By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

Cabinets in a Corridor – Part 2

Q: Is there a codified requirement for doors in a cabinet mounted in a hospital egress corridor? We have worked on projects when a nurse server; i.e., pass through cabinet, was required by the local AHJ to have positive latching on the cabinet door in order to protect the sanctity of the egress corridor. But when it is just a typical cabinet (non-pass through), is there a danger to the egress corridor if the cabinet doors do not have positive latching?

A: The only code requirements that I can think of are corridor obstruction and projection. A nurse server that has an open pass-through to the patient room from the corridor is required to have a door that meets the requirements of 19.3.6.3 of the 2012 LSC for corridor doors, such as positive latching, 1¾-inch thick solid-bonded wood core, and resisting the passage of smoke, because it needs to separate the corridor from the patient room. I think a typical cabinet that does not have a pass-though would not have to have a door that is positive latching because positive latching is only required when the door is separating a corridor from a room. If there is no pass-through, then there is no need for a positive latching door.   

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.