1. (a) Details.

   1. (1) Small freestanding birthing centers shall meet minimum construction requirements as described by NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, Chapter 26 with the exceptions noted herein.
   2. (2) Renovation in small freestanding birthing centers shall meet minimum construction requirements as described by NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, Chapter 27 with the exceptions noted herein.
   3. (3) Large freestanding birthing centers shall meet minimum construction requirements as described by NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, Chapter 12, Section 6 with the exceptions noted herein.
   4. (4) Renovation in large freestanding birthing centers shall meet minimum construction requirements as described by NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, Chapter 13, Section 6 with the exceptions noted herein.

   5. (5)

      1. (A) Renovations, including new additions, shall not diminish the level of safety that existed prior to the start of the work.
      2. (B) However, safety in excess of that required for new facilities is not required.

   6. (6)

      1. (A) In large freestanding birthing centers, the minimum corridor width shall be six feet (6’).
      2. (B) Work corridors less than six feet (6’) long may be four feet (4’) wide.
      3. (C) In small freestanding birthing centers, the minimum corridor width shall be forty-four inches (44”).

   7. (7) Items such as drinking fountains, fold-down writing surfaces, telephone booths, vending machines, etc., shall not:

      1. (A) Restrict corridor traffic; or
      2. (B) Reduce the corridor width below the required minimum.

   8. (8)

      1. (A) The minimum door width for patient use shall be two feet ten inches (2’ 10”).
      2. (B) If the facility services patients transported in beds, the minimum door width shall be three feet eight inches (3’ 8”).

   9. (9)

      1. (A) Rooms containing bathtubs, sitz baths, showers, and water closets subject to occupancy by patients shall be equipped with doors and hardware that shall permit access from the outside in any emergency.
      2. (B) When such rooms have only one (1) opening or are small, the doors shall be:

2. (i) Capable of opening outwards; or

   1. (ii) Otherwise designed to be opened without need to push against a patient who may have collapsed within the room.

   2. (10)

      1. (A) Doors, sidelights, borrowed lights, and windows located within eighteen inches (18”) of the floor shall be glazed with safety glass, wired glass, or plastic glazing material that shall:

         1. (i) Resist breaking; and
         2. (ii) Not create dangerous cutting edges when broken.
      2. (B) Safety glass or plastic glazing materials shall be used for shower doors and bath enclosures.
   3. (11) Thresholds and expansion joint covers shall be flush with the floor surface to facilitate use of wheelchairs and carts.
   4. (12) Location and arrangement of handwashing facilities shall permit proper use and operation.
   5. (13) Lavatories and handwashing facilities shall be securely anchored to withstand an applied downward vertical load of not less than two hundred fifty pounds (250 lbs.) on the front of the fixture.

   6. (14) Ceiling heights shall be as follows:

      1. (A) Boiler rooms shall have ceiling clearances not less than two feet six inches (2’ 6”) above the main boiler heater and connecting piping;
      2. (B) Rooms containing ceiling-mounted equipment or ceiling-mounted surgical light fixtures shall have height required to accommodate the equipment or fixtures, with a minimum height of nine feet (9’) in new construction; and

      3. (C)

         1. (i) All other rooms shall not have less than seven feet eight inches (7’ 8”).
         2. (ii) Suspended tracks, rails, and pipes located in the path of normal traffic shall be not less than seven feet (7’) above the floor and clearances in other areas may be six feet eight inches (6’ 8”) above the floor.
   7. (15) Rooms containing heat-producing equipment such as boiler or heater rooms and laundries shall be insulated and ventilated to prevent any adjacent partition surface from exceeding a temperature of ten degrees Fahrenheit (10°F) above ambient room temperature.

   8. (16)

      1. (A) Approved fire extinguishers shall be provided in locations throughout the building in accordance with NFPA Standard 10.
      2. (B) Extinguishers located in exit corridors shall be recessed.

   9. (17)

      1. (A) Rooms for patient medical records and archived patient medical records that remain onsite shall be:

         1. (i) Kept in a one-hour fire-rated enclosure; and
         2. (ii) Protected by a smoke detection system.
      2. (B) Circulating records at nurses’ station or in active working areas are excluded from this requirement.

      3. (C) Offsite buildings or freestanding buildings used for storage of archived patient medical records shall:

         1. (i) Be built of noncombustible materials; and
         2. (ii) Provide security and smoke detection systems.

      4. (D) Both onsite and offsite records shall be:

         1. (i) Arranged in an accessible manner;
         2. (ii) Stored at least six inches (6”) above the floor; and
         3. (iii) Protected against undue destruction from dust, vermin, water, etc.

   10. (18) Fluorescent light fixtures shall be provided with protective covers if used in:

       1. (A) Food preparation and serving areas; and
       2. (B) Patient care and treatment spaces.

   11. (19)

       1. (A) No operable fireplace shall be permitted in the facility.
       2. (B) Inoperable fireplaces shall be sealed at the upper and lower portions of the flue.

3. (b) Finishes.

   1. (1) Cubicle curtains and draperies shall:

      1. (A) Be noncombustible or flame-retardant; and
      2. (B) Pass both the large-scale and small-scale tests of NFPA Standard 701.
   2. (2) Interior wall, ceiling, and floor finish classifications shall be in accordance with NFPA 101, 26-3.3.

   3. (3)

      1. (A) Floor materials shall be easily cleanable and appropriately wear-resistant.
      2. (B) Floors in areas used for food preparation or food assembly shall be water-resistant and greaseproof.
      3. (C) Joints in tile and similar material in such areas shall be resistant to food acids.
      4. (D) In all areas frequently subject to wet cleaning methods, floor materials shall not be physically affected by germicidal and cleaning solutions.
      5. (E) Floors that are subject to traffic while wet, such as shower and bath areas, shall have a nonslip surface.

   4. (4) Floors and wall bases in birthing rooms shall be:

      1. (A) Coved with the floor;
      2. (B) Tightly sealed within the wall; and
      3. (C) Constructed without voids.

   5. (5) Wall finishes:

      1. (A) Shall be washable; and
      2. (B) In the vicinity of plumbing fixtures shall be smooth and water-resistant.
   6. (6) Floors and walls penetrated by pipes, ducts, and conduits shall be tightly sealed to minimize entry of rodents and insects.

   7. (7) Ceilings in birthing rooms and soiled/clean utility rooms shall be washable, waterproof, lay-in:

      1. (A) Vinyl-coated gypsum board;
      2. (B) Gypsum board;
      3. (C) Plaster; or
      4. (D) Equivalent.
   8. (8) Ceilings shall have access panels a minimum of two feet by two feet (2’ x 2’) provided where mechanical or electrical maintenance or repair to the facilities above the ceiling shall include but not be limited to cut-off valves, air filters, cleanout plugs, etc.

Codification Notes: “NFPA” means National Fire Protection Assoication.