ar#cle’517’in’the’2011’and’2014’’...

Ar#cle 517 in the 2011 and 2014 Na#onal Electrical Code (NEC)

90.3 Code Arrangement

•  Introduc#on and nine chapters •  Table of Contents •  Ar#cles •  Parts •  Sec#ons •  Subsec#ons •  Paragraphs •  Index


•  This Code is divided into the introduc#on and nine chapters. Chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4 apply generally;

•  Chapters 5, 6, and 7 apply to special occupancies, special equipment, or other special condi#ons.


•  These laOer chapters supplement or modify the general rules.

•  Chapters 1 through 4 apply except as amended by Chapters 5, 6, and 7 for the par#cular condi#ons.


•  Chapter 8 covers communica#ons systems and is not subject to the requirements of Chapters 1 through 7 except where the requirements are specifically referenced in Chapter 8.

•  Chapter 9 consists of tables.

•  Material iden#fied by the superscript leOer “x” in the 1999 and previous Codes or bracketed references in the 2002 Code includes text extracted from other NFPA documents

Ar#cle 517-‐-‐Health Care Facili#es

517.1 Scope.

•  The provisions of this ar#cle shall apply to electrical construc#on and installa#on criteria in health care facili#es that provide services to human beings.

517.1 Scope.

•  The requirements in Parts II and III not only apply to single-‐func#on buildings

•  but are also intended to be individually applied to their respec#ve forms of occupancy within a mul#func#on building –  (e.g., a doctor’s examining room located within a limited care facility would be required to meet the provisions of 517.10).

517.1 Scope.

•  Informa#onal Note: For informa#on concerning performance, maintenance, and tes#ng criteria, refer to the appropriate health care facili#es documents.

517.2 Defini#ons for Health Care Facili#es

Health Care Facili#es.

•  Buildings or por#ons of buildings in which medical, dental, psychiatric, nursing, obstetrical, or surgical care are provided.

•  Health care facili#es include, but are not limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, limited care facili#es, clinics, medical and dental offices, and ambulatory care centers, whether permanent or movable.

Health Care Occupancy

517.2 Defini#ons (2011 NEC)

•  Cri#cal Branch. •  A subsystem of the emergency system consis#ng of feeders and branch circuits supplying energy to task illumina#on, special power circuits, and selected receptacles serving areas and func#ons related to pa#ent care and that are connected to alternate power sources by one or more transfer switches during interrup#on of normal power source. [99:3.3.26]


•  Cri#cal Branch. •  A system of feeders and branch circuits supplying power for task illumina#on, fixed equipment, select receptacles, and select power circuits serving areas and func#ons related to pa#ent care and that is automa#cally connected to alternate power sources by one or more transfer switches during interrup#on of normal power source. [99:3.3.30]


•  Life Safety Branch. •  A subsystem of the emergency system consis#ng of feeders and branch circuits, mee#ng the requirements of Ar#cle 700 and intended to provide adequate power needs to ensure safety to pa#ents and personnel, and that are automa#cally connected to alternate power sources during interrup#on of the normal power source. [99:3.3.96]


•  Life Safety Branch. •  A system of feeders and branch circuits supplying power for ligh:ng, receptacles, and equipment essen:al for life safety that is automa:cally connected to alternate power sources by one or more transfer switches during interrup:on of the normal power source. [99:3.3.94]


•  Equipment System.

•  A system of circuits and equipment arranged for delayed, automa#c, or manual connec#on to the alternate power source and that serves primarily 3-‐phase power equipment.


•  Equipment Branch. •  A system of feeders and branch circuits arranged for delayed, automa:c, or manual connec:on to the alternate power source and that serves primarily 3-‐phase power equipment. [99:3.3.46].


•  Pa#ent Care Space. Space within a health care facility wherein pa#ents are intended to be examined or treated.

–  Basic Care Space. Space in which failure of equipment or a system is not likely to cause injury to the pa#ents or caregivers but may cause pa#ent discomfort.

–  General Care Space. Space in which failure of equipment or a system is likely to cause minor injury to pa#ents or caregivers.

–  Cri0cal Care Space. Space in which failure of equipment or a system is likely to cause major injury or death to pa#ents or caregivers.


•  Support Space. Space in which failure of equipment or a system is not likely to have a physical impact on pa#ents or caregivers.

•  Informa#onal Note No. 1: The governing body of the facility designates pa#ent care space in accordance with the type of pa#ent care an#cipated and with the defini#ons of the area classifica#on.

•  Business offices, corridors, lounges, day rooms, dining rooms, or similar areas typically are not classified as pa#ent care space.


•  Informa#onal Note No. 2: Basic care space is typically a loca#on where basic medical or dental care, treatment, or examina#ons are performed.

•  Examples include, but are not limited to, examina#on or treatment rooms in clinics, medical and dental offices, nursing homes, and limited care facili#es.

•  Informa#onal Note No. 3: General care space includes areas such as pa#ent bedrooms, examining rooms, treatment rooms, clinics, and similar areas where the pa#ent may come into contact with electromedical devices or ordinary appliances such as a nurse call system, electric beds, examining lamps, telephones, and entertainment devices.


•  Informa#onal Note No. 4:

•  Cri#cal care space includes special care units, intensive care units, coronary care units, angiography laboratories, cardiac catheteriza#on laboratories, delivery rooms, opera#ng rooms, and similar areas in which are pa#ents are intended to be subjected to invasive procedures and are connected to line-‐operated, electromedical devices.


•  Informa#onal Note No. 5: Spaces where a procedure is performed that subjects pa#ents or staff to wet condi#ons are considered as wet procedure areas.

•  Wet condi#ons include standing fluids on the floor or drenching of the work area.

•  Rou#ne housekeeping procedures and incidental spillage of liquids do not define wet procedure areas.

•  It is the responsibility of the governing body of the health care facility to designate the wet procedure areas.


•  Pa#ent Care Vicinity. •  A space, within a loca#on intended for the examina#on and treatment of pa#ents, extending 1.8 m (6 j) beyond the normal loca#on of the pa#ent bed, chair, table, treadmill, or other device that supports the pa#ent during examina#on and treatment and extending ver#cally to 2.3 m (7 j 6 in.) above the floor. [99:3.3.139]


•  Wet Procedure Loca#on. The area in a pa#ent care space where a procedure is performed that is normally subject towet condi#ons while pa#ents are present, including standing fluids on the floor or drenching of the work area, where either such condi#on is in#mate to the pa#ent or staff.

•  Informa#onal Note: Rou#ne housekeeping procedures and incidental spillage of liquids do not define a wet procedure loca#on.

517.26 Applica#on of Other Ar#cles. (2011 NEC)

•  The essen#al electrical system shall meet the requirements of Ar#cle 700, except as amended by Ar#cle 517.

•  Informa#onal Note: The provisions of NFPA 110-‐2010, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems, should be considered when designing and installing essen#al electrical power supply systems.

517.26 Applica#on of Other Ar#cles. (2014 NEC)

•  The life safety branch of the essen#al electrical system shall meet the requirements of Ar#cle 700, except as amended by Ar#cle 517.

•  Informa#onal Note No. 1: For addi#onal informa#on, see NFPA 110-‐2013, Standard for Emergency and Standby Power Systems.

•  Informa#onal Note No. 2: For addi#onal informa#on, see 517.30 and NFPA 99-‐2012, Health Care Facili0es Code.

517.18 General Care Areas.(2014 NEC) •  (A) Pa#ent Bed Loca#on. Each pa#ent bed loca#on shall be supplied by at least two branch circuits, one from the cri#cal branch and one from the normal system.

•  All branch circuits from the normal system shall originate in the same panelboard.

•  The electrical receptacles or the cover plate for the electrical receptacles supplied from the cri#cal branch shall have a dis#nc#ve color or marking so as to be readily iden#fiable and shall also indicate the panelboard and branch-‐circuit number supplying them.

•  Branch circuits serving pa#ent bed loca#ons shall not be part of a mul#wire branch circuit.

517.18 General Care Areas. (2014 NEC) •  (B) Pa#ent Bed Loca#on Receptacles. •  Each pa#ent bed loca#on shall be provided with a minimum of eight receptacles.

•  They shall be permiOed to be of the single, duplex, or quadruplex type or any combina#on of the three.

•  All receptacles shall be listed “hospital grade” and shall be so iden#fied.

•  The grounding terminal of each receptacle shall be connected to an insulated copper equipment grounding conductor sized in accordance with Table 250.122.

517.19 Cri#cal Care Areas. (2014 NEC)

•  (B) Pa#ent Bed Loca#on Receptacles. •  (1) Minimum Number and Supply. Each pa#ent bed loca#on shall be provided with a minimum of 14 receptacles, at least one of which shall be connected to either of the following:

•  (1) The normal system branch circuit required in 517.19(A)

•  (2) A cri#cal branch circuit supplied by a different transfer switch than the other receptacles at the same pa#ent bed loca#on

517.19(C) Opera#ng Room Receptacles. (2014 NEC)

•  (1) Minimum Number and Supply. Each opera#ng room shall be provided with a minimum of 36 receptacles, at least 12 of which shall be connected to either of the following:

•  (1) The normal system branch circuit required in 517.19(A)

•  (2) A cri#cal branch circuit supplied by a different transfer switch than the other receptacles at the same loca#on

517.19(C) Opera#ng Room Receptacles. (2014 NEC)

•  (2) Receptacle Requirements. The receptacles required in C(517.19)(1) shall be permiOed to be of the single or duplex types or a combina#on of both.

•  All receptacles shall be listed hospital grade and so iden#fied.

•  The grounding terminal of each receptacle shallbe connected to the reference grounding point by means of an insulated copper equipment grounding conductor.

517.30 Essen#al Electrical Systems for Hospitals. (2014 NEC)

•  (B) General. •  (1) Separate Branches. Essen#al electrical systems for hospitals shall be comprised of three separate branches capable of supplying a limited amount of ligh#ng and power service that is considered essen#al for life safety and effec#ve hospital opera#on during the #me the normal electrical service is interrupted for any reason.

•  The three branches are life safety, cri#cal, and equipment.


•  (2) Transfer Switches. The number of transfer switches to be used shall be based on reliability, design, and load considera#ons.

•  Each branch of the essen#al electrical system shall have one or more transfer switches.

•  One transfer switch and downstream distribu#on system shall be permiOed to serve one or more branches in a facility with a maximum demand on the essen#al electrical system of 150 kVA.


•  (F) Feeders from Alternate Power Source.

•  A single feeder supplied by a local or remote alternate source shall be permiOed to supply the essen#al electrical system to the point at which the life safety, cri#cal, and equipment branches are separated.

•  Installa#on of the transfer equipment shall be permiOed at other than the loca#on of the alternate power source.


•  (G) Coordina#on. Overcurrent protec#ve devices serving the essen#al electrical system shall be coordinated for the period of #me that a fault’s dura#on extends beyond 0.1 second.

•  Excep0on No. 1: Between transformer primary and secondary overcurrent protec0ve devices, where only one overcurrent protec0ve device or set of overcurrent protec0ve devices exists on the transformer secondary.

•  Excep0on No. 2: Between overcurrent protec0ve devices of the same size (ampere ra0ng) in series.

•  Informa#onal Note: The terms coordina0on and coordinated as used in this sec#on do not cover the full range of overcurrent condi#ons.

ar#cle’517’in’the’2011’and’2014’’...

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