Electrical Outlet Marking

Is circuit labeling required on all electrical outlets, or just emergency power?  And is this required in the entire facility or just patient care areas?  Where is the code reference?

Circuit labeling is required on all emergency power electrical outlets for the entire facility.

Here are 2 partial excerpts from NFPA 70-1999.  Note the underlined portion at the end of paragraph 517-19(a).  There is no similar requirement in paragraph 517.18(a) for General Care Areas.

517-18. General Care Areas.

(a) Patient Bed Location. Each patient bed location shall be supplied by at least two branch circuits, one from the emergency system and one from the normal system. All branch circuits from the normal system shall originate in the same panelboard.

Exception No. 1: Branch circuits serving only special-purpose outlets or receptacles, such as portable X-ray outlets, shall not be required to be served from the same distribution panel or panels.

Exception No. 2: Requirements of Section 517-18(a) shall not apply to patient bed locations in clinics, medical and dental offices, and outpatient facilities; psychiatric, substance abuse, and rehabilitation hospitals; sleeping rooms: of nursing homes and limited care facilities meeting the

requirements of Section 517-10(b)(2).

Exception No. 3: A general care patient bed location served from two separate transfer switches on the emergency system shall not be required to have circuits from the normal system.

517-19. Critical Care Areas.

(a)  Patient Bed Location Branch Circuits. Each patient bed location shall be supplied by at least two branch circuits, one or more from the emergency system and one or more circuits from the normal system. At least one branch circuit from the emergency system shall supply an outlet(s) only at that bed location. All branch circuits from the normal system shall be from a single panelboard. Emergency system receptacles shall be identified and shall also indicate the panelboard and circuit number supplying them.

Exception No. 1: Branch circuits serving only special purpose receptacles or equipment in critical care areas shall be permitted to be served by other panelboards.

Exception No. 2: Critical care locations served from two separate transfer switches on the emergency system shall not be required to have circuits from the normal system.

  

Here is a partial excerpt from the 2010 FGI Guidelines FOR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION of Health Care Facilities:

2.1-8.3.6.3 Emergency system receptacles. Electrical receptacle cover plates or electrical receptacles supplied from the emergency systems shall be distinctively col­ored or marked for identification. If color is used for identification purposes, the same color shall be used throughout the facility.