Compliance News: TJC Provides More Corridor Clutter Guidance

Compliance News:  TJC Provides More Corridor Clutter Guidance 

by David Stymiest, PE, CHFM, CHSP, FASHE 

  

TJC continued providing corridor clutter clarifications and expectations in the September 2012 edition of The Joint Commission Perspectives®, which is TJC’s official newsletter. In this issue TJC Department of Engineering Director George Mills followed up on his August 2012 column by addressing several additional issues including latching patient room doors, corridor walls, corridors and air supply, corridor projections. He also provided additional guidance related to the CMS waiver policy regarding certain provisions of the 2012 Life Safety Code.

Mr. Mills discussed the differences between the required patient room door latches and the self-closing or automatic closing devices that are not required for patient room doors. He discussed TJC’s expectation that accredited organizations are required to have in their fire response plans a process to ensure that patient room doors close and latch in a fire emergency. Because this requirement must be in the facility fire response plan, staff are accountable for checking patient room doors and closing the open ones during both fire drills and non-drill fire events.

Mr. Mills discussed Life Safety Code differences in corridor wall requirements between fully-sprinklered buildings and unsprinklered buildings. Basically, the article summarized the Life Safety Code provision that corridors walls in fully-sprinklered compartments are permitted to be non-fire-rated partitions and “shall be permitted to terminate at the ceiling where the ceiling is constructed to limit the transfer of smoke.” In unsprinklered buildings however Mr. Mills stated that the corridor wall should have a 30-minute fire rating and “walls that extend from the floor to the underside of the floor or roof above.” Of course as with any other fire rated partition, corridor walls in unsprinklered buildings would not be permitted to have unsealed penetrations.

The TJC Perspectives article also reminded accredited organizations that TJC does not allow corridors to be used as a part of an air supply, air return, or air plenum. This prohibition is based upon the concern that a corridor air flow usage such as that prohibited could also spread a fire.

We recommend that accredited organizations read the entire referenced TJC article since it contains additional information not presented here.