ICC posts proposal comments ahead of next committee action hearing

The International Code Council (ICC) posted the comments for its upcoming committee action hearing for the administrative, general and structural sections of the International Building Code (IBC) along with the International Existing Building Code (IEBC), the International Property Maintenance Code and the International Zoning Code. The ICC Committee on Healthcare (CHC) submitted comments on a total of 28 proposals.

ICC CHC proposals comments

Proposal comments submitted by the ICC CHC to the code committees include:

Sound transmission. Group I-2 occupancies, nursing homes and hospitals do not have rated corridors or unit separations. The ICC CHC proposal would eliminate the minimum requirement that calls for these facilities to extend the separate wall to the ceiling for sound transmission since several other cost-effective methods to reduce sound transmission exist. The ICC CHC comment to this proposal will establish requirements that state where these sound and impact ratings and testing are required as an alternative to an exception for nursing homes and hospitals.

Risk category classification realignment. Comments were submitted to three proposals to clarify the language of Risk Category IV facilities. The comments seek to return Group I-2 Condition 2 occupancies not having emergency surgery or emergency treatment facilities and Group I-2 Condition 1 occupancies with 50 or more care recipients to Risk Category III.

Clinical labs. This comment provides clarification to Proposal G87, which lays out the definition of  a clinical laboratory. This comment provides clarification on which clinical laboratories Proposal G87 applies to.

Guard height. This comment address concerns raised by the committee regarding a proposal to allow higher guards to be installed for patient safety around outdoor patient garden/exercise areas on a roof.

Assisted bathing (IEBC). This comment adds the definitions of assisted bathing and toileting to the IEBC per those approved within the IBC.

Code development participation

More details on these comments, along with all other comments submitted for the Group B cycle, have been posted to the ICC website. The committee action hearing #2 is scheduled for Oct. 22-30 in Clevland, Ohio.

If you are interested in participating in the ICC CHC’s efforts for testimony at the hearings or in the committee virtual sessions, please reach out to the ICC CHC Chair Jeff O’Neill, vice president of plant operations at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, or Jonathan Flannery, senior associate director of regulatory affairs at the American Society for Health Care Engineering. They can be reached at Jeffrey.ONeill@rwjbh.org and  Jflannery@aha.org.