By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Cabinets in a corridor – Part 1

Q: It appears that the LSC allows up to 50 square feet of unprotected storage but also includes language that suggests it may need to be protected in accordance with 8.7 depending on the level of hazard. It is my experience that storage in a nurse station (even if combustible) is acceptable because it is located in a normally monitored and occupied area. But what about PPE or patient information storage in closed cabinets away from a nurse station? Would this decision be left to the AHJ?

A: In a scenario as you described, I believe it is all about the cabinet and doors. Is the cabinet mounted in such a way that it projects into the corridor by more than 4 inches? If so, that would be a problem. If the doors to the cabinet were to be left open, would the doors project into the corridor more than 4 inches? If so, that too would be a problem. As long as the square footage of the stored items is less than 50 square feet, I don’t see a problem. The cabinet door would not have to meet the requirements for corridor door (i.e. resist the passage of smoke, positive latching hardware, 1¾-inch thickness, solid bonded wood core) as long as the LS drawings delineated that the corridor wall ran behind the cabinet.

Brad Keyes, CHSP, is the owner of KEYES Life Safety Compliance, and his expertise is in the management of the Life Safety Program, including the Environment of Care and Emergency Management programs.