 added an allowance for the use of furniture in facility corridors; albeit with several requirements.

NFPA 101 (2012) 19.2.3.4(5) says:

Where the corridor width is at least 8 ft (2440 mm), projections into the required width shall be permitted for fixed furniture, provided that all of the following conditions are met:

(a) The fixed furniture is securely attached to the floor or to the wall.

(b) The fixed furniture does not reduce the clear unobstructed corridor width to less than 6 ft

(1830 mm), except as permitted by 19.2.3.4(2).

(c) The fixed furniture is located only on one side of the corridor.

(d) The fixed furniture is grouped such that each grouping does not exceed an area of 50 ft2 (4.6 m2).

(e) The fixed furniture groupings addressed in 19.2.3.4(5)(d) are separated from each other by a distance of at least 10 ft (3050 mm).

(f)* The fixed furniture is located so as to not obstruct access to building service and fire protection equipment.

(g) Corridors throughout the smoke compartment are protected by an electrically supervised automatic smoke detection system in accordance with 19.3.4, or the fixed furniture spaces are arranged and located to allow direct supervision by the facility staff from a nurses’ station or similar space.

(h) The smoke compartment is protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with 19.3.5.8.

Stringent requirements aside, this allowance represents a great opportunity to create useable space for residents and visitors.  

NFPA 25 Sunset Date for the use of non-listed antifreeze

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Every nursing home in Florida has a fire sprinkler system, but for the few facilities that have a section of their system filled with antifreeze, an important deadline is fast approaching:  the “sunset date” in the 2017 edition of NFPA 25. According to NFPA 25, 2017 edition, 5.3.3.4.1, September 30, 2022 is the cut-off date for the use of non-listed antifreeze in fire sprinkler systems.

If your facility has a sprinkler system that uses antifreeze for a car port or some other area that could be exposed to freezing temperatures, you should reach out to your fire sprinkler contractor to ensure they are aware of this NFPA 25 requirement for the use of listed antifreeze.

This requirement is not in the CMS adopted 2011 edition of NFPA 25, but facilities should expect Florida surveyors to focus on this after September 30th.

Creating Compliant Storage Rooms in Health Care Facilities

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Nursing homes struggling to find storage space may resort to keeping supplies in unoccupied resident rooms or other areas of the facility not typically meant for storage. The problem with storage in areas not designated for that purpose is the facility may have created a hazardous area which could be cited under K 321. 

The issue arises because NFPA 101 (2012) 19.3.2.1.5 (7) defines one example of a hazardous area as: “Rooms or spaces larger than 50 ft2 (4.6 m2), including repair shops, used for storage of combustible supplies and equipment in quantities deemed hazardous by the authority having jurisdiction.”

When facilities begin putting storage into rooms larger than 50 sq. ft. they are creating hazardous areas, and this change of use is not allowed. 

However, Chapter 43 of NFPA 101 (2012) does have an allowance for health care facilities to create storage rooms in a compliant manner. NFPA 101 (2012) 43.7.1.2 (2) says: 

For existing health care occupancies protected throughout by an approved, supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with 9.7.1.1(1), where a change in use of a room or space not exceeding 250 ft2 (23.2 m2) results in a room or space that is described by 19.3.2.1.5(7), the requirements for new construction shall not apply, provided that the enclosure meets the requirements of 19.3.2.1.2 through 19.3.2.1.4.

Facilities who choose to use rooms not meant for storage need to select rooms that are less than 250 sq. ft., but they also need to abide by 19.3.2.1.2 through 19.3.2.1.4. This means ensuring the door to the new storage location is self-closing, and the room is separated from other areas by smoke partitions. 

NFPA 99 Electrical Receptacle Testing

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Both the Florida edition (2018) and CMS edition (2012) of NFPA 99 require the same testing for electrical outlets at the resident bedside.

For non-hospital grade outlets at the resident bedside, the following must be tested at intervals not exceeding 12 months according to NFPA 99 (2018 and 2012 editions) 6.3.3.2:

1. The physical integrity of each receptacle shall be confirmed by visual inspection.

2. The continuity of the grounding circuit in each electrical receptacle shall be verified.

3. Correct polarity of the hot and neutral connections in each electrical receptacle shall be confirmed.

4. The retention force of the grounding blade of each electrical receptacle (except locking-type receptacles) shall be not less than 115 g (4 0z.)

It is worth noting that tension testing of the receptacle’s hot and neutral connections is not required.

When documenting the receptacle testing it is important to document each outlet at the resident bedside, and not simply the room number where the testing occurred. Each receptacle should have its own documentation for the four testing requirements.

For hospital grade outlets at the resident bedside, the same testing must be performed after initial installation, replacement, or servicing. Additional testing is performed at intervals defined by documented performance data.

NFPA 99 gives us a little insight into what “documented performance data” means in the handbook. The first source for this data could be from the manufacturer of the receptacle. Checking the instructions that are provided with the receptacle or contacting the manufacturer directly for this information should be the first step taken. NFPA 99 tells us the second source for the documented performance data could be our own, or another facility’s, experiential data. For example, if your facility tested hospital grade outlets every year and found no issues after 3 years, you can then make the determination that you will do the testing every 3rd year. That is just one example, and NFPA 99 makes it clear that they prescribe no time between test intervals and that facility managers are permitted to determine the testing intervals. Ideally the manufacturer will have the data readily available, but if not there needs to be some thought put into the testing program for these hospital grade outlets at the resident bedside.