Patient Care Areas

[neil seidner]

Do the rules in section 24 apply to a medical clinic?

Are the examination rooms considered to be "Basic Care Areas"?

It is a small building, approx 2000sq ft. The clinic is the only tenant. Maybe 2 or 3 MD's, and about a dozen examination rooms. There is no emergency or operation rooms.

[electricguy]

my understanding is that they are classified as patient care enviorments

[Tony Moscioni]

Questions have risen as to what areas are now covered under the “Health Care Facilities” definitions of the 2002 Ontario Electrical Safety Code.


Background:

Traditionally, Section 24 was limited to inside Hospital facilities. As health care treatment changes, so do the locations that these treatments take place.

The introduction of the 2002 Code saw the scope of 24-000 changed from “Hospitals” to “ Health Care Facilities”.

Further examination of the definitions in this section shows that this change includes a number of additional facilities that are now required to meet the requirements of Section 24. This would include almost anywhere health related services are delivered.

This change from "hospital(s)" to "health care facility(ies)" has been made throughout Section 24 and Appendix B, to harmonize Section 24 with the CAN/CSA-Z32.

The CSA, Z32 Standard provides a variety of examples of such health care facilities, and in addition to hospitals these examples include surgical, outpatient and doctor's clinics, dentist offices, psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities.

The standard further subdivides health care facilities into three separate classes as follows:

Health care facility, Class A - a hospital,.....

Health care facility, Class B - a facility where residents, as a result of physical or mental disabilities, are unable to function independently .....

Health care facility, Class C - a facility where ambulatory patients are accommodated on the basis of medical need and are provided with supportive, diagnostic, and treatment services.

Tony Moscioni
Electrical Inspector
Electrical Safety Authority

[neil seidner]

Thanks for providing all of this information.

[CRM]

Yes, I believe dentist and clinic examination rooms would be patient care areas, If you have an internet search program, type CSA Standard Z32, a lot of good information comes up on wiring methods for section 24.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ March 27, 2004 12:28 PM: Message edited by: CRM ]</font>