How deep into 517 Health Care to go ?

[ritelec]

Good morning.

I was called in to "bid" on a project. Personally, I think I'm keeping his electrician honest with my number, but it was my wife that called on this (potential tenant for where she works so...)

Strip mall, a podiatrist will(may) be moving in.

I will better know the details later, but to walk in, should there be anything that I should know?

I'm thinking insulated ground (mc) for circuits. (if isolated ground is required, multi wire mc...)

Receptacles duplex and gfci "hospital grade" ??

Should lighting also be mc??

Back up systems??? x ray ???

How deep might I expect to get into Health Care with a doctor that cuts out ingrown toe nails or planters warts....?

I will read on (517).

Thank you for the heads up

 

[ritelec]

Alittle research shows hcf wire to be installed. I have yet to see it in the article, but it is probably there.

I did a brief scope of the building.. It seams to be wired in ac.. would the switches in the patient rooms need to have an insulated ground type mc or use of the hcf type wire (517.11 (B))?

Think There may be a mushroom happening.

The panel is common to other office areas, ct paralleled feeder to two 3 phase 4 wire panels. Haven't opened the panel, I'm pretty sure there is no insulated bonding jumper as per 517.14, and rereading that article I don't think it would apply (no transfer switches), but, should I be considering that the existing panels may have to be re bonded?

There is 517.17 ground fault protection, feeders, selectivity...

517.18 (A) ?? emergency system ??? there is no emergency system..

I doctor is going to move into an existing 5 or so room office space.
He will have reception, waiting room, office and a patient room or two.

With the exemption of some HCF home runs and receptacles, how critical is this wiring going to become?

Thank you



...

 

[ritelec]

Met with doctor, he said the existing receptacles might have to be changed to hospital grade.

He said he, the doctor, uses these rooms only for consultations with a patient and he does no work in there....

oh... :huh:

 

[lielec11]

My understanding is that hospital grade receptacles are not required unless the area is defined as a "patient bed location" in the NEC 517. It is my understand that all branch circuits (receptacles, lighting, etc.) in patient care areas of this kind are required to use HCF type MC cable. I do not see the need for any emergency system unless the local codes call for it.

From the commentary of the NEC Handbook section 517.13(B):

"The grounding requirements of 517.13 for patient care areas are not limited to hospitals. They are also required for patient care areas in other health care facilities, such as nursing homes, clinics, and medical and dental offices."


Another place for you to check should be the FGI Guidelines for outpatient facilities.

 

[darekelec]

Light fixtures above 7-1/2' can stay wired with regular BX. 517.13 Ex 2.

 

[augie47]

Met with doctor, he said the existing receptacles might have to be changed to hospital grade.

He said he, the doctor, uses these rooms only for consultations with a patient and he does no work in there....

oh... :huh:

Need to make him a deal... you won't tell him how to practice, he won't tell you how to wire
Might be a "fine line" that you would want to clarify with your AHJ, but from my read "consultation" would not be patient care.

My understanding is that hospital grade receptacles are not required unless the area is defined as a "patient bed location" in the NEC 517. It is my understand that all branch circuits (receptacles, lighting, etc.) in patient care areas of this kind are required to use HCF type MC cable. I do not see the need for any emergency system unless the local codes call for it.

From the commentary of the NEC Handbook section 517.13(B):

"The grounding requirements of 517.13 for patient care areas are not limited to hospitals. They are also required for patient care areas in other health care facilities, such as nursing homes, clinics, and medical and dental offices."


Another place for you to check should be the FGI Guidelines for outpatient facilities.

Agree. Even it it turns out to be "health care", HG receptacles are for "patient bed locations"... check your definitions in Art 517.

Light fixtures above 7-1/2' can stay wired with regular BX. 517.13 Ex 2.

Note that exception references raceway or cable with a sheath that qualifies as an EGC like BX(AC) but not standard MC.

 

[kwired]

Start out in 517.2 definitions - in particular:

Patient Care Area. Any portion of a health care facility
wherein patients are intended to be examined or treated.
Areas of a health care facility in which patient care is administered
are classified as general care areas or critical
care areas. The governing body of the facility designates
these areas in accordance with the type of patient care anticipated
and with the following definitions of the area classification.


Informational Note: Business offices, corridors, lounges,
day rooms, dining rooms, or similar areas typically are not
classified as patient care areas.


General Care Areas. Patient bedrooms, examining rooms,
treatment rooms, clinics, and similar areas in which it is intended
that the patient will come in contact with ordinary
appliances such as a nurse call system, electric beds, examining
lamps, telephones, and entertainment devices. [99, 2005]

If an area is not intended to be used for patient treatment, 517 typically does not apply to that area. In your typical clinic of any kind that usually means just exam rooms and procedure rooms are all that are covered by 517. 517.10 basically says this as well.

Next major thing that applies to these areas is 517.13. It does not say HCF MCcable must be used, it tells us that we must use a wiring method that itself qualifies as an equipment grounding conductor and we must also install a insulated equipment grounding conductor within that wiring method. HCF MC cable just happens to be one common method used that meets the requirements. But any metal raceway system with an insulated equipment grounding conductor installed also meets the requirement. This only applies to branch circuits in the art 517 areas, service or feeder conductors are not a part of this requirement. It does apply to pretty much everything in the patient care area though, about the only common exception is equipment above a certain height (I believe 7.5 feet) which often will exclude general lighting but the switch is usually within the space so you usually need to follow the requirements for the switch.

Usually a clinic doesn't get involved with too many other aspects from 517, but depending on just what kind of health care is performed it could go deeper into 517. If invasive procedures are commonly performed, if patient is under more then a local anesthesia for procedures the game gets a little more complicated, and that is where required emergency systems and other requirements start to kick in. Quite often if those procedures being done require an emergency system you will not need to determine that yourself as the health care codes will likely require such systems as well and you will see those systems on your plans or in your scope of work, or maybe even will have many of those items provided already and you just need to connect them.

 

[roger]

Light fixtures above 7-1/2' can stay wired with regular BX. 517.13 Ex 2.

And to be clear, the term "regular BX" cannot include regular MC for this application, it has to be AC.

Roger

 

[lielec11]

Light fixtures above 7-1/2' can stay wired with regular BX. 517.13 Ex 2.

learn something new every day here.. ill have to find that exception tomorrow. thanks.

 

[kwired]

And to be clear, the term "regular BX" cannot include regular MC for this application, it has to be AC.

Roger

It just has to be a raceway or cable that itself qualifies as an equipment grounding conductor. Correct that regular MC cable can not be used but MC-AP or similar product that does have an outer sheath rated for use as an EGC could be used.