NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 50

In Compliance The Experts
SELECTIONS FROM RECENT
BLOGS ON CODES AND
STANDARDS BY NFPA STAFF
Christopher Coache, a senior electrical engineer
at NFPA, on requirements in NFPA 70E*, Standard
for Electrical Safety in the Workplace*, for working
on batteries and battery rooms:
Working around batteries can expose an employee
to both electrical shock and arc flash hazards. A person's
body might react to contact with DC voltage
differently than from contact with AC voltage. Batteries
can also expose employees to hazards associated
with the chemical electrolyte used in the devices.
Battery charging can sometimes generate flammable
gases, so it is important for employees to avoid
anything that could cause open flames or sparks.
are involved, could be disastrous in the event of a
fire or other emergency. The provisions in NFPA 101
have attempted to balance the objective of free and
unobstructed egress while maintaining features that
are essential to security within the building.
When providing egress door locking arrangements,
pay careful attention to the details for how to
achieve the door locking safely, as well as when and
where these locking arrangements are permitted.
It is not a one-size-fits-all installation. Many permissions
to lock doors are dependent on the type of
occupancy and the location of the door within the
building. Where locked doors are permitted, additional
requirements are often mandated
to achieve an equivalent level of life
safety as if the means of egress did not
contain locked doors.
Valerie Ziavras, technical services
engineer at NFPA, on what to do when
codes and standards have differing
occupancy classifications:
One of the most critical steps in applying
NPPA 101 and other building and
fire codes to a space is identifying the
correct occupancy classification.
The occupancy classification drives
the requirements for many different fire
and life safety features. These requirements
reflect the unique and expected
characteristics of the anticipated occupants
of that space, such as capability
of self-preservation, familiarity with the
space, age, and alertness. Improperly
classifying a building or space runs the
risk of over- or under-applying necessary
code requirements, which can result
in buildings that lack fire and life safety
features or that contain additional fire
Employers must consider exposure to these types
Read full
versions of
these posts
and many
more by
NFPA staff
at nfpa.org/
blogs
of hazards when developing safe work practices and
selecting personal protective equipment. That is
where NFPA 70E's Article 320, Safety Requirements
Related to Batteries and Battery Rooms, comes in.
The electrical safety requirements contained in that
article, in addition to the rest of NFPA 70E, are for
the practical safeguarding of employees while working
with exposed stationary storage batteries that
exceed 50 volts.
Kristen Bigda, technical lead and principal fire
protection engineer at NFPA, on how NFPA 101*,
Life Safety Code*, balances fire safety and security
with its door egress requirements:
An unfortunate uptick in hostile events and similar
threats has increased the presence of security features
on door assemblies to prevent unwanted entry.
This added security, particularly where door
assemblies to exit stairs and main egress routes
50 | NFPA JOURNAL * FALL 2021
and life safety features not required by the code.
While the majority of the NFPA-developed codes
and standards use occupancy classifications
consistent with NFPA 101, including NFPA 5000®
Building Construction and Safety Code®
, other
organizations' codes and standards may differ. This
can create challenges for designers when multiple
codes and standards are applicable and enforced in
a jurisdiction. One of the more common scenarios
is when both the International Building Code and
NFPA 101 apply.
The application of occupancy classifications
between different organizations' codes and standards
is not always straightforward. Therefore, when
working with multiple codes, you must consider the
specific building and the occupant characteristics
of that space. Since different occupant thresholds
and occupant characteristics are used for different
organizations' codes and standards, you can't always
generalize how the occupancy classifications align.
,
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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