Code Change Summary: Requirements for dining room and recreation area lighting have been relocated and expanded.

Section 517.43 provides requirements for electrical systems in a health care facility that are required to be connected to the life safety branch of the essential electrical system (EES). The following life safety items mentioned in 517.43(A) through (G) must be automatically restored to operation within 10 seconds after the interruption of the normal source of power:

1. Means of egress illumination
2. Exit signs
3. Alarms and alerting systems
4. Communications systems
5. Dining and recreation area lighting
6. Task illumination for the generator
7. Elevators

In the 2017 NEC^®, the major code change was in (E). Lighting in dining rooms and recreation areas of a health care facility were previously required to provide sufficient lighting to the exit ways but now they are also required to have an illumination level of at least 5 ft-candles.

The NEC^® doesn’t generally provide performance requirements. Illumination levels for emergency lighting and exit signs are covered in the Building Code. A code change like this can open the door to similar performance requirements in article 700. If the NEC^® requires specific levels of emergency illumination for exit ways leading from the dining room of a health care facility, why is that any more important than exit ways in any other type of occupancy?

Below is a preview of the NEC^®. See the actual NEC^® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on their link to free access to the 2017 NEC^® edition of NFPA 70.