BCAB #1656 - Corridors in Care Occupancy, Sentence 3.3.3.3.(1)

April 22, 2009

BCAB #1656

Re: Corridors in Care Occupancy, Sentence 3.3.3.3.(1)

Project Description
The subject building is a hospital, classified as a Group B, Division 2, and is considered a high building as required by Subsection 3.2.6. An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is designed with groups of 4 patients’ rooms, served by dead end legs off of a main corridor. The areas served by these legs do not have a second and separate means of egress. The ICU is separated from the remainder of the building by a 1 hour rated fire separation and has a mechanical air supply as required by Sentence 3.3.3.6.(1).

Reason for Appeal
Sentence 3.3.3.3.(1) indicates that a corridor used by the public or serving patients’ sleeping rooms shall have no dead-end portion unless the area served by the dead-end portion has a second and separate means of egress.

Appellant’s Position
The appellant contends that the protection for the ICU stated in Sentence 3.3.3.6.(1) is required to provide an area of refuge by limiting the probability of fire spread into an area which patients would not be evacuated from.

Building Official's Position
It is the Building Official’s position that Sentence 3.3.3.3.(1) is clear that dead end corridors are not permitted in hospitals where corridors used by the public (visitors) or serving patients’ sleeping rooms.

Appeal Board Decision #1656
It is the determination of the Board that Sentence 3.3.3.3.(1) does not permit these corridors with dead end portions as they may be used by the public.

George Humphrey, Chair