It’s hard to think of an engineering project with higher standards than a healthcare facility, according to a Q&A in the Consulting-Specifying Engineer website.
Codes, standards, and regulations govern how these buildings must be designed, when successfully designed and installed systems can be a matter of life and death.
Consulting-Specifying Engineer asked a panel of experts which codes, standards or guidelines they use as a guide when working on healthcare facilities.
According to Robert Jones Jr., associate director of electrical, JBA Consulting Engineers, Las Vegas:
"NFPA 99, NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 517, and NFPA 101 are the specific codes applicable to these types of facilities. However, the NEC is applicable for all standard building requirements and only superseded by specialty items included in Article 517. In other words, the building is designed per the NEC with specific requirements coming from Article 517. The International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), when adopted by the governing jurisdiction, has specific requirements for lighting energy allowances and controls. Hospital accreditation agencies, such as the The Joint Commission, require compliance with the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities (previously published by AIA)."
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