Hospitals must have reliable electrical supply at all times in order to provide uninterrupted patient care. Because of this, there are specifications and for hospital backup generators. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) sets and revises these standards. Many patients in a healthcare facility are on life support and even the slightest blip in the electrical supply can end a life. In order to protect those struggling to survive in hospitals, the NFPA has a code that must be followed by all healthcare facilities. So what are the requirements for hospital backup generators by the NFPA?
Hospital Generators
The NFPA was established in the 1980s to mitigate the chances of human death and injury due to fire and electrical mishaps. The unpredictable nature of electrical power can be lethal for critical and non-critical patients alike. So, to ensure the safety of hospital patients, the association released a code in 2018 to monitor the electrical systems in hospitals.
The emergency and standby power systems are addressed in the NFPA’s code, section 110. It is divided into several chapters and has two categories that lay out details for different electrical setups. Hospitals are required to install protective systems to tackle any power outage. The kind of protective strategies that are to be employed depends on the level the hospital falls into based on its electrical system.
Hospital Facilities
The two levels under which a facility might fall are level 1 and level 2. Which hospital will fall into which level is determined on the basis of NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) and NFPA 99 (Health Care Facilities Code).
Level 1 classification is issued when systems have a direct impact on life or safety with power interruptions. And Level 2 classification is assigned when the operation of the electrical system doesn’t directly end a life in case of loss of power.
Characteristics of Hospital Backup Generators
Backup generators are supposed to have the following characteristics in order to be installed in a healthcare facility.
- Standby – 60 to 70% of the rating for 24-hour periods up to 500 hours per year operating time.
- Emergency Standby – 60 to 70% of the rating for 24-hour periods up to 200 hours per year operating time.
- Prime – 60 to 70% of the rating for extended periods with 10% overload for one hour, with unlimited operating hours.
- Mission Critical – 85% of the rating for extended periods with up to 500-hour per year operating time.
- Continuous – 100% of the rating for extend periods with unlimited operating hours.
Along with the aforementioned requirements, emergency generator maintenance must be done regularly.
If you’re running a medical facility, you need to have a hospital generator to be able to provide 24/7 patient care. And in order to legally operate that emergency power system, you must follow the code by NFPA.