Normal and Critical Bed Locations

[mshields]

NFPA 99 and the 2014 NEC require 8 receptacles at Patient Bed Locations and 14 receptacles at Critical Bed Locations. What I don't see is any guidance on what constitutes a "Bed Location". Patient Care Vicinity is defined with specific dimensions, but Bed locations, unless I'm missing it is not.

SO, within what distance to the bed is one required to have the aforementioned receptacles? Or is it wholly a judgement call?

 

[Upnorth]

NFPA 99 and the 2014 NEC require 8 receptacles at Patient Bed Locations and 14 receptacles at Critical Bed Locations. What I don't see is any guidance on what constitutes a "Bed Location". Patient Care Vicinity is defined with specific dimensions, but Bed locations, unless I'm missing it is not.

SO, within what distance to the bed is one required to have the aforementioned receptacles? Or is it wholly a judgement call?

Not to be flip, but the ARCHITECT who designed the facility is supposed to specify how many "normally used patient care areas" there are and the beds/procedure tables of those areas and where they are supposed to be located. This specification determines not only the electrical receptacles but also the locations for medical gas outlets, suction/air, call and alarm devices, etc. I seriously doubt they expect such things to be a "judgment call" by a contractor unfamiliar with the intended usage. No offense intended.

Imagine the minimum 36 required receptacles for an operating room being randomly located, as opposed to placed and clustered in specific ways, as shown in the design, according to needs that we can only guess.

There are, for example, healthcare designs in which the required receptacles are overhead pendants, or on a "power column" that can be repositioned for different bed/table orientations, etc. There should not be any guesswork involved.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

NFPA 99 and the 2014 NEC require 8 receptacles at Patient Bed Locations and 14 receptacles at Critical Bed Locations. What I don't see is any guidance on what constitutes a "Bed Location". Patient Care Vicinity is defined with specific dimensions, but Bed locations, unless I'm missing it is not.

SO, within what distance to the bed is one required to have the aforementioned receptacles? Or is it wholly a judgement call?

Most bed locations have a "head wall" (contains electrical and medical gas connections for the bed). I would expect all of the required receptacles to be in that.

 

[LIM]

My understanding is that it is the "general area" of the bed so as long as items for or from the bed can be plugged in without causing a tripping hazard. Therefore most would be in the headwall area, but not necessarily contained in a premanufactured unit.