| (a) General. All limited services rural hospitals (LSRHs)
with two or more floor levels shall have at least one electrical or
electrical hydraulic elevator. Elevators shall also give access to
all building levels normally used by the public. Escalators and conveyors
are not required but, when provided, shall comply with these requirements
and the requirement of §18.3 of the National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) 101, Life Safety Code, 2012 edition.
(b) Requirements for new elevators, escalators, and
conveyors. New elevators, escalators and conveyors shall be installed
in accordance with the requirements of A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators
and Escalators, 2012 edition, published by the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI).
(1) Cars and doors.
(A) Cars of hospital type elevators for patient transport
shall not be less than five feet eight inches wide and not less than
eight feet six inches deep inside the cab.
(B) The car door opening shall not be less than four
feet wide and seven feet high.
(C) Elevator doors shall be B-labeled one-hour fire
protection rated doors in buildings less than four stories, and one
and one-half hour fire protection rated doors in buildings four or
more stories.
(2) Type of controls and alarms. Elevator cab lighting,
control, communication, and signal systems shall be connected in accordance
with NFPA 99 §4.4.2.2.2.2, 2012 edition.
(3) Location. Conveyors, elevators, dumbwaiters, and
pneumatic conveyors serving various stories of a building shall not
open to an exit.
(4) Elevator machine rooms. Elevator machine rooms
that contain solid-state equipment for elevators having a travel distance
of more than 50 feet above the level of exit discharge or more than
30 feet below the level of exit discharge shall be provided with independent
ventilation or air conditioning systems required to maintain temperature
during fire fighters' service operation for elevator operation. The
operating temperature shall be established by the elevator equipment
manufacturer's specifications and shall be posted in each such elevator
machine room. When standby power is connected to the elevator, the
machine room ventilation or air conditioning shall be connected to
standby power.
(c) Requirements for existing elevators, escalators,
and conveyors. Existing elevators, escalators, and conveyors shall
comply with ASME/ANSI A17.3, Safety Code for Existing Elevators and
Escalators, 2008 edition. All existing elevators having a travel distance
of 25 feet or more above or below the level that best serves the needs
of emergency personnel for fire-fighting or rescue purposes shall
conform to Fire Fighters' Service Requirements of ASME/ANSI A17.3
as required by NFPA 101 §9.4.3.
(d) Testing. All elevators and escalators shall be
subject to routine and periodic inspections and tests as specified
in ASME/ANSI A17.1, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, 2007
edition. All elevators equipped with fire fighter service shall be
subject to a monthly operation with a written record of the findings
made and kept on the premises as required by NFPA 101 §9.4.6.
(e) Certification. A certificate of inspection evidencing
that the elevators, escalators, and related equipment were inspected
in accordance with the requirements in Texas Health and Safety Code
(HSC) Chapter 754 (relating to Elevators, Escalators, and Related
Equipment), and determined to be in compliance with the safety standards
adopted under HSC §754.014 and administered by the Texas Department
of Licensing and Regulation shall be on record in each LSRH.
(f) Where an LSRH has more than one floor, at least
two elevators shall be provided.
|
