After some
digging I found code 5000 Building Construction and Safety
Code from NFPA which has a nice occupancy load table that
lists educational labs at 50sqft net per person. I am not
sure if the net means after taking away square footage
occupied by fixed furniture, lab benches and cabinetry,
though I have sent out feelers for clarification. Will let
everybody know what I find out when I find out.
Thanks so much
for the feedback!
Mel
Mel Charlton-Smith
Chemistry Lab
Coordinator, CHO-NRCC
Coordinator of BS-CHS
program, Lecturer
WVWC ?? Chemistry Dept.
CHS-319
59 College Ave
Buckhannon, WV 26201
charltonsmith**At_Symbol_Here**wvwc.edu
304-473-8355
Fire Marshals
may look at it a bit different, as they also have to
consider the route of egress, not the square footage between
the walls. So 24 students in a room may be OK under one reg,
but the FMs need to consider the routes those 24 folks need
to take to get out. Are the aisles, doorways and stairs
blocked, too narrow, too twisty or is the distance to
travel to get out of the building too great? It is not
always comparing apples to apples (UBC to NFPA).
Mark
Yanchisin
Coordinator for
Clinical and Laboratory Safety Programs
Environmental
Health and Safety
University of
Florida
POB 112190
Bldg 179 Newell Dr.
Gainesville,
Fl 32611-2190
O- 352-392-1591
F- 352-392-3647
Mark**At_Symbol_Here**ehs.ufl.edu
That is
interesting.... this information is coming from our university
people. I will have to have a conversation with our state
fire inspector when he comes this year.
Sammye
On 12/5/2014 8:40 AM, Ray Cook wrote:
The occupant load area is determined by
the space within the walls. I think that fire person is
mistaken. As a past Fire Marshal, I recognize that the
codes take into account the furnishings, which is why
occupant load varies by facility usage or type.
Cheers!
Ours is the same in NC. To further
clarify, according to our fire person that 50 sq
ft/person has to be unobstructed with permanent
structures. We can't count the lab bench area - only
the open floor space.
I have never measured our floor space - I might be
afraid to...
S-
On 12/4/2014 7:29 PM, Debbie M.
Decker wrote:
50
square feet per student ?? our teaching labs are
about 1200 square feet and so we accommodate 24
students in lab.
It ??s in
the fire code in California. Your mileage may vary.
Best,
Debbie
M. Decker, CCHO
Safety
Manager
Department
of Chemistry
University
of California, Davis
122
Chemistry
1
Shields Ave.
Davis,
CA 95616
(530)754-7964
(530)304-6728
dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu
Birkett's
hypothesis: "Any chemical reaction
that
proceeds smoothly under normal conditions,
can
proceed violently in the presence of an idiot."
HI everybody,
This has probably been hashed over
before, but it is a situation that may be cropping up
at my institution and I need some ??ammo ??. Are there
and NFPA codes that anyone is aware of that limits the
occupancy of a lab? I believe that 60-70 sq ft per
person is recommended, but I am unable to find any
code that specifically states that. I don ??t want our
local fire marshal to ??have a cow ?? if the school
overloads a lab. I already have all my safety
arguments lined out, but I ??d like some solid regs
and/or codes behind me as well.
You know how these things can crop
up ?|you think you ??ve drilled it into their collective
heads that they can or can ??t do something, but
sometimes it seems to fall on deaf ears and then you
are forced to be the bad guy and say LOOK at the
regs! You CAN ??T do this. Look at the liabilities
(gotto throw up those $$$ signs).
Thanks all,
Mel
Mel Charlton-Smith
Chemistry Lab Coordinator,
CHO-NRCC
Coordinator of BS-CHS
program, Lecturer
WVWC ?? Chemistry Dept.
CHS-319
59 College Ave
Buckhannon, WV 26201
charltonsmith**At_Symbol_Here**wvwc.edu
304-473-8355
--
********************************************************************************************
We, the
willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the
impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so
much, for so long, with so little, we are now
qualified to do everything with nothing. Teresa
Arnold
Samuella B.
Sigmann, NRCC-CHO
Lecturer/Safety Committee Chair
A. R. Smith Department of Chemistry
Appalachian State University
525 Rivers Street
Boone, NC 28608
Phone: 828 262 2755
Fax: 828 262 6558
Email: sigmannsb**At_Symbol_Here**appstate.edu
--
********************************************************************************************
We, the willing, led
by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the
ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with
so little, we are now qualified to do everything with
nothing. Teresa Arnold
Samuella B. Sigmann,
NRCC-CHO
Lecturer/Safety Committee Chair
A. R. Smith Department of Chemistry
Appalachian State University
525 Rivers Street
Boone, NC 28608
Phone: 828 262 2755
Fax: 828 262 6558
Email: sigmannsb**At_Symbol_Here**appstate.edu
