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007.05.16-29. Physical Facilities, Details and Finishes

AR ADC 007.05.16-29Arkansas Administrative CodeEffective: September 29, 2022

West's Arkansas Administrative Code
Title 007. Department of Health
Division 05. Health Facility Services
Rule 16. Rules for Hospice in Arkansas
Effective: September 29, 2022
Ark. Admin. Code 007.05.16-29
007.05.16-29. Physical Facilities, Details and Finishes
All details for alteration or expansion projects as well as for new construction shall comply with the following.
A. Details.
1. Compartmentation, exits, automatic extinguishing systems, and other details relating to fire prevention and fire protection shall comply with requirements listed in the NFPA referenced codes, shall be maintained at the facility and shown on the Fire Protection Plan.
2. Corridor partitions, smoke stop partitions, horizontal exit partitions, exit enclosures, and fire rated walls required to have protected openings shall be effectively and permanently identified with signs or stenciling in a manner acceptable to the Health Facility Services. Such identification shall be above any decorative ceiling and in concealed spaces.
3. Rooms containing bathtubs, sitz baths, showers, and water closets, subject to occupancy by patients, shall be equipped with doors and hardware which shall permit access from the outside the room.
4. Glass doors, lights, sidelights, borrowed lights, and windows located within 12 inches of a door jamb (with a bottom frame height of less than 60 inches above the finished floor) shall be constructed of safety glass, wired glass, or plastic, break resistant material that creates no dangerous cutting edges when broken. Safety glass-tempered or plastic glazing materials shall be used for shower doors and bath enclosures. In renovation projects, only glazing within 18 inches of the floor shall be changed to safety glass, wire glass, or plastic, break-resistant material.
5. Thresholds and expansion joint covers shall be installed flush with the floor surface to facilitate use of wheelchairs and carts. Expansion and seismic joints shall be constructed to restrict the passage of smoke.
6. Grab bars shall be provided in all patients' toilets, showers, tubs, and sitz baths. The bars shall have one and one-half inch clearance to walls and shall have sufficient strength and anchorage to sustain a concentrated load of 250 pounds.
7. Lavatories and hand washing stations shall be securely anchored to withstand an applied downward vertical load of not less than 250 pounds on the front of the fixture.
8. The minimum ceiling height shall be seven feet ten inches with the following exceptions:
a) Boiler rooms shall have ceiling clearances not less than two feet six inches above the main boiler header and connecting piping.
b) Ceilings in corridors, storage rooms, and toilet rooms shall be not less then seven feet eight inches in height. Ceiling heights in small, normally unoccupied spaces may be reduced.
c) Where existing structures make the above ceiling clearance impractical, clearances shall be as required to avoid injury to individuals up to six feet four inches tall.
9. Rooms containing heat-producing equipment (such as boiler or heater rooms and laundries) shall be insulated and ventilated to prevent any floor or partition surface from exceeding a temperature of ten degrees Fahrenheit above ambient room temperature.
10. Noise reduction criteria shown in Table 2 of the Appendix shall apply to partition, floor, and ceiling construction in patient areas. (Careful attention shall be given to penetrations.)
11. Light fixtures shall be provided with protective covers in food preparation, serving areas, and patient care and treatment spaces. Protective light fixture covers are not required in corridors.
12. Handrails shall be provided in all corridors used by patients.
B. Finishes.
Floors and walls penetrated by pipes, ducts, and conduits shall be tightly sealed to minimize entry of rodents and insects.

Credits

Amended May 1, 2010; Sept. 29, 2022.
Current with amendments received through February 15, 2024. Some sections may be more current, see credit for details.
Ark. Admin. Code 007.05.16-29, AR ADC 007.05.16-29
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