Pennsylvania Code › Title 34 - LABOR AND INDUSTRY › Part I - Department of Labor and Industry › Chapter 49 - ADMINISTRATION-BUILDINGS › Section 49.1 - 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.
This section cited in 34 Pa. Code §
											51.72 (relating to automatic
					 sprinkler systems); 34 Pa. Code §
											52.72 (relating to automatic
					 sprinkler systems); and 34 Pa. Code §
											58.72 (relating to automatic
					 sprinkler systems); and 34 Pa. Code §
											60.1 (relating to
					 definitions).