N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 10 §§ 713-2.18

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 43, October 23, 2024

Section 713-2.18 - Details and finishes

A high degree of safety for the occupants shall be provided to minimize the incidence of accidents with special consideration for ambulatory residents to enhance their ability to care for themselves. Hazards such as sharp corners shall be avoided.

(a) Details shall comply with the following requirements:

(1) Compartmentation, corridors, widths, exits, automatic extinguishment systems, and other details relating to fire prevention and fire protection shall comply with requirements applicable to existing health care occupancies set forth in NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, 2000 edition. Further details concerning this referenced material are contained in section 711.2(a) of this Title.

(2) 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.

(3) All rooms containing bathtubs, sitz baths, showers and water closets that are used or subject to occupancy by residents shall be equipped with doors and hardware that permit access from the outside in any emergency. When such rooms have only one opening or are small, the doors shall be capable of opening outwards or be otherwise designed to be opened without need to push against a resident who may have collapsed within the room.

(4) The minimum width of all doors to rooms needing access for beds or stretchers shall be three feet eight inches. Doors to resident toilet rooms and other rooms needing access for wheelchairs shall have a minimum width of 2 feet 10 inches.

(5) Doors on all openings between corridors and rooms or spaces subject to occupancy, except elevator doors, shall be swing type. Openings to showers, baths, residents' toilets, and other small wet-type areas not subject to fire hazard are exempt from this requirement.

(6) Windows and other doors which may be frequently left in an open position shall be provided with insect screens.

(7) Windows shall be designed to prevent accidental falls when open, or shall be provided with security screens.

(8) Except for doors to spaces that are not subject to occupancy such as small closets, all doors 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 spaces subject to occupancy.

(9) 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, wire glass, or plastic glazing material that will resist breaking and will not create dangerous cutting edges when broken. Similar materials shall be used in wall openings of recreation rooms and exercise rooms unless required otherwise for fire safety. Glazing materials as noted above shall be used for shower doors and bath enclosures.

(10) 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, Standard for Fire Doors and Fire Windows, 1999 edition. Reference to a labeled door shall be construed to include labeled frame and hardware. Further details concerning the material referenced herein are contained in section 711.2(a) of this Title.

(11) Elevator shaft openings shall have Class B 1-1/2-hour labeled fire doors.

(12) Linen and refuse chutes shall meet or exceed the following requirements:

(i) Service openings to chutes shall not be located in corridors or passageways but shall be located in a room of construction having a fire resistance of not less than two hours. Doors to such rooms shall be not less than Class B 1-1/2- hour labeled fire doors.

(ii) Service openings to chutes shall be approved self-closing Class B 1-1/2- hour labeled fire doors.

(iii) Minimum cross-sectional dimension of gravity chutes shall be not less than two feet.

(iv) Chutes shall discharge directly into collection rooms separate from incinerators, laundry, or other services. Separate collection rooms shall be provided for trash and for linen. The enclosure construction for such rooms shall have a fire resistance of not less than two hours, and the doors thereto shall be not less than Class B 1-1/2 fire doors.

(v) Gravity chutes shall extend through the roof with provisions for continuous ventilation as well as for fire and smoke ventilation. Openings for fire and smoke ventilation shall have an effective area of not less than four feet above the roof and not less than six feet clear of other vertical surfaces. Fire and smoke ventilating openings may be covered with single strength sheet glass.

(13) Dumbwaiters, conveyors and material handling systems shall not open directly into a corridor or exit way but shall open into a room enclosed by construction having a fire resistance of not less than one hour and provided with Class C 3/4 labeled fire doors. Service entrance doors to vertical shafts containing dumbwaiters, conveyors, and material handling systems shall be not less than Class B 1-1/2-hour labeled fire doors. Where horizontal conveyors and material handling systems penetrate fire-rated walls or smoke partitions, such openings must be provided with Class B 1-1/2-hour labeled fire doors for two hour walls and Class C 3/4-hour labeled fire doors for one hour walls or partitions.

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

(15) Grab bars shall be provided at all residents' 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.

(16) Recessed soap dishes shall be provided in showers and bathrooms.

(17) Handrails for use by residents shall be provided on both sides of corridors. A clear distance of one and a half inches shall be provided between the handrail and the wall.

(18) Ends of handrails and grab bars shall be constructed to prevent snagging the clothes of residents.

(19) Location and arrangement of handwashing facilities shall permit their proper use and operation. Particular care should be given to the clearances required for blade-type operating handles. Lavatories intended for use by residents shall be installed to permit use by residents in wheelchairs.

(20) Mirrors shall be arranged for convenient use by residents in wheelchairs as well as by residents in a standing position.

(21) Paper towel dispensers and waste receptacles shall be provided at all handwashing fixtures.

(22) Ceiling heights shall be as follows:

(i) Boiler rooms shall have ceiling clearances not less than two feet six inches above the main boiler header and connecting piping.

(ii) Rooms containing ceiling-mounted equipment shall have height required to accommodate the equipment.

(iii) All other rooms shall have not less than eight foot ceilings except that corridors, storage rooms, toilet rooms, and other minor rooms may be not less than seven feet eight inches. Suspended tracks, rails and pipes located in path of normal traffic shall be not less than six feet eight inches above the floor.

(23) Recreation rooms, exercise rooms, and similar spaces where impact noises may be generated shall not be located directly over resident bed unless special provisions are made to minimize such noise.

(24) 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 10° F above the ambient room temperature.

(b) Finishes shall comply with the following:

(1) Cubicle curtains and draperies shall be noncombustible and shall pass both the large and small scale test of set forth in NFPA 701, Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Flame Propagation of Textiles and Films, 1999 edition. Further details concerning this material referenced herein are contained in section 711.2(a) of this Title.

(2) Floor materials shall be easily cleanable and have wear resistance appropriate for the location involved. Floors in areas used for food preparation or food assembly shall be water-resistant and greaseproof. Joints in tile and similar material in such areas shall be resistant to food acids. In all areas frequently subject to wet cleaning methods, floor materials shall not be physically affected by germicidal and cleaning solutions. Floors that are subject to traffic while wet, such as shower and bath areas, kitchen and similar work areas, shall have a nonslip surface.

(3) Wall bases in kitchen, soiled workrooms, and other areas which are frequently subject to wet cleaning methods shall be made integral and coved with the floor, tightly sealed within the wall, and constructed without voids that can harbor insects.

(4) Wall finishes shall be washable and the immediate area surrounding plumbing fixtures shall be smooth and moisture resistant. Finish, trim, and wall and floor construction in dietary and food preparation areas shall be free from spaces that can harbor rodents and insects.

(5) Floor and wall penetrations by pipes, ducts and conduits shall be tightly sealed to minimize entry of rodents and insects. Joints of structural elements shall be similarly sealed.

(6) Ceilings throughout the facility shall be easily cleanable. Ceilings in the dietary and food preparation areas shall have a finished ceiling covering all overhead piping and duct work. Finished ceilings may be omitted in mechanical and equipment spaces, shops, general storage areas, and similar spaces, unless required for fire-resistive purposes.

(7) Acoustical ceilings shall be provided for corridors in resident areas, nurses' stations, dayrooms, recreation rooms, dining areas and waiting areas.

N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 10 §§ 713-2.18