Health care occupancies excluding PSR

Here are the particulars applicable to health care occupancies and residential board and care occupancies. Visit the Private seniors’ residences (PSR) page if your occupancy has been accredited by the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.

Particulars applicable to health care occupancies and residential board and care occupancies

These requirements apply to the following types of health care occupancies:

• hospitals
• residential and long-term care centers
• residential board and care occupancies where more than 30 persons sleep, and residential board and care occupancies where less than 30 persons sleep (designed as per 3.1.2.5.), whether they are subject or not to accreditation.

Emergency lighting

The exit staircases, means of egress and public corridors must be equipped with an emergency lighting system which can be maintained operative during a failure or outage of the electrical system. In the case of residential board and care occupancies designed as per 3.1.2.5., this system must be capable of being maintained operative for at least 30 minutes. In the case of health care occupancies, the emergency lighting must be in operation for 2 hours during a failure or outage. Be sure to upgrade the emergency lighting system of your building so that it meets the requirements and standards pursuant to the National Building Code (NBC) 1995.

• The building elements (walls) can limit the propagation of a fire within a building and thus add to the safety of the occupants. As per the new Regulation, some work may be necessary to improve the level of fire resistance of the walls separating the suites or compartments, or of the floors of your building. Among others, this work may include the installation of doors, addition of gypsum board or subdivision (compartmentalization) of certain spaces. It is recommended to consult an expert (e.g., an architect) to assess the nature of the interventions required.
• In any care occupancy or treatment occupancy which has been built or converted before May 25, 1984, any area or part of a floor area which is occupied by rooms must be compliant with subsection 3.3.3. of the NBC 1980, as amended for the province of Quebec.

Particulars applicable to health care occupancies other than residential board and care occupancies designed as per 3.1.2.5.

Fire detection and alarm system

• A fire detection and alarm system is mandatory for all health care occupancies.
• If the construction or alteration of your building dates from before November 7, 2000, you may have to upgrade the existing detection and alarm system to be in compliance with most of the requirements from the NBC 1995, as amended for the province of Quebec. Do call upon an expert to make sure you are thorough with this requirement.
• The fire detection and alarm system must be a dual-signal system. Furthermore, it must be manned by a monitoring personnel (of at least 3 persons in service) capable of applying the measures to be taken in case of a fire.

Particulars applicable to residential board and care occupancies designed as per 3.1.2.5.

If your residential board and care occupancy is designed as per article 3.1.2.5. of the NBC 1995 or of the NBC 2005, both as amended for the province of Quebec, that is where no more than 30 persons may sleep, and if this building comprises no more than 3 storeys, the following requirements shall apply to it:

If more than 9 persons and no more than 30 persons sleep in it

• Photoelectric type smoke detectors must be installed in each bedroom. Once activated, these detectors must emit an audible and visible signal enabling the personnel assigned to these rooms to see where the smoke alarm is triggered from.
• You must install a carbon monoxide alarm in a residential board and care occupancy designed as per 3.1.2.5 if it features a combustion appliance (among others, a gas range or a fireplace), or if any direct access exists between the occupancy and a indoor parking garage.
• Select a carbon monoxide alarm which is compliant with standard CAN/CSA-6.19 and is equipped with an integrated alarm, and make sure to install it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

• All supervised residences where more than 9 persons and no more than 30 persons sleep must be equipped with a single-signal or dual signal fire detection and alarm system.
• The connection to the fire department is now required even in the case of a single-signal type fire detection and alarm system.

If 9 persons or less sleep in it

• In a residential board and care occupancy which is not equipped with a fire detection and alarm system, a smoke alarm must be installed in every sleeping room and in every corridor.
• The smoke alarms which you install must be of a photoelectric type.
• The smoke alarms must be connected to the fire department.
• The alarms must be interconnected and connected to the visual alarm devices that allow the personnel assigned to the sleeping rooms to see where the smoke alarm is triggered from.
• Ensure also that the alarms be wired so that the activation of one alarm will automatically cause all the alarms present in the building to sound.
• You must install a carbon monoxide alarm in a residential board and care occupancy which is designed as per 3.1.2.5 if it features a combustion appliance (among others, a gas range or a fireplace), or if any direct access exists between the occupancy and a indoor parking garage.
• Select a carbon monoxide alarm which is compliant with standard CAN/CSA-6.19 and is equipped with an integrated alarm, and make sure to install it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Other requirements

The building must be compliant with the standards in effect at the time of its construction and also with the requirements of the National Fire Code.

Furthermore, if your occupancy is equipped with an underground or aboveground multistorey garage, or if it comprises 5 aboveground storeys or more, some other requirements of the Regulation will apply to the building. Make sure you are in compliance with these. Become familiar with these requirements by referring to the pages entitled Maintenance and inspection of façades and Maintenance and inspection of multistorey garages..

The owners must also ensure that they are in compliance with the provisions from the other chapters of the Safety Code: control of the hot water temperature [Fr], verification and maintenance of the elevators [Fr], hoists [Fr], lifts for persons with physical disabilities [Fr], installation of antiflooding devices [Fr], etc.

Take further note that your municipality could enact more stringent standards for the buildings located on its territory. We advise to get informed in this regard.