Cut Sheet

6'
Perimeter
7.5' Height
Patient Care Areas
As defined in NFPA 99 – 2012 Edition
Patient Care Vicinity
(Depicted at right) A space, within a location intended for
examination and treatment of patients, extending 6 feet (1.8 m)
beyond the normal location of the bed, chair, table, treadmill, or
other device that supports the patient during examination
and treatment and extending vertically 7.5 feet (2.3 m)
above the floor.
Patient Care Room
Any room of a health care facility wherein patients are intended
to be examined or treated.
Patient Care Rooms can be divided into several
categories:
n Basic Care Room
Room in which failure of equipment or a system
is not likely to cause injury or death of patients
or caregivers. This includes examination or
treatment rooms in clinics, medical and dental
oces, nursing homes, and limited care facilities.
This room is now classified as a Category 3 Space in NFPA 99 - 2015 Edition
n General Care Room
Room in which failure of equipment or a system is likely to
cause minor injury or death of patients or caregivers. This
includes inpatient bedrooms, dialysis rooms, procedural
rooms, and similar rooms.
This room is now classified as a Category 2 Space in NFPA 99 - 2015 Edition
n Critical Care Room
Room in which failure of equipment or a system is likely
to cause major injury or death of patients or caregivers.
This includes rooms where patients are typically intended
to be subjected to invasive procedures and are connected
to line-operated, patient care related appliances.
Examples are intensive care or critical care rooms,
operating rooms, delivery rooms, trauma rooms
and similar rooms.
This room is now classified as a Category 1 Space in NFPA 99 - 2015 Edition
n Support Room
Room in which failure of equipment or a system
is not likely to have a physical impact on patients
or caregivers. This includes waiting rooms, utility
rooms, laboratories, morgues and similar rooms.
This room is now classified as a Category 4 Space in NFPA 99 - 2015 Edition