Non-Rated Protective Plates

Where can protective plates be used in the hospital?


For fire doors, NFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and Fire Windows states, “Protective plates are usually utilitarian in nature and are used to provide additional resistance to wear or impact.” Protective materials applied to the face of a door are generally made of approximately 0.05-inch thick brass, bronze, aluminum, or stainless steel or 1/8-inch thick laminated plastic applied on one or both door faces and located within the lower 16 inches of the door. Plates above this height could affect the fire performance of the door but may be permitted to be used if tested and/or approved as part of the fire-rated assembly. Fire doors ≥ ¾-hour Fire Resistance Rating Assembly must be free of nonrated protective plates which extend > 16 inches above the bottom of the door. Exception: Doors in rated enclosures of hazardous areas are permitted to have non-rated, factory- or field-applied protective plates extending not more than 48 inches above the bottom of the doors. However, this exception is not extended to doors in hazardous areas of new health care occupancies.

For corridor and smoke barrier doors, per The Joint Commission’s Statement of Conditions™ and NFPA 101® Life Safety Code® , corridor doors and doors in smoke barriers of existing health care occupancies must be free of non-rated, factory- or field-applied protective plates > 48 inches above the bottom of the door. In new and existing ambulatory health care occupancies, the protective plates on fire doors ≥ ¾-hour Fire Resistance Rating Assembly must be free of nonrated protective plates which extend > 16 inches above the bottom of the door, without exception.