Pennsylvania Code › Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Part I - Department of Labor and Industry › Chapter 50 - GENERAL REQUIREMENTS-BUILDINGS › MEANS OF EGRESS › Section 50.21 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter
					 and Chapters 50-59, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly
					 indicates otherwise:
Act
-The act of April 27, 1927 (P. L. 465,
					 No. 299) (35 P. S. §§
											1221-1235) referred to as the Fire and Panic
					 Act.
Addition
-An extension or enlargement of a
					 building.
Agriculture
-The art of cultivating the
					 soil, producing and harvesting crops and raising livestock.
Aisle
-The clear width and length of an
					 area which is provided for ingress or egress between rows of seats, or between
					 rows of seats and wall, or between desks, tables, counters, machines, or other
					 equipment or materials, or between such articles or materials and a
					 wall.
Alteration
-Any change, modification or
					 rearrangement of a building which affects this chapter and Chapters
					 50-59.
Apartment
-A room or suite of rooms with
					 sanitation facilities and with or without cooking facilities, and occupied as
					 the home or residence of a single family, individual or group of
					 individuals.
Approved
-Accepted by the Department.
					 Designs, equipment and devices which have been listed by Underwriters
					 Laboratories or approved by Factory Mutual or other testing laboratory accepted
					 by the Board which meets this chapter and Chapters 50-59 shall be considered
					 approved by the Department.
Attic
-An uninhabited space between the top
					 of the ceiling framing of the top habitable story and the roof framing and
					 walls constituting a part of the enclosure of the space.
Automatic closing device
-An approved
					 device attached to a door and frame which automatically causes a door to return
					 to the closed position.
Automatic fire alarm system
-A system
					 designed to detect products of combustion and provide automatic notification to
					 building occupants. It shall be composed of detection devices, alarms, power
					 source, wiring, control panel and other related components as necessary.
Automatic fire detection device for the
					 hearing-impaired
-A device designed to detect products of combustion
					 and provide automatic notification to hearing-impaired persons by visual
					 signals or other methods approved by the Department.
Balcony
-A floor level open to the floor
					 below. A floor level shall be considered a story when it exceeds 1/3 of the
					 area of the floor it is open to. A space enclosed with floor to ceiling
					 partitions shall be considered a story except for toilet facilities and
					 incidental rooms which are not occupied.
Basement
-A floor level completely below
					 grade or floor level in which more than 2/3 of the perimeter walls are below
					 grade. A wall shall be considered below grade where the dimension from the
					 first floor line to the finished grade is 5 feet or less, and the slope of the
					 finished grade extending 10 feet from the building walls does not exceed
					 30%.
Bearing wall
-A wall which supports a
					 vertical load in addition to its own weight.
Boiler room
-A room which houses one or
					 more boilers.
Building
-A structure used or intended for
					 supporting or sheltering a use or occupancy. Portions of a structure may be
					 considered separate buildings when the following conditions are met:
(i) Each portion is separated by 2-hour fire
				  walls.
(ii) Not less than 50% of
				  the required exits discharge directly to grade.
Combustible
-Capable of igniting and
					 continuing to burn or glow at or below a temperature of 1200°F.
Cubic content of a building
-The cubic
					 space as calculated by using the architectural volume of buildings, D101-1980
					 published by The American Institute of Architects.
Danger of imminent harm
-The existence of
					 conditions in buildings which are either so inadequately equipped with exit
					 facilities, so structurally unstable, so clearly unsuitable for the use or
					 occupancy to which it is put or was designed, or so inadequately maintained
					 that an immediate and clear probability of death or serious injury exists to
					 those employed, accomodated, housed, or assembled there in the case of fire or
					 panic.
Duct
-A tube, pipe, conduit or passageway
					 used to convey air, gases or vapors.
Elevator
-A car, cage or platform raised or
					 lowered vertically in permanent guides or rails, including the necessary
					 operating mechanism, used to transport persons or materials.
Emergency communications center
-A
					 consolidated communications dispatch center established by counties, or other
					 units of local government, for the reporting of police, fire, medical or other
					 emergency situations.
Escalator
-A moving continuous inclined
					 stairway or runway used for raising or lowering persons.
Exit
-That portion of a means of egress
					 which is separated from other spaces of the building or structure by
					 construction or equipment as required to provide a way of travel to the exit
					 discharge.
Exit access
-The portion of a means of
					 egress which leads to an exit.
Exit discharge
-The portion of a means of
					 egress between the termination of an exit and a safe area of refuge outside of
					 the building or structure which has direct access to a public street or
					 thoroughfare or an open area with unrestricted access to a public street or
					 thoroughfare.
Farm building
-A building used for the
					 production or storage, or both, of agricultural products, or used in the
					 storage of farm equipment.
Fire alarm system
-See "manual fire alarm
					 system."
Fire damper
-An automatic self-closing
					 noncombustible barrier designed to prevent the passage of air, gases, smoke or
					 fire through an opening, duct or plenum chamber.
Fire door assembly
-An assembly of
					 components which includes doors, frames, latches, self-closing devices and
					 other appropriate hardware which has been given an assembly rating by an
					 approved testing agency. The assembly rating is void when any of the required
					 components are omitted or altered.
Fire exit hardware
-A device designed to
					 provide quick release of a door. The device shall be listed for panic release
					 and labeled fire doors.
Fire partition
-An interior partition
					 having a minimum 1-hour fireresistive rating. Fire partitions are intended to
					 restrict the spread of fire but are not necessarily continuous through stories
					 nor extended through the roof. Openings shall be protected by at least a
					 3/4-hour C label door assembly.
Fireresistive construction
-The type of
					 construction in which the walls, floors, roof and structural members are steel,
					 iron, masonry, concrete or other noncombustible materials meeting all of the
					 requirements of §
										50.11(a)
					 (relating to construction tables).
Fireresistive rating
-The time in hours
					 that material or construction will withstand fire exposure as determined by a
					 fire test made in conformity with the "Standard Methods of Fire Tests of
					 Building Construction and Materials." (ASTM E119).
Fire-retardant treated wood
-
(i) A wood product treated by an approved
				  pressure process to meet the standards of ASTM test designation E-84 Standard
				  Test Method for Surface Burning Characteristics of Building Materials, to have
				  a flamespread classification of 25 or less and to show no evidence of
				  significant progressive combustion when the test is continued for 30 minutes.
				  The flame front shall not progress more than 10 1/2 feet beyond the center line
				  of the burners at any time during the test.
(ii) Fire-retardant wood products shall bear
				  identification showing the fire hazard classification thereof issued by an
				  approved agency having a re-examination service.
(iii) Where fire-retardant treated wood
				  products are to be subjected to sustained high humidity or exposed to weather,
				  they shall be further identified as to indicate that there is no increase in
				  the listed flamespread classification as defined in this section when subjected
				  to ASTM D2898 Standards Methods for Accelerated Weathering of Fire-Retardant
				  Treated Wood for Fire Testing.
(iv)
				  Subsequent to treatment, fire-retardant treated lumber and plywood shall be
				  dried to a moisture content of 19% or less for lumber and 15% or less for
				  plywood.
Firestopping
-A barrier designed to retard
					 the spread of fire in concealed spaces which contain combustible construction,
					 such as attics, walls, partitions, floor framing and spaces above
					 ceilings.
Fire wall
-A wall constructed of
					 noncombustible materials having a 2-hour or greater fireresistive rating and
					 adequate structural stability to restrict the spread of fire. Openings shall be
					 protected by rated label door assemblies appropriate for the hourly
					 fireresistive rating of the wall. Fire walls shall extend to the underside of
					 the roof sheathing.
Flame spread rating
-The measurement of
					 flame spread on a surface as determined by tests conducted in conformity with
					 NFPA 255, 1979.
Floor area
-The surface area included
					 within surrounding walls of a building, except vent shafts, elevator shafts,
					 courts, fire towers and the like.
General alarm
-An alarm condition that is
					 signaled throughout the building or a fire zone of a structure.
Heat detector
-A device which detects
					 abnormally high temperature or rate-of-temperature rise.
High rise building
-A building that has an
					 exterior face which exceeds 75 feet when measured from ground level to five
					 feet above the highest occupiable floor level.
Historic building
-A building or structure
					 listed as an historic building or structure by the Historic and Museum
					 Commission.
Horizontal exit
-A passageway through a
					 2-hour fire wall from one structure or building to another structure or
					 building, or area of refuge within the same building.
Imminent harm
-See "danger of imminent
					 harm."
Initiating device
-A device that is capable
					 of being operated manually or automatically for the purpose of reporting alarms
					 to building occupants.
Intercommunicating stairway
-A stairway
					 which connects two or more floor levels of a building. It may be open to one
					 floor level. It is not required to discharge directly to grade.
Interior finish
-The exposed interior
					 surfaces of a building. Paint, wallpaper not more than 1/28 inch thick, and
					 similar wall finishes having no greater fire hazard than wallpaper shall not be
					 considered interior finishes.
Label
-An identifying mark or symbol
					 attached to equipment or materials listing the approved organization that
					 maintains periodic inspection of production to insure compliance with
					 appropriate standards or performance.
Large personal care home
-See "personal
					 care home."
Listed
-Equipment or materials included in
					 a list published by approved organizations concerned with product evaluation.
					 The listing states either that the equipment or material meets appropriate
					 standards or has been tested and found suitable for use in specified
					 manner.
Living unit
-A suite of rooms with
					 sanitation facilities, cooking facilities and common living areas which are
					 used as a home, residence or temporary lodging.
Manual fire alarm system
-A system that
					 consists of manual pull stations, signaling devices, power source, control
					 panel and other related components which is designed to provide notification to
					 all building occupants.
Means of egress
-A continuous and
					 unobstructed way of travel from any point in a building or structure to a safe
					 area of refuge outside of the building or structure.
Mezzanine
-A floor level open to the floor
					 below. A floor level shall be considered a story when it exceeds 1/3 of the
					 area of the floor it is open to. A space enclosed with floor to ceiling
					 partitions shall be considered a story except for toilet facilities and
					 incidental rooms which are not occupied.
Noncombustible
-Incapable of igniting and
					 continuing to burn or glow at or below a temperature of 1200°F.
Noncombustible construction
-The type of
					 construction in which all structural members including walls, floors, roofs and
					 their supports are steel, iron, masonry, concrete or other noncombustible
					 materials having a minimum fireresistive rating as indicated in §
					 50.11(b).
Ordinary construction
-The type of
					 construction in which the exterior walls are of masonry, concrete or other
					 noncombustible material meeting § 50.11(c).
Panic hardware
-A device designed to
					 provide quick release of an exit door. Panic hardware shall not be used on
					 doors which are required to be a part of a fire door assembly such as stair
					 tower doors.
Penthouse
-A structure built above a roof.
					 The use is limited to the housing of machinery, mechanical equipment and
					 stairways. A penthouse shall not be construed as being a story.
Personal care home
-A premise that is
					 approved and licensed as a personal care boarding home by the Department of
					 Public Welfare in which food, shelter and personal assistance or supervision
					 are provided for a period exceeding 24 hours for four or more residents who are
					 not relatives of the operator or owner and who require assistance or
					 supervision in such matters as dressing, bathing, diet or medication prescribed
					 for self-administration. Personal care homes shall be separated into small
					 personal care homes (four through eight residents) and large personal care
					 homes (nine or more residents).
Presignal alarm
-An alarm which only causes
					 selected signalling units to operate in designated areas.
Protected heavy timber construction
-The
					 type of construction in which the exterior walls, floors, roof and structural
					 members are of masonry, reinforced concrete or other approved noncombustible
					 materials and heavy timber members of minimum nominal sizes specified in §
					 50.11(c).
Remodeled
-See "alteration."
Resident
-A person, unrelated to the owner
					 or operator, who resides in a facility in return for consideration.
Revision
-Changes to an open plan approval
					 which does not add square footage or cubic footage to a building.
Selective coded
-An alarm system in which
					 each initiating device causes the signalling units to operate a specific number
					 of preprogrammed pulses that is indicative of the device that caused the alarm.
					 Each alarm initiating device has its own code.
Self-closing doors
-Doors which, when
					 opened and released, return to the closed position.
Shaft
-A vertical opening or passage
					 through one or more floors of a building, or through a floor and the
					 roof.
Single-station detection device
-A device
					 capable of detecting products of combustion and providing an alarm to occupants
					 which is not interconnected or linked by wiring or wireless communication with
					 other detection devices or a building fire alarm system.
Small personal care home
-See "personal
					 care home."
Smoke barrier
-A partition or wall with
					 self-closing doors, constructed in a manner which will retard the passage of
					 smoke.
Smoke detector
-A device which detects the
					 visible or invisible particles of combustion.
Stage
-A partially enclosed portion of
					 building which is designed or used for the presentation of plays,
					 demonstrations or other entertainment wherein scenery, drops or other effects
					 may be installed or used, and where the distance between the top of the
					 proscenium opening and the ceiling of the stage is more than 5 feet.
Stair tower
-A stairway which is separated
					 from all floors or areas of a building by construction having a fire-resistive
					 rating. Stair towers shall include all vertical and horizontal travel required
					 to lead to grade by an exit discharge.
Stairway
-One or more flights of stairs and
					 the necessary landings and platforms connecting them to form a continuous and
					 uninterrupted passage from one floor to another.
Standpipe
-A wet or dry fire line in a
					 general vertical position installed exclusively for fire fighting, extending to
					 each story of a building and having a hose outlet in each story.
Story
-The portion of a building which is
					 between one floor level and the next higher floor level or roof. If a mezzanine
					 or balcony floor area exceeds 1/3 of the area of the floor it is open to, it
					 shall be considered a story. Floor levels meeting the definition of basement,
					 attic or penthouse shall not be considered stories.
Supervised
-Electronic monitoring to
					 determine the functional condition of a system.
Teletypewriter
-A device, also referred to
					 as a telecommunications device for the deaf, or TDD, resembling a typewriter
					 that is used to send and receive telephone signals and which permits telephone
					 communication with deaf persons.
Veneered wall
-A wall having a non load
					 bearing facing of masonry or other materials securely attached to the backing
					 but not bonded so as to exert a common reaction under load.
Winders
-See "winding stair."
Winding stair
-A stair where the angle
					 between the longitudinal edges or sides of the tread exceeds 10 degrees.
Wood frame construction
-The type of
					 construction in which the structural parts and materials are of wood or are
					 dependent upon wood frame for support; the term also includes construction
					 having a noncombustible exterior veneer.
Zone coded
-An alarm system in which each
					 initiating device in a general area is connected as a single zone. When any one
					 of the devices is actuated, signalling units operate a specific number of
					 preprogrammed pulses that is indicative of the general area or zone the alarm
					 was initiated in.