ASHE Healthcare Facility Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, what is the minimum corridor width required in a healthcare occupancy?
- 6 feet
- 8 feet (Correct answer)
- 10 feet
- 4 feet
Correct answer: 8 feet
NFPA 101 requires a minimum corridor width of 8 feet (96 inches) in healthcare occupancies to allow for patient movement and evacuation.
Question 2: Which category of Interim Life Safety Measures (ILSMs) is required when a fire alarm system is impaired for more than 4 hours in a 24-hour period?
- Category 1 – Notify the AHJ only
- Category 2 – Conduct daily inspections
- Category 3 – Establish a fire watch (Correct answer)
- Category 4 – Evacuate the building
Correct answer: Category 3 – Establish a fire watch
When a fire alarm system is out of service for more than 4 hours in a 24-hour period, a fire watch must be established as an ILSM.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a Healthcare Occupancy Risk Assessment (HORA) in the context of construction projects?
- To estimate construction costs
- To evaluate infection control risks only
- To assess patient safety risks from construction and renovation activities (Correct answer)
- To determine staffing levels during construction
Correct answer: To assess patient safety risks from construction and renovation activities
A HORA evaluates risks to patient safety arising from construction and renovation, informing the Infection Control Risk Assessment (ICRA) and other safety measures.
Question 4: In a healthcare facility, which door hardware is required on cross-corridor doors in a smoke compartment barrier?
- Panic hardware with delayed egress
- Self-closing and positive-latching hardware (Correct answer)
- Electromagnetic hold-open devices only
- Standard push-pull hardware with no latch
Correct answer: Self-closing and positive-latching hardware
Smoke barrier doors must be self-closing and positive-latching to ensure they reliably close and seal against smoke spread.
Question 5: According to The Joint Commission Environment of Care standards, how often must hospitals conduct fire drills in patient sleeping areas?
- Monthly on each shift
- Quarterly on each shift (Correct answer)
- Annually on each shift
- Semi-annually on each shift
Correct answer: Quarterly on each shift
TJC requires fire drills to be conducted quarterly on each shift in areas where patients sleep to ensure staff preparedness.
Question 6: What is the maximum travel distance to a fire extinguisher in a healthcare occupancy with Class B hazards?
- 75 feet
- 50 feet (Correct answer)
- 100 feet
- 30 feet
Correct answer: 50 feet
NFPA 10 limits travel distance to a portable fire extinguisher to 50 feet for Class B (flammable liquid) hazards in healthcare settings.
Question 7: Which ASHRAE standard governs ventilation requirements for healthcare facilities including pressure relationships between rooms?
- ASHRAE 55
- ASHRAE 90.1
- ASHRAE 170 (Correct answer)
- ASHRAE 62.1
Correct answer: ASHRAE 170
ASHRAE 170 (Ventilation of Health Care Facilities) specifies air change rates, pressure relationships, filtration, and temperature/humidity for healthcare spaces.
ASHE Healthcare Facility Safety 2
Under NFPA 101 Life Safety Code, what is the minimum corridor width required in a healthcare occupancy?