R432-12-17. Heat and Noise Reduction

(1) Rooms containing heat producing equipment such as a furnace, heater, washer, or dryer shall be insulated and ventilated to prevent floors of overhead occupied areas and adjacent walls from exceeding a temperature of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees C) above the ambient room temperature of such occupied areas.

(2) Recreation rooms, exercise rooms, and similar spaces where impact noises may be generated may not be located directly over resident-bed areas unless special provisions are made to minimize such noise.

(3) Sound transmission limitations shall conform to Table 2.

TABLE 2

SOUND TRANSMISSION LIMITATIONS

IN LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES

                                       AIRBORNE SOUND

                                       TRANSMISSIONS

                                       Class (STC)(a)

                                    Partitions Floors

Residents' room to residents' room 35 40

Public space to residents' room(b) 40 40

Service areas to residents' room(c) 45 45

     (a) Sound transmission class (STC) shall be determined by tests in accordance with methods set forth in ASTM Standard E 90 and ASTM Standard E 413. Where partitions do not extend to the structure above, sound transmission through ceilings and composite STC performance must be considered.

     (b) Public space includes lobbies, dining rooms, recreation rooms, treatment rooms, and similar space.

     (c) Service areas include kitchens, elevators, elevator machine rooms, laundries, garages, maintenance rooms, boiler and mechanical equipment rooms, and similar spaces of high noise. Mechanical equipment located on the same floor or above residents' rooms, offices, nurses' stations, and similarly occupied space shall be effectively isolated from the floor.