Section 518.2180  Construction Details

a)         Compartmentation, exits, automatic extinguishing systems and other details relating to fire prevention and fire protection shall comply with requirements listed in the appropriate sections of NFPA 101.

b)         Items such as drinking fountains, telephone booths, vending machines and portable equipment shall be located so as not to restrict corridor traffic or reduce the corridor width below the required minimum.

c)         Doors

1)         Doors to observation/treatment rooms shall not be lockable from inside the room.

2)         Special Locking Arrangements: Electronic locking devices may be installed at specific locations to restrict egress or ingress for patient/staff safety or security, provided that each of the following is complied with and after receiving approval from the Department:

A)        The facility shall submit a narrative to the Department providing a rationale for having a locked door in a required means of egress.  The rationale shall relate to security issues.

B)        The building shall be fully sprinklered.

C)        All locking system components shall be U.L. listed.

D)        Cross corridor, smoke or control doors that are located in a required means of egress shall be secured only with electronic locks and automatic release devices.  The use of only manual keys or tools to unlock the door is not permitted.

E)        Locked doors shall have continuous staff supervision (direct or electronic remote).

F)         No other type of locking arrangement shall be used in a required means of egress.

G)        All locked doors shall release automatically with actuation of the fire alarm system.

H)        All doors shall release automatically with loss of electrical power to the locking device.

I)         All locks shall initiate an irreversible process that will release the lock within 15 seconds whenever a force of not more than 15 pounds is continuously applied to the release device (lever type handle or panic bar) for a period of not more than three seconds. Relocking of such doors shall be by manual means only.  Operation of the release device shall activate a sign in the vicinity of the door to assure those attempting to exit that the system is functional. Delays of up to 30 seconds may be acceptable, based on the program narrative.

J)         Permanent signs shall be posted on locked doors that state: "Push until alarm sounds.  Door will be opened in 15 seconds." Sign letters must be at least 1 inch high with ⅛ inch stroke. Signs may be omitted for security reasons, based on review and approval by the Department of the written rationale.

K)        Emergency lighting shall be provided at all locked door locations.

L)        The FEC shall fully apprise the local fire department of locked doors or units and all related details of the system.

M)       Any discharge exit door may be locked against entry.

N)        Additional electronic release of locked doors initiated from a staff duty station is to be provided.

O)        No more than one such device may be installed in any path of travel to exit discharge.

d)         The minimum width of all doors to rooms needing access for beds or stretchers shall be 3'8".  Doors to rooms needing access for wheelchairs shall have a minimum width of 2'10".

e)         Doors on all openings between corridors and rooms or spaces subject to occupancy, except elevator doors, shall be swing type. Openings to patient toilets and other small wet-type areas not subject to fire hazard are exempt from this requirement.  Sliding doors with a break and swing feature are acceptable.

f)         Doors, except those to spaces such as small closets that are not subject to occupancy, shall not swing into corridors in a manner that might obstruct traffic flow or reduce the required corridor width.  (Large walk-in type closets are considered as occupiable spaces.)

g)         Windows shall be designed so that persons cannot accidentally fall out of them when they are open, or shall be provided with guards.

h)         Glazing.  Doors, sidelights, borrowed lights, and windows in which the glazing extends down to within 18 inches of the floor (thereby creating possibility of accidental breakage by pedestrian traffic) shall be glazed with safety glass or plastic glazing material that will resist breaking and will not create dangerous cutting edges when broken.  Fire-rated glass shall be used where required for fire safety.

i)          Where labeled fire doors are required, these shall be certified by an independent testing laboratory as meeting the construction requirements equal to those for fire doors in NFPA 80.  Reference to a labeled door includes labeled frame and hardware.

j)          Elevator shaft openings shall be class B 1½ hour labeled fire doors.

k)         Linen and refuse chutes shall meet or exceed the requirements of NFPA 82.

l)          Thresholds and expansion joint covers shall be made flush with the floor surface to facilitate use of wheelchairs and carts.

m)        Grab bars shall be provided at all patients' toilets.  The bars shall have 1½ inch clearance to walls and shall have sufficient strength and anchorage to sustain a concentrated load of 250 pounds.

n)         An accessible shower shall be provided.  Safety glass or plastic glazing materials shall be used for shower doors.  A grab bar shall be provided as specified in subsection (m).  A recessed soap dish shall be provided. The shower base shall have a nonslip service.

o)         Hand-washing facilities shall be located and arranged to permit their proper use and operation.  Particular care shall be given to the clearances required for blade-type operating handles.

p)         Paper towel dispensers and waste receptacles (or electric hand dryers) shall be provided at all hand-washing facilities except scrub sinks.

q)         Lavatories and hand-washing facilities shall be securely anchored to withstand an applied vertical load of not less than 250 pounds on the front of the fixture.

r)          X-ray and gamma ray installations shall comply with NCRP Report No. 147 and Report No. 102. The completed installation shall be tested, and all defects shall be corrected before use.

s)         Ceiling heights shall be as follows:

1)         Radiographic, major procedure rooms, and other rooms containing ceiling-mounted equipment or ceiling-mounted surgical light fixtures shall have height required to accommodate the equipment or fixtures.

2)         All other rooms shall have not less than 8'0" ceilings, except that ceiling heights in corridors, storage rooms, toilet rooms and other minor rooms shall be not less than 7'8".  Suspended tracks, rails, and pipes located in the path of normal traffic shall be not less than 6'8" above the floor.

t)          Rooms containing heat-producing equipment (such as boiler or heater rooms and laundries) shall be insulated and ventilated to prevent any floor surface above from exceeding a temperature of 10°F (6°C) above the ambient room temperature.

u)         The FEC shall be located on the same level as the ambulance and walk-in entrance.

v)         Response to Natural Disasters

1)         General Requirements.  An emergency radio communication system is desirable in each facility.  If installed, this system shall be self-sufficient in time of emergency and shall also be linked with the available community system and State emergency medical network system, including connections with police, fire, and civil defense system.

2)         Earthquakes.  In areas where local experience shows that earthquakes have caused loss of life or extensive property damage, buildings and structures shall be designed to withstand the force assumptions specified in the International Building Code. 

3)         Tornadoes and Floods. Special provisions shall be made in the design of buildings in regions where local experience shows loss of life or damage to buildings resulting from tornadoes or floods.

(Source:  Amended at 33 Ill. Reg. 8317, effective June 4, 2009)