Mike Dolt Enterprises
Mike Dolt Enterprises
User: MEP_PM, Location: Durham, NC
Asked on: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 4:53 pm EDT
Answered on: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 at 6:06 am EDT
Question: Battery backed up lights are normally installed in OR?s in my area but I could not find a code reference requiring them today in 517 or NFPA 99. Did I overlook something? Is that a local requirement? I?m in NC.
NFPA 99 2018 Edition4.3.
8.1.1 Illumination shall be provided for the following areas: (1) Operating rooms (2) Examination and treatment rooms (3) Critical care units (4) Delivery rooms (5) Cardiac catheterization laboratories4.3.
8.3.1 Emergency lighting shall be provided for all areas where patients are cared for, treated, or examined.4.3.
8.4 Emergency lighting shall consist of battery-powered lighting units or a central lighting system designed to provide the required illumination in the event of a power failure.
North Carolina Building Code 2015 Edition110.3 DefinitionsEmergency lighting
Lighting intended to provide illumination during an emergency that requires evacuation of a building or for safe access to exits. Emergency lighting shall consist of battery-powered lighting units, a central lighting system, or a combination thereof.110.7 General Electrical Requirements
(3) Emergency Lighting. Every building shall have emergency lighting as required by the applicable chapters of this code, and in accordance with NFPA 70, National Electrical Code. Such lighting shall be provided by a reliable source that is independent of the normal building supply.
ConclusionBased on the 2018 edition of NFPA 99 and the 2015 edition of the North Carolina Building Code, battery-backed up lights are required in operating rooms. The requirement for battery-backed up lights in operating rooms is a national requirement, not a local requirement. Flag for review