dental office

[pak]

Would a dental office be considerd ahealth care facilties? If so would it then be required to use the wiring methods for a patient care area .Thanks for any input.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Re: dental office

See 517.2.

Health Care Facilities. Buildings or portions of buildings in which medical, dental, psychiatric, nursing, obstetrical, or surgical care are provided. Health care facilities include, but are not limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, limited care facilities, clinics, medical and dental offices, and ambulatory care centers, whether permanent or movable.
Patient Care Area. Any portion of a health care facility wherein patients are intended to be examined or treated. Areas of a health care facility in which patient care is administered are classified as general care areas or critical care areas, either of which may be classified as a wet location. The governing body of the facility designates these areas in accordance with the type of patient care anticipated and with the following definitions of the area classification.

Don

[ October 02, 2003, 10:47 AM: Message edited by: don_resqcapt19 ]

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

A dental office is a health care facility, but it is doubtful that any of the medical examinations or procedures would qualify for special wiring methods.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Re: dental office

Bennie,
The area where the actual dental work is done is a patient care area and the wiring must comply with 517.13.
Don

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

Don:
Dental patient care does not use electrical examining, diagnostic, or treatment equipment.

 

[tonyi]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by bennie:
Don:
Dental patient care does not use electrical examining, diagnostic, or treatment equipment.

What are X-RAY equipment, high powered lights, electrically operated chairs, etc then? Decorations?

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

The equipment you mention is not in the classification requiring special wiring. This equipment is not used for any contact with the patient.

 

[racraft]

Re: dental office

Bennie,

Parhaps you have not been to a dentist in a while. One sits in an electrically operated chair. One has an x-ray machine touching or almost touching one's face. On occasion an electrically operated penlight is inserted into the mouth.

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

Why would the equipment be dangerous in a dental office, when it is not a hazard in your home.

Does the body resistance go down when the is mouth open?

Does anyone know why the rule for a redundant ground system for patient care areas?

What is the criterion for qualifying for a redundant ground?

[ October 02, 2003, 01:23 PM: Message edited by: bennie ]

 

[dereckbc]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by bennie:
Does the body resistance go down when the mouth is open?

Maybe not with the mouth open, but if you have an infection or otherwise sick, yes the body resistance drops dramatically

 

[tonyi]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by bennie:
Why would the equipment be dangerous in a dental office, when it is not a hazard in your home.

I got all sorts of gear around my place, but an X-ray machine is one thing clearly lacking in the inventory. No electrically operated chairs here either...and I'm [normally] in an un-anethetized condition and able to fend for myself.

You need to review 517.2, specifically the definition of "patient care area", then flip to 517.13 What precisely is the dentist's chair room if not a patient care area then?

If there's nitrous (or other flamable anethestics), then you can also have hazardous Class 1 Div 1 location, and with all the use of water I'd argue it could be a "wet" patient care location as well.

 

[roger]

Re: dental office

Tony, Nitrous is not flammable and I would be curious as to where (besides third world countries) flammable anesthesia is still being used. The Grounding System test criteria for patient care areas and ansthesia areas O.R.'s as outlined in NFPA 99 4.3.3.1 would reflect this.

Roger

[ October 02, 2003, 05:41 PM: Message edited by: roger ]

 

[tonyi]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by roger:
Tony, Nitrous is not flammable and I would be curious as to where (besides third world countries) flammable anesthesia is still being used. The Grounding System test criteria for patient care areas and ansthesia areas O.R.'s as outlined in NFPA 99 4.3.3.1 would reflect this.

Roger

OSHA considers Nitrous "flammable" and requires special handling procedures. Technically IT doesn't "burn", but from a practical POV, any powerful oxidizer is just as dangerous as something that is technically flammable when in the presense of something that can burn (like your cloths perhaps?). There's three dead Apollo era astronauts who died in a flash fire in a pure O2 environment who'd testify to this.

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

The areas of a health care facility must be identified for the type of diagnostic, or treatment procedure to be used.

The use determines the wiring methods required.

Unless there is physical contact with an electrical device, that can produce a lethal circuit, no special wiring method is required.

No one is going to be injured in this type of an electric chair, from sitting in it.

The redundant grounding is a requirement for diagnostic equipment that require sensors attached to the body, and also the test reference for isolated systems.

 

[roger]

Re: dental office

Tony,

OSHA considers Nitrous "flammable" and requires special handling procedures.

that still doesn't change the fact that it isn't "flammable" or the way NFPA 99 considers rooms in a "health care facility".

All do respect to the astronauts and their families, what does

There's three dead Apollo era astronauts who died in a flash fire in a pure O2 environment who'd testify to this.

have to do with this conversation? Pure oxygen is never the "enviroment" in an Operating Theater, it is confined to a Med Gas delivery system. (note confined as in a pipe and mask)

Roger

[ October 02, 2003, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: roger ]

 

[tonyi]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by bennie:
Unless there is physical contact with an electrical device, that can produce a lethal circuit, no special wiring method is required.

You need to read it again. You're confusing critical care with general care. In any case, BOTH are instances of "patient care" areas. 517.13 makes no special distinction between critical or general care, BOTH require special methods.

 

[bennie]

Re: dental office

I also read 517.11

 

[tonyi]

Re: dental office

Originally posted by bennie:
I also read 517.11

Alas, I see no exceptions there, just a bunch of motherhood and apple pie type language.