Hi Monique:

 

It depends on the construction of the space.  If the space has full-height walls, fire-resistive walls and doors, then the space could be considered a control area - a lab room or suite.  If the space is not constructed in that way or if the building was built before the control area was developed in the Code, then the Authority Having Jurisdiction has to make a judgement about what constitutes a control area, based on construction and the like.  Default is a building floor.  We recently were able to divide one floor into two control areas by the addition of a fire door between two halves of the floor.

 

The concept of a "laboratory suite" is a relatively new (20 years is new) development in the Fire Code - H Occupancy (thank California for this one).  Limited to 10,000 sq ft, with fire resistive wall construction, fire-rated door assembly, monolithic and sealed flooring, full-height walls, and no penetrations out of the suite, fire sprinklers - the Maximum Allowable Quantities are pretty generous because the lab suite is the control area.  As you might imagine, it's expensive to construct but really flexible as to lab activities and chemical load in the suite.  For a B occupancy, the MAQs are lower and control areas are typically a building floor.  As you go higher in the building (or further below grade for multiple basements), the MAQs get really strict, until it's virtually impossible to do chemistry in a high-rise building (ask UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco about those challenges).

 

This is based on California Fire Code, where the code is based on the ICBO model code - not NFPA.  Your mileage with NFPA may differ.

 

Does this help?

 

Debbie

 

Debbie M. Decker, CCHO, ACS Fellow

Past Chair, Division of Chemical Health and Safety

Councilor and Programming Co-Chair

University of California, Davis

(530)754-7964

(530)304-6728

dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu

 

Birkett's hypothesis: "Any chemical reaction

that proceeds smoothly under normal conditions,

can proceed violently in the presence of an idiot."

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU> On Behalf Of Monique Wilhelm
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2019 12:44 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Fire Code Help

 

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