Kitchen as Hazardous Area

Q: Is an existing or new kitchen that has cooking equipment such as stove, oven, steamer, etc. consider a hazardous area in a hospital?

A: No, not necessarily. According to section 19.3.2.5.5 of the 2012 Life Safety Code, as long as the kitchen exhaust hood has a NFPA 96 (UL 300) approved fire suppression system installed, then the kitchen does not have to be considered a hazardous room based on the presence of cooking appliances. The Life Safety Code does require UL 300 wet chemical fire suppression systems in the exhaust hood, so I’m sure your hospital would comply. However, if the kitchen stored combustible supplies in quantities deemed hazardous by an AHJ, then it would be considered a hazardous area.