Pictures Hanging in Stairwells
Q: I have a question about putting pictures up in stairwells. Someone in our administration department at our hospital wants to put pictures up in a stairwell. We have already received a citation for...
View ArticleStairwell Tread Marking
Q: We are being told that section 7.2.2.5.4.3 of the 2012 Life Safety Code requires us to install paint on the nose tread on stairs in existing egress stairways as a requirement. I read it as if you...
View ArticleEvacuation Chairs in Stairwells
Q: I just got cited by the Joint Commission for having evacuation chairs at tops of our stairwells. The chairs were not causing any egress issues in my opinion, but the surveyor did not care that state...
View ArticleSecurity Cameras in Stairwells
Q: What is the Life Safety Code ruling on cameras and speakers in stairwells? Joint Commission was in and cited us on having cameras in the stairwells. We were told by the surveyor that they don’t...
View ArticleExisting Mechanical Equipment Spaces Opening onto Exit Enclosures
Q: With the elimination of the CMS Waivers, I was trying to clarify what now applies for mechanical room combustibles storage (i.e. mechanical areas with only stairway and elevator access vs. hallway...
View ArticleStairwell Fire Rating
Q: We are being told by our local AHJ that a stairwell in a 2 story building has to be 2-hour fire resistance rated so that it meets the requirements of occupancy separation since one floor is...
View ArticleElopement Risk
Q: We have a potential elopement risk at the nursing home where I work. A patient gets into the stairwell and down to the first floor and exits the building. We have an alarm system that alerts us when...
View ArticleSecurity Cameras in Stairwells
Q: Can I install security cameras in stairwells A: You can…. But be prepared to remove them. Many Accreditation Organizations (AOs) and most states who survey on behalf of CMS do not allow cameras in...
View ArticleCarpeting in Stairwells
Q: I have several hospitals that have been cited by surveyors for having carpet in the stairwells. Can you tell me if there is any code requirement that states that carpet is not allowed in the fire...
View ArticleStairwell Exit Locked Door
Q: Can a stairwell door that leads to the outside of a hospital be locked with a lock that requires a code to unlock it? I seem to recall that the doors could be on magnets that release upon activation...
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Strange Observations – Part 15
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen when consulting at hospitals… This is an evacuation chair or sled that is hanging from a sprinkler drain pipe… Two deficiencies with this one...
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Strange Observations – Part 44
Continuing in a series of strange things that I have seen while consulting at hospitals… I believe those electrical panels installed in this stairwell were for new access-control lock badge readers on...
View ArticleStairwell Signage
Q: With the new 2012 Life Safety Code adoption, my question is around the stairwell signage and 7.2.2.5.4.1. Hospitals are confused whether they have to replace all their signs to meet this new code...
View ArticleSignage Inside a Stairwell
Q: Can signage, other than that specifically required for inside a fire exit stairwell according to the LSC, be placed inside a fire exit stairwell? A: Technically… no. According to section 7.1.3.2.3...
View ArticleHandrails
Q: According to the 2012 Life Safety Code, section 7.2.2.3.5, the distance between a handrail and adjoining wall should be 2¼-inches. Does this apply to just spaces in which NFPA requires handrails...
View ArticleExit Enclosures
Q: I have been reading about stairwells and what the code addresses. I am interpreting that the AHJ’s are stringent of what can be placed in a stairwell. Is it permissible to install wireless access...
View ArticleStairwell Re-Entry
Q: I’m a Facilities Director overseeing an existing 8-story (basement included) acute care hospital fully sprinklered. We wish to mechanically lock (no auto unlock feature) floors 2-7 (Floor one being...
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