Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 310 - Oklahoma State Department of Health › Chapter 667 - Hospital Standards › Subchapter 41 - General Construction Provisions › Section 310:667-41-2 - Renovation

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a) Where renovation or replacement work is
				done within an existing facility, all new work or additions, or both, shall
				comply, insofar as practical, with applicable sections of these standards and
				with appropriate parts of NFPA 101, 2000 edition, covering New Health Care
				Occupancies. Where major structural elements make total compliance impractical
				or impossible, exceptions may be considered by the Department. This does not
				guarantee that an exception shall be granted, but does attempt to minimize
				restrictions on those improvements where total compliance would not
				substantially improve safety, but would create an unreasonable hardship. These
				standards shall not be construed as prohibiting a single phase of improvement.
				For example, a facility may plan to replace a flammable ceiling with
				noncombustible material but lacks funds to do other corrective work. However,
				they are not intended as an encouragement to ignore deficiencies when resources
				are available to correct life-threatening problems.
(b) When construction is complete, the
				facility shall satisfy functional requirements for the appropriate
				classification (general medical surgical hospital, psychiatric hospital, etc.)
				in an environment that shall provide acceptable care and safety to all
				occupants.
(c) In renovation
				projects and those making additions to existing facilities, only that portion
				of the total facility affected by the project shall comply with applicable
				sections of these standards and with appropriate parts of NFPA 101, 2000
				edition, covering New Health Care Occupancies.
(d) Those existing portions of the facility
				which are not included in the renovation but which are essential to the
				functioning of the complete facility, as well as existing building areas that
				receive less than substantial amounts of new work shall, at a minimum, comply
				with that section of NFPA 101, 2000 edition, for Existing Health Care
				Occupancies.
(e) Conversion to
				other appropriate use or replacement shall be considered when cost prohibits
				compliance with acceptable standards.
(f) When a building is converted from one
				occupancy to another, it shall comply with the new occupancy requirements. For
				purpose of life safety, a conversion from a hospital to a nursing home or vice
				versa is not considered a change in occupancy.
(g) When parts of an existing facility
				essential to continued overall facility operation cannot comply with particular
				standards, those standards may be waived by the Commissioner of Health if
				patient care and safety are not jeopardized.
(h) Renovations, including new additions,
				shall not diminish the safety level that existed prior to the start of the
				work; however, safety in excess of that required for new facilities is not
				required.
(i) Nothing in this
				Chapter shall be construed as restrictive to a facility that chooses to do work
				or alterations as part of a phased long-range safety improvement plan. It is
				emphasized that all hazards to life and safety and all areas of noncompliance
				with applicable codes and regulations, shall be corrected as soon as possible
				in accordance with a plan of correction.
Added at 12 Ok Reg 1555,
				  eff 4-12-95 (emergency); Added at 12 Ok Reg 2429, eff 6-26-95; Amended at 20 Ok
				  Reg 1664, eff 6-12-03