Operating Rooms - Emergency Lighting 1

[SparksRfun]

Is there any requirement in the NEC or NFPA 99 about emergency lighting percentage in operating rooms? Our practice has been to include 50% of the lighting on emergency power, 50% on normal power and 100% of medical task lighting on emergency power. (We also provide some lighting on battery power) Is this just a general practice or is it a requirement? Do people believe that 100% of the lighting in ORs should be on emergency power? or is 50/50 a safer bet?

SparksRfun

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you madder than a wet bobcat"

 

[dpc]

I can't imagine NOT putting 100% of operating room lights on the emergency power system. If you're short of generator kVA, I'd look for somewhere else to cut back. The battery powered lights as an adjunct are also a good idea.

I'm not sure about the current NFPA requirements.

 

[rbulsara]

I have a slightly different opinion, I would keep some lights on normal source (say even 20%). Putting all lights on one source is a bad idea, even emergency. A loss of one source or a switch or a panel shall not result in total darkness. That is the premise of the code requirement for emergency lighting.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[SparksRfun]

Here is a link to a Veterans Administration Design Guide that calls for 50% emergency, 50% normal and one fixture on battery backup. It's on page 4-7 paragraph 4.6.12. I've used VA design guides before as crib notes to determine best practices. I am not working in a VA facility, just looking over their shoulder to determine standard practices. Wish it cited codes.

http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dManual/dmELhosp.pdf

SparksRfun

"The truth will set you free, but first it will make you madder than a wet bobcat"

 

[rbulsara]

Codes have no % (percentage) requirement. Nothing wrong with 50/50 philosophy, code wise.

Rafiq Bulsara

http://www.srengineersct.com

 

[davidbeach]

Certainly not more than 50% on any one transfer switch; even if all of it has generator supply.

 

[dpc]

I would agree with splitting between transfer switches if possible. But the 50% on utility power will be 100% OFF in an actual power outage. If the generator and xfer switches don't work, you're screwed anyway.

 

[DRWeig]

I was engineering director in a couple major-size hospitals -- almost 20 years ago though.

At the time, there was a JCAHO (Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) probe that required some percentage of OR lights to be on normal power only -- though you had the option of arranging a separate transfer switch to power them from the mechanical (not life safety, not critical) branch of the backup system as long as it was kept physically remote. It's taken from the VA guidelines I think.

Their thinking was to help insure separate physical conduit runs from multiple directions -- in the event of earthquake or civil unrest or other disaster that took out the emergency distribution, you'd still maybe have another intact set of wires heading to the operating room that could be used.

We put battery ballasts in all the fluorescents anyway. No limit on that stuff.

Good on y'all,

Goober Dave