Illumination of the Egress

Q: Is there a standard on lighting of offices and exam room in the ambulatory or clinics?

A: The Life Safety Code is primarily concerned about egressing the facility under emergency conditions, and only has illumination requirements for emergency egress situations. Section 7.8.1.3 of the 2012 Life Safety Code says the floors and other walking surfaces within exits, and designated stairs, aisles, ramps, escalators, passageways, and exit discharges to be illuminated to 10 ft-candles for new conditions, and 1 ft-candle for existing conditions. Assembly occupancies are permitted to have 0.2 ft-candles of illumination. This applies to clinics and ambulatory healthcare occupancies. Please check with your state and local authorities to determine if they have more restrictive requirements.