Our Life Safety educational resource hub is full of healthcare knowledge to help you be better informed of the changing world around you.
Rather than sit back and act on decisions made by others, we are leading the charge as it relates to identifying best practices for Life Safety Code® and compliance. We have real people that give our clients real information that can be put into practice.
Interested in reading our experts' take on Life Safety? Then subscribe to our free blog below! We discuss readers' questions, share interesting observations from the field, and more.
Q: NFPA 101-2012; 19.2.3.4(2) allows "non-continuous projections not more than 6 in. from the corridor wall, above the handrail height", but the ADA-2010 Standard [§204] only allows projections of 4 …
Q: We have quite a few rooms throughout our facility that initially required automatic closing and latching hardware for fire requirements. These rooms have now been 'converted' to office use, …
Q: Is it allowed to disable a corridor door's closer by removing the arm in order to keep it open while working inside of the office in a healthcare facility? I …
Q: I just would like to confirm: When you say a 4-inch projection is allowed into the corridor is that for one side of the corridor or is that for …
Q: Does the 2012 edition of the Life Safety Code permit existing suite doors that open into the corridor to be compliant if they do not latch shut? We have …
Q: In regards to corridor width, section 19.2.3.4 of the 2012 LSC discusses that a corridor has to be at least 48-inches outside of a sleeping room in clear width …
Q: A deficiency was found by CMS on a recent survey that stated 'staff failed to provide a safe and hazard free environment by not having all doors protecting corridor …
Q: Someone just asked me a question and I haven’t thought about this one before. This AHJ is enforcing the IBC but I’m looking for an NFPA viewpoint and of …
Q: Do transaction windows in a smoke resistive non-rated corridor wall in a healthcare occupancy need be self-closing? A: It depends on what space the window is open to. Section …
Q: We previously built personal protective equipment (PPE) cabinets that are permanently mounted to the wall. These cabinets protrude in to the hallway 5-inches. The previous NFPA guidelines allowed 6-inch …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... The good news is you have an alcove in the corridor where you can store …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... The discharge door for a stairwell opened out onto the 1st floor corridor, where egress …
Q: Is there a limit to the size an alcove can be in a smoke compartment right off of the corridor? I understand equipment can be stored in alcoves but …
Q: We have an engineer who is telling us that the 2012 Life Safety Code requires our corridor doors to be fire-rated. He is referencing Table 8.3.4.2 which says exit-access …
Q: If I had a hallway (breezeway which connects two healthcare occupancies) which is greater than 8 feet wide (approximately 12ft) and carts of clean linen are being stored on …
Q: Are closet doors located inside a corridor considered corridor doors and do they have to meet life and safety codes referring to corridor doors? A: It depends…. What does …
Q: In regards to suite separations, section 18.2.5.7.1.2 of 2012 LSC requires walls separating suites to meet requirements for corridor walls, which have to be constructed to limit transfer of …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... These portable X-ray units were double-parked in the adjunct corridor to the radiology control room …
Q: Is there a codified requirement for doors in a cabinet mounted in a hospital egress corridor? We have worked on projects when a nurse server; i.e., pass through cabinet, …
Q: It appears that the LSC allows up to 50 square feet of unprotected storage but also includes language that suggests it may need to be protected in accordance with …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... Do you ever think about your corridor wall sconce light fixtures projecting more than 4-inches into …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... Sorry for another out-of-focus picture. I was still having difficulty adjusting to my new smart …
Q: We have a behavioral health unit and our administration would like to install lockers for visitors. However, there is only one location for these lockers and that is in …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... I apologize for the photo being out of focus. I only had my new smart …
Q: I have a CEO that wants furnishings (seating) in the corridor. I informed her that would be acceptable if we maintained five feet and the furnishings are bolted to …
Q: I have a healthcare occupancy under existing construction. The building was built back in the 50's and 60's, with a major renovation in 1992. The available plans have indicated …
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals... Where do you see public pay-phones in a hospital, anymore....? In the behavioral health unit, …
Q: What is the minimum acceptable clearance required in an Emergency Department corridor? Currently there is a crash cart stored for rapid accessibility and the distance directly in front of …
Continuing in a series of strange things I have seen while consulting at hospitals... This looks like an adjunct corridor, one that is not used by patients. It doesn't have …
Q: With the adoption of the new 2012 Life Safety Code by CMS, we had a discussion about projections from the corridor wall. Since the LSC only allows projections to …
Q: A deficiency was found by CMS on a recent survey that stated 'staff failed to provide a safe and hazard free environment by not having all doors protecting corridor …
Q: Our life safety drawings identify the corridors in our hospital as being smoke partitions. My question is do wall penetrations above the dropped ceiling need to be sealed with …
Q: A hospital has 2 different suites with double egress entry doors and the Joint Commission surveyor noted that these doors are supposed to have latching hardware because they are …
Q: We have a double egress, cross-corridor door which will enter a suite under a renovation project. The suite wall is also an existing smoke barrier wall, separating smoke compartments …
Q: If I had a hallway (breezeway which connects two healthcare occupancies) which is greater than 8 feet wide (approximately 12ft) and beds and other equipment (usually broken chairs) are …
Q: I understand that with the adoption of the new 2012 Life Safety Code there is a change in corridor projections from 6 inches to 4 inches. Would this new …
Q: I have a nursing home that is over 20 years old that has carpet on the corridor walls below the handrails. I am been told that this carpet must …
Q: We have a corridor that connects an existing elevator lobby on the 2nd floor of a three story hospital to a new addition. The corridor is used for the …
Q: Can you give me some direction in the Life Safety Code on where alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers are not allowed in business occupancy corridors? A: Take a look …
Q: We have a connecting bridge between two of our buildings. On one side of the bridge is healthcare occupancy and on the other side is business occupancy. There is …
Q: Is there a code that says anything about adding a vent through a door that is in the corridor of our hospital? A: Well… you might be able to …
Corridor doors are one of the most common components of the means of egress, yet their significance is often overlooked, possibly because there are so many of them in a …
Q: Are all types of corridor doors exempt from having to meet the requirements of NFPA 80? A: The answer is no. If the corridor door is a fire-rated door, …
Q: What is the required width for an exit access corridor in an office building? A: That depends on the occupancy classification of the building. If the building is classified …
Q: These corridor doors (i.e. patient rooms); if they are in a 1-hour fire barrier then is it okay for them to only be rated20-minute and not ¾ hour? A: …
Q: Do you think adding tons of signage, and coat hooks would be acceptable on a patient room door? A: Well…. That depends. Coat hooks on a non-fire rated door? …
Q: If the corridor doors are only required to resist fire for 20 minutes and someone plasters signage all over them or loads them up with coat racks adding to …
Q: I have read that corridor doors to patient rooms are not required to have closers. If they do have closers, I was told they can have the type that …
Q: Can you give me the NFPA Life Safety Code (2000 edition) reference showing 8 foot required width in egress corridors in an existing healthcare occupancy? A: There is no …
Q: I am working on an aesthetic corridor remodel for a hospital. Can you please tell me if there are specific requirements as to handrail locations (i.e- one side of the …
The following comment is a result of an article that I ran last August on corridor clutter (search: Comments on Corridor Clutter), which quoted Randy Snelling, the Chief Physical Environment …
Randy Snelling, the Chief Physical Environment Officer, for DNV-GL Healthcare Inc. spoke at the recent ASHE annual conference in Chicago, and I thought his views on corridor clutter were worth …
I have seen many facility managers (and surveyors for that matter) incorrectly refer to a door as a 'corridor door'. It appears that they believe as long as the door …
I want to clarify a confusing point in the seven-year old CMS S&C memo 07-18 issued April 20, 2007. This is a memo which CMS wanted to explain that corridor …
Q: The health care facility where I work needs additional privacy on the nursing floor from the rest of the building. I would like to know if we could mount …
When does a wide spot in the corridor have to meet the requirements for areas open to the corridor? This question was raised to me in regards to a clean linen …
I was recently asked what the Life Safety Code required for the thickness and composition of a corridor door in new healthcare occupancy construction. The individual asking me the question …
Q: We have wall mounted recessed cabinets in our corridors next to the patient room doors that have access doors on both the corridor side and the patient room side …
Q: During a recent survey, we were cited for not maintaining at least 36 inches of clear width in our suites for exiting purposes. I thought one of the advantages …
Q: Our Risk Management Department has conducted an assessment of our waiting areas in our hospital. They are stating that staff should be able to see all patrons who are …
In regards to corridor clutter, one of the most frequent comments safety professionals hear from nurses and other point-of-care workers, is "I have no place to put the ____" and …
Utility rooms, whether they are clean utility rooms, or soiled utility rooms, are not required to be locked according to any NFPA standard, Joint Commission standard or CMS Condition or …
Here is a change in the Life Safety Code that I believe will do more harm than good: Changing what can be left unattended in hospital corridors. Currently, the 2000 …
Q: Why are corridors within the business offices of our hospital permitted to be 44” rather than the 8’ that the rest of the hospital has to maintain? Our hospital …
We help you be better informed of the changing world around you. Our life safety blog answers your real world questions!
600 E. Michigan Avenue
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Call us: 1-866-779-3235
info@complianceonegroup.com