517.18(B) General Care Areas. Patient Bed Location Receptacles.
Code Change Summary: The number of receptacles required at a patient bed location in the general care area of a health care facility has been increased to 8.
Previously, the 2011 NEC® required at least 4 receptacles for each patient bed location in the general care area of a health care facility. Now, the 2014 NEC® requires at least 8.
As new technology emerges, the patient bed location is becoming more and more populated with electrical machines and electromedical devices for the patient. Having nowhere to plug in when a specific machine is needed is unacceptable.
These receptacles can be single, duplex, quadruplex or any combination of the three in order to end up with at least 8. All receptacles for these areas must be listed as hospital grade.
Below is a preview of the NEC®. See the actual NEC® text at NFPA.ORG for the complete code section. Once there, click on the “free access” tab and select the applicable year of NFPA 70 (National Electrical code).
2011 Code Language:
517.18(B) Patient Bed Location Receptacles. Each patient bed location shall be provided with a minimum of four receptacles. They shall be permitted to be of the single, duplex, or quadruplex type, or any combination of the three. All receptacles, whether four or more, shall be listed “hospital grade” and so identified. The grounding terminal of each receptacle shall be connected to an insulated copper equipment grounding conductor sized in accordance with Table 250.122.
2014 Code Language:
517.18(B) Patient Bed Location Receptacles. Each patient bed location shall be provided with a minimum of eight receptacles. They shall be permitted to be of the single, duplex, or quadruplex type or any combination of the three. All receptacles shall be listed “hospital grade” and shall be so identified. The grounding terminal of each receptacle shall be connected to an insulated copper equipment grounding conductor sized in accordance with Table 250.122.