Texas Administrative Code › Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES › Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES › Chapter 133 - HOSPITAL LICENSING › Subchapter I - PHYSICAL PLANT AND CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS › Section 133.164 - Elevators, Escalators, and Conveyors

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) General. All hospitals with two or more
				  floor levels shall have at least one electrical or electrical hydraulic
				  elevator. Elevators shall also give access to all building levels normally used
				  by the public. Escalators and conveyors are not required but, when provided,
				  shall comply with these requirements and the requirement of §18.3 of the
				  National Fire Protection Association 101, Life Safety Code, 2003 edition (NFPA
				  101), published by the National Fire Protection Association. All documents
				  published by the NFPA as referenced in this section may be obtained by writing
				  or calling the NFPA at the following address and telephone number: Post Office
				  Box 9101, 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, Massachusetts 02269-9101, (800)
				  344-3555.
(b) Requirements for new
				  elevators, escalators, and conveyors. New elevators, escalators and conveyors
				  shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of A17.1 Safety Code for
				  Elevators and Escalators, 2000 edition, published by the American Society of
				  Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the American National Standards Institute
				  (ANSI). All documents published by the ASME/ANSI as referenced in this section
				  may be obtained by writing the ANSI, United Engineering Center, 345 East 47th
				  Street, New York, N.Y.10017.
(1) Elevator
				  lobby. An elevator lobby shall be provided. The elevator lobby shall have at
				  least 10 feet of clear floor space in front of each elevator door.
(2) Elevator shaft openings. When elevator
				  shaft openings occur in a smoke compartment with patient sleeping rooms or
				  occur in a smoke compartment adjacent to the patient sleeping rooms, the
				  elevator shaft openings shall resist the passage of smoke by one of the
				  following means.
(A) Provide a lobby with
				  separation partitions to resist the passage of smoke from the means of egress.
				  When elevator lobby space extends into the egress corridor, the means of egress
				  from one side of the egress corridor through the lobby to the other side of the
				  egress corridor is not permitted during emergency conditions.
(B) Provide a mechanical means of exhausting
				  smoke from the elevator shaft. The smoke removal exhaust system for the
				  elevator shaft shall operate automatically upon the initiation of the
				  activation of the smoke detectors located in each elevator lobby, which also
				  initiates automatic recall of the elevator cabs to the designated level of
				  discharge. The activation of the smoke exhaust system shall provide a negative
				  pressure at each level.
(C) Provide
				  swinging doors that are held open by magnetic hold open devices and close the
				  doors at the elevator door opening upon activation of the fire alarm
				  system.
(D) Provide a horizontal
				  automated moving door like a "Won-Door" two feet or more from the elevator door
				  opening that will close automatically by the activation of the fire alarm
				  system and have emergency capabilities of opening and closing.
(E) The elevator shaft opening protection
				  shall not be required at the elevator main level of recall.
(3) Cars and doors.
(A) Cars of hospital type elevators for
				  patient transport shall not be less than five feet eight inches wide and not
				  less than eight feet six inches deep inside the cab.
(B) The car door opening shall be not less
				  than four feet wide and seven feet high.
(C) Elevator doors shall be B-labeled
				  one-hour fire protection rated doors in buildings less than four stories; and
				  one and one-half hour fire protection rated doors in buildings four or more
				  stories.
(4) Type of
				  controls and alarms. Elevator cab lighting, control, communication and signal
				  systems shall be connected in accordance with NFPA 99,
				  §4.4.2.2.2.2.
(5) Location.
				  Conveyors, elevators, dumbwaiters, and pneumatic conveyors serving various
				  stories of a building shall not open to an exit.
(6) Elevator machine rooms. Elevator machine
				  rooms that contain solid-state equipment for elevators having a travel distance
				  of more than 50 feet above the level of exit discharge or more than 30 feet
				  below the level of exit discharge shall be provided with independent
				  ventilation or air conditioning systems required to maintain temperature during
				  fire fighters' service operation for elevator operation. The operating
				  temperature shall be established by the elevator equipment manufacturer's
				  specifications and shall be posted in each such elevator machine room. When
				  standby power is connected to the elevator, the machine room ventilation or air
				  conditioning shall be connected to standby power.