Section 325.21306. Interior construction.

Rule 1306. (1) A building shall be of safe construction and shall be free from hazards to patients, personnel, and visitors.

(2)   A part of a building in use as a home shall not be used for any purpose which interferes  with  the  care,  well-being,  and  safety  of patients, personnel, and visitors.

(3)   Each area of the home shall be provided with lighting commensurate with the use made of each area and in accord with generally recognized standards acceptable to the director.

(4)   A stairway or ramp shall have a handrail on both sides.

(5)    A room used for living or sleeping purposes shall have a minimum total window glass area on outside walls equal to 10% of the floor area of the room. Forty-five percent of this window glass area shall be openable, unless the room is artificially ventilated.

(6)   Each area of the home shall be provided with a type and amount of ventilation commensurate with its use to  minimize  the  occurrence  of transmissible disease, control odors, and contribute to comfort.

(7)   A patient room shall open to a corridor, lobby, or dayroom. Traffic to and from any room shall not be through a sleeping room, kitchen, bathroom, utility room, toilet room, or service room, except where a utility room, toilet room, or bathroom opens directly off the room or rooms which it serves.

(8)   A doorway, passageway, corridor, hallway, or stairwell shall be kept free from obstructions at all times.

(9)    A floor, wall, or ceiling shall be covered and finished in a manner that will permit maintenance of a sanitary environment.

(10)   A basement shall be of such construction that it can be maintained in a dry and sanitary condition.

(11)   A minimum of 20 square feet of floor space per patient bed shall be provided for dayroom, dining, recreation, and activity purposes.

(12)    All occupied rooms shall have a minimum ceiling height of 7 feet, 6 inches. Floor area under a part of a drop or slant ceiling which is less than 7 feet, 6 inches from the floor shall not be used in computing the dayroom, dining, recreation, and activity space per patient bed.

(13)    A basement or cellar shall not be used for  sleeping  or  living facilities, except that recreation and activity space may be provided in a basement in addition to dayroom, dining, recreation,  and  activity  space required in subrule (11) of this rule.

(14)   A handrail shall be provided in a corridor used by patients.

(15)   A room or compartment housing a water closet shall have a minimum width of 3 feet.

(16)       Emergency    electrical   service,   at    a   minimum,      shall     provide battery- operated lighting units sufficient to light corridors, exits, and nursing stations.

(17)    Functionally separate living, sleeping, dining, lavatory, water closet, and bathing accommodations shall be provided for personnel and members of their families who live on the premises.

(18)   A new construction, addition, major  change,  or  conversion   after August 22, 1969, shall provide all of the following:

(a)    A sleeping, day, dining, recreation, or activity room with a minimum ceiling height of 8 feet.

(b)    Twenty feet of unobstructed vision space outside of any window in a room requiring windows. One additional foot shall be added to the minimum distance of 20 feet for each 2-foot rise above the first story up to a maximum of 40 feet of required unobstructed space.

(c)    A minimum of 30 square feet of floor space per bed in any room   used for dayroom, dining, recreation, and activity purposes.

(d)  A handrail with ends returned  to   the  wall  on  both  sides   of  a corridor, ramp, or stairway used by patients.

History: 1981 AACS; 1983 AACS.