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007.05.10-69. Physical Facilities, Construction, Including Fire Resistive Requirements.

AR ADC 007.05.10-69Arkansas Administrative CodeEffective: February 5, 2021

West's Arkansas Administrative Code
Title 007. Department of Health
Division 05. Health Facility Services
Rule 10. Rules for Critical Access Hospitals in Arkansas (Refs & Annos)
Effective: February 5, 2021
Ark. Admin. Code 007.05.10-69
007.05.10-69. Physical Facilities, Construction, Including Fire Resistive Requirements.
Currentness
A. Design. Every building and every portion thereof shall be designed and constructed to sustain all dead and live loads in accordance with American Society of Civil Engineers, (ASCE), “Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures.”
B. Foundations. Foundations shall rest on natural solid bearing if a satisfactory bearing is available at reasonable depths. Proper soil-bearing values shall be established in accordance with recognized standards. If solid bearing is not encountered at practical depths, the structure shall be supported on drive piles or drilled piers designed to support the intended load without detrimental settlement, except that one story buildings may rest on a fill designed by a soils engineer. When engineered fill is used, site preparation and placement of fill shall be performed under the direct full-time supervision of the soils engineer. The soils engineer shall issue a final report on the compacted fill operation and certification of compliance with the job specifications. All footings shall extend to a depth not less than one foot below the estimated maximum frost line.
C. Construction.
1. Construction shall comply with the applicable requirements of NFPA 101, and the Arkansas Fire Protection Code Volumes I and II and Arkansas State Building Services, Minimum Standards and Criteria -- Accessibility for the Physically Disabled Standards.
NOTE: NFPA 101 generally covers fire/safety requirements only, whereas most model codes also apply to structural elements. The fire/safety items of NFPA 101 would take precedence over other codes in case of conflict. In the event NFPA 101 does not specifically address a life safety requirement found only in the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, compliance with the requirement is not mandatory. Appropriate application of each would minimize problems. For example, some model codes require closers on all patient doors. NFPA 101 recognizes the potential fire/safety problems of this requirement and stipulates that if closers are used for patient room doors, smoke detectors shall also be provided within each affected patient room.
2. For renovation projects, the extent of new construction shall be determined by the licensing agency. Construction shall comply with applicable requirements of NFPA 101.
D. Free-standing Buildings (For Patient Use). Buildings of this element category are considered to be greater than 30 feet from the hospital or separated from the hospital by two-hour fire resistance rated construction. Buildings housing non-sleeping patient areas shall comply with NFPA 101.
E. Free-standing Buildings. Separate free-standing buildings over 30 feet from an inpatient facility housing the boiler plant, laundry, shops, or general storage shall be built in accordance with applicable building codes for such occupancy.
F. Interior Finishes. Interior finish materials shall comply with the limitations as indicated in NFPA 101. If a separate underlayment is used with any floor finish materials, the underlayment and the finish material shall be tested as a unit. Tests shall be performed by an approved independent testing laboratory.
G. Insulation Materials. Building insulation materials, unless sealed on all sides and edges, shall have a flame spread rating of 25 or less and a smoke developed rating of 150 or less when tested in accordance with NFPA 255.
H. Flood Protection. Executive Order No 11296 was issued to minimize financial loss from flood damage to facilities constructed with federal assistance. In accordance with that order, possible flood effects shall be considered when selecting and developing the site. Insofar as possible, new facilities shall not be located on designated flood plains. Where this is unavoidable, consult with the Corps of Engineers regional office for the latest applicable regulations pertaining to flood insurance and protection measures that may be required.
I. Elevators. All hospitals having patient facilities (such as bedrooms, dining rooms, or recreation areas) or critical services (such as operating, delivery, diagnostic, or therapeutic) located on other than the grade-level entrance floor shall have electric or hydraulic elevators. Installation and testing of elevators shall comply with ANSI/ASME A17.1 for new construction and ANSI/ASME A17.3 for existing facilities. (See ASCE 7-93 for seismic design and control systems requirements for elevators.)
1. In the absence of an engineered traffic study the following guidelines for number of elevators shall apply:
a. At least one hospital-type elevator shall be installed when one to 59 patient beds are located on any floor other than the main entrance floor.
b. At least two hospital-type elevators shall be installed when 60 to 200 patient beds are located on floors other than the main entrance floor, or where the major inpatient serves are located on a floor other than those containing patient beds. (Elevator service may be reduced for those floors providing only partial inpatient services.)
c. At least three hospital-type elevators shall be installed where 201 to 350 patent beds are located on floors other than the main entrance floor, or where the major inpatient services are located on a floor other than those containing patient beds. (Elevator service may be reduced for those floors which provide only partial inpatient services.)
d. For hospitals with more than 350 beds, the number of elevators shall be determined from a study of the hospital plan and the expected vertical transportation requirements.
2. Hospital-type elevator cars shall have inside dimensions that accommodate a patient bed with attendants. Cars shall be at least five feet eight inches wide by nine feet deep. Car doors shall have a clear opening of not less than four feet wide and seven feet high. In renovations, existing elevators that can accommodate patient beds used in the facility will not be required to be increased in size.
NOTE: Additional elevators installed for visitors and material handling may be smaller than noted above, within restrictions set by standards for disabled access.
3. Elevators shall be equipped with a two-way automatic level-maintaining device with an accuracy of one-fourth inch.
4. Each elevator, except those for material handling, shall be equipped with an independent keyed switch for staff use for bypassing all landing button calls and responding to car button calls only.
5. Elevator call buttons and controls shall not be activated by heat or smoke. Light beams, if used for operating door reopening devices without touch, shall be used in combination with door-edge safety devices and shall be interconnected with a system of smoke detectors. This is so the light control feature will be overridden or disengaged should it encounter smoke at any landing.
6. Field inspections and tests shall be made and the owner shall be furnished with written certification stating the installation meets the requirements set forth in this section as well as all applicable safety regulations and codes.

Credits

Amended Jan. 1, 2016; Feb. 5, 2021.
<Statutory authority: Promulgated under the Authority of Ark. Code Ann. § 20-7-123, 20-9-201 et seq.>
Current with amendments received through February 15, 2024. Some sections may be more current, see credit for details.
Ark. Admin. Code 007.05.10-69, AR ADC 007.05.10-69
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