Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a)
General. All hospitals with two or more floor levels shall have at least one
electrical or electrical hydraulic elevator. Elevators shall also give access
to all building levels normally used by the public. Escalators and conveyors
are not required but, when provided, shall comply with these requirements and
the requirement of §18.3 of the National Fire Protection Association 101,
Life Safety Code, 2003 edition (NFPA 101), published by the National Fire
Protection Association. All documents published by the NFPA as referenced in
this section may be obtained by writing or calling the NFPA at the following
address and telephone number: Post Office Box 9101, 1 Batterymarch Park,
Quincy, Massachusetts 02269-9101, (800) 344-3555.
(b) Requirements for new elevators,
escalators, and conveyors. New elevators, escalators and conveyors shall be
installed in accordance with the requirements of A17.1 Safety Code for
Elevators and Escalators, 2000 edition, published by the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI). All documents published by the ASME/ANSI as referenced in this section
may be obtained by writing the ANSI, United Engineering Center, 345 East 47th
Street, New York, N.Y.10017.
(1) Elevator
lobby. An elevator lobby shall be provided. The elevator lobby shall have at
least 10 feet of clear floor space in front of each elevator door.
(2) Elevator shaft openings. When elevator
shaft openings occur in a smoke compartment with patient sleeping rooms or
occur in a smoke compartment adjacent to the patient sleeping rooms, the
elevator shaft openings shall resist the passage of smoke by one of the
following means.
(A) Provide a lobby with
separation partitions to resist the passage of smoke from the means of egress.
When elevator lobby space extends into the egress corridor, the means of egress
from one side of the egress corridor through the lobby to the other side of the
egress corridor is not permitted during emergency conditions.
(B) Provide a mechanical means of exhausting
smoke from the elevator shaft. The smoke removal exhaust system for the
elevator shaft shall operate automatically upon the initiation of the
activation of the smoke detectors located in each elevator lobby, which also
initiates automatic recall of the elevator cabs to the designated level of
discharge. The activation of the smoke exhaust system shall provide a negative
pressure at each level.
(C) Provide
swinging doors that are held open by magnetic hold open devices and close the
doors at the elevator door opening upon activation of the fire alarm
system.
(D) Provide a horizontal
automated moving door like a "Won-Door" two feet or more from the elevator door
opening that will close automatically by the activation of the fire alarm
system and have emergency capabilities of opening and closing.
(E) The elevator shaft opening protection
shall not be required at the elevator main level of recall.
(3) Cars and doors.
(A) Cars of hospital type elevators for
patient transport shall not be less than five feet eight inches wide and not
less than eight feet six inches deep inside the cab.
(B) The car door opening shall be not less
than four feet wide and seven feet high.
(C) Elevator doors shall be B-labeled
one-hour fire protection rated doors in buildings less than four stories; and
one and one-half hour fire protection rated doors in buildings four or more
stories.
(4) Type of
controls and alarms. Elevator cab lighting, control, communication and signal
systems shall be connected in accordance with NFPA 99,
§4.4.2.2.2.2.
(5) Location.
Conveyors, elevators, dumbwaiters, and pneumatic conveyors serving various
stories of a building shall not open to an exit.
(6) Elevator machine rooms. Elevator machine
rooms that contain solid-state equipment for elevators having a travel distance
of more than 50 feet above the level of exit discharge or more than 30 feet
below the level of exit discharge shall be provided with independent
ventilation or air conditioning systems required to maintain temperature during
fire fighters' service operation for elevator operation. The operating
temperature shall be established by the elevator equipment manufacturer's
specifications and shall be posted in each such elevator machine room. When
standby power is connected to the elevator, the machine room ventilation or air
conditioning shall be connected to standby power.
(c) Requirements for existing elevators,
escalators, and conveyors. Existing elevators, escalators, and conveyors shall
comply with ASME/ANSI A17.3, Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators,
1996 edition. All existing elevators having a travel distance of 25 feet or
more above or below the level that best serves the needs of emergency personnel
for fire-fighting or rescue purposes shall conform to Fire Fighters' Service
Requirements of ASME/ANSI A17.3 as required by NFPA 101, §9.4.3.
(d) Testing. All elevators and escalators
shall be subject to routine and periodic inspections and tests as specified in
ASME/ANSI A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, 2000 edition. All
elevators equipped with fire fighter service shall be subject to a monthly
operation with a written record of the findings made and kept on the premises
as required by NFPA 101, §9.4.6.
(e) Certification. A certificate of
inspection evidencing that the elevators, escalators, and related equipment
were inspected in accordance with the requirements in Health and Safety Code
(HSC), Chapter 754, Subchapter B, and determined to be in compliance with the
safety standards adopted under HSC, §754.014, administered by the Texas
Department of Licensing and Regulation, shall be on record in each
hospital.
(f) Requirements for new
hospitals. All new hospitals having patient facilities (such as patient
sleeping rooms, dining rooms, or recreation areas) or critical services (such
as operating, delivery, diagnostic, or therapy) on floors other than on the
main entrance floor shall have the following number of hospital type elevators:
(1) at least one hospital type elevator for
the first 59 beds;
(2) at least two
elevators for the first 60 to 200 patient bed spaces. One elevator shall be the
hospital type;
(3) at least three
elevators for 201 to 350 patient bed spaces. Two elevators shall be hospital
type; or
(4) for hospitals with
over 350 patient beds, as determined from a study of the hospital plan and the
estimated vertical transportation requirements for the facility.
