December 15 , 1988
BCAB #1034
Re: Sheet Vinyl Flooring at Urinal, Sentence 4.3.1.(2) B.C. Plumbing Code
With reference to your letter of September 19, 1988 regarding the use of acid-resistant seamless sheet vinyl flooring adjacent to a urinal. The flooring in question runs beneath a wall-mounted urinal, and is located in a washroom serving a radio broadcasting office.
Sentence 4.3.1.(2) of the Plumbing Code requires that the floor and walls adjacent to a urinal be protected by glazed tile or other acceptable material. It then indicates the minimum extent of this protection around the fixture, in a manner which we would consider to be addressing stall type rather than wall-hung urinals. There is, however, clearly the intent to provide protection, by means of impervious finishes, to areas which could be subject to urine splashes. There is no mandatory requirement for universal use of any specific material, provided that whatever is used meets the general criteria for that location.
In view of the characteristics of the material you have used, as outlined in your letter, we consider that material acceptable under Sentence 4.3.1.(2) as meeting the requirements of the Plumbing Code for this type of installation.
J.C. Currie, Chairman