The Life Safety Code, NFPA 101, has just been updated and the new 2018 Edition is available from Document Center Inc. now. You can purchase your copy either in softcopy format or for pdf download. This is one of the most important Codes that NFPA produces. It provides requirements for occupant fire safety throughout the life of a building. The new 2018 Edition contains major changes and an expanded scope.
What are the areas the NFPA 101 addresses? Egress, sprinklers, alarms, emergency lighting, smoke barriers, special hazard protection and other concerns are all included in this Code. So it is appropriate for use both by architects and engineers during the design phase and by building owners and managers during the occupancy phase. Other facilities professionals like hospital administrators should also use this standard.
The new Code has been expanded to include hazardous materials emergencies, injuries from falls, and emergency communications. It continues to be applicable in situations where new materials are being used. And it can be adapted for buildings that are being used in non-traditional ways.
NFPA has noted the following major changes for the 2018 NFPA 101:
- New requirements for hazardous materials protection of other than fire-related hazards (Chapter 8)
- A new reference to NFPA 4 for integrated fire protection and life safety system testing, and new provisions for risk analyses for mass notification systems (Chapter 9)
- Animal housing facilities added as special structures (Chapter 11)
- Added requirements for carbon-monoxide detection in new assembly occupancies and new residential board and care occupancies (Chapters 12 and 32)
- Added criteria for door locking to prevent unwanted entry in educational, day care, and business occupancies (Chapters 14-17, 38, and 39)
- A mandatory sprinkler requirement for all but very small new educational occupancies (Chapter 14)
- New provisions that permit health care and ambulatory health care smoke compartments up to 40,000 ft2 (3720 m2) in area (Chapters 18 and 19)
- Added requirements for bathtub and shower grab bars, which are then referenced by numerous occupancy chapters (Chapter 24)
- Added requirements for attic protection requirements that impact certain new hotels and dormitories and apartment buildings (Chapters 28 and 30)
- A new reference to NFPA 99 for medical gases in business occupancies (Chapters 38 and 39)
- A new Annex C that offers guidance on several NFPA hazardous materials standards to assist users with the new hazardous materials protection requirements
If you use the NFPA 101, you’ll want this new edition now. Purchase your copy from Document Center Inc., an authorized distributor of the NFPA standards. You can search for and order them at our webstore: www.document-center.com. Here is a link to the order page for the NFPA 101 for your convenience.
All purchases include our “best-in-class” notification service at no additional charge. Because this Code is updated on a three-year cycle, you’ll be informed in 2021 when the next edition is issued. Other Document Center services including reporting and monitoring, perfect for organizations with compliance requirements. To learn more, just get in contact with us. We can be reached by phone (650-591-7600) and email (info@document-center.com). Make us your Standards Experts!
