Revised Feb 2007
Section 24 - Patient Care Areas
CHECK LIST
Scope
This Section applies to the installation of electrical wiring and equipment within Patient care areas of
Health care facilities
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Health care facility means a set of physical infrastructure elements that are intended to support the
delivery of specific health-related services
This includes: Hospitals, Clinics for Physiotherapy, Dialysis, Laser Surgery, Hair transplants, Cosmetic
Surgery, etc and, Doctors Offices including Dental, Acupuncture, Naturopathic, Chiropractic
Ophthalmologist etc.
Does not include: Places providing services such as electrolysis, spas, massage, beauty treatments,
Vision testing etc.
Patient care area means an area intended primarily for the provision of diagnosis, therapy, or care.
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Basic care area means a patient care area where body contact between a patient and medical electrical
equipment is neither frequent nor usual.
Intermediate care area means a patient care area in which body contact between a patient and medical
electrical equipment is frequent or normal.
Critical care area means a patient care area that is an anaesthetizing location, or in which cardiac
contact between a patient and medical electrical equipment is frequent or normal.
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Body contact means an intentional contact at the skin surface or internally, but not directly to the heart.
Patient care environment means a zone in a patient care area which has been pre-selected for the
accommodation of a patient bed, table, or other supporting mechanism, and for the accommodation of
equipment involved in patient treatment, and which includes the space within the room 1.5 m beyond the
perimeter of the bed, table, or other supporting mechanism in its normal location and to within 2.3 m of
the floor.
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Circuits in Basic Care Areas
(1) Branch circuit conductors shall be copper and shall be sized not smaller than No. 12 AWG and shall
be supplied from a grounded distribution system.
Intent for Rule [Handbook] The Rule intends that panelboard circuit breakers be inaccessible to patients
and other persons not authorized; consequently, this requirement frequently dictates that panelboards be
located some distance from their loads. It is also intended that receptacles in patient care environments
be capable of supplying 1000 to 1500 W loads with a reasonably stable voltage. To satisfy these
conditions and the voltage drop requirements of Section 8, branch circuit conductors should be not
smaller than No. 12 AWG and will frequently have to be larger.
(2) A branch circuit shall only supply loads within patient care environments. [more than one patient
care environment may be supplied by one circuit]
(4) All branch circuits for a patient care environment shall be supplied from:
(a) A single panelboard; or
(b) Two panelboards, providing one of the panelboards is a part of an essential electrical system.
Revised Feb 2007
Bonding to Ground in Basic Care Areas
(1) Bonding conductors shall be insulated unless they are:
(a) Installed in nonmetallic conduit; or
(b) Incorporated into a cable assembly in such a manner that contact between any metal shield or
armour, if it is present, and a bare bonding conductor is not possible.
Field Considerations [Handbook] When using armoured cable, care should be taken in selecting the
type of armoured cable to ensure that the bare bonding conductor does not make contact with the metal
armour or sheath of the cable. Most types of TECK armoured cable have a PVC inner jacket that satisfies
this requirement. Armoured cables [BX] with no inner insulating jacket or only a paper wrap should not be
used.
(2) All receptacles and other permanently connected equipment shall be bonded to ground by copper
equipment bonding conductors, sized not smaller than the minimum size required for circuit conductors,
and run in accordance with Rule 10-808, or run with the circuit conductors.
(3) Each Panelboard supplying a patient care environment shall be bonded to ground with a copper Table
16 bonding conductor installed in the same raceway or cable as the circuit conductors.
Receptacles in Basic Care Areas
(1) Receptacles intended for a given patient care environment shall be located so as to minimize the
likelihood of their inadvertent use for a patient care environment for which they are not intended.
(2) Receptacles located in bathrooms or washrooms within a patient care area shall be:
(a) Located 1.5 m to the washbasin; and
(b) Located outside of any bathtub enclosure or shower stall; [no distance specified]
(3) Receptacles which are located adjacent to a washbasin in a patient care area shall be
protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter of the Class A type. [including a washbasin at a dental chair]
(4) Receptacles intended for housekeeping equipment and other non-medical loads shall be so
identified.
(5) All 15 A and 20 A non-locking receptacles shall be hospital grade.
(6) All receptacles that are part of an essential electrical system shall be red
24-112 Bonding to Ground in Intermediate and Critical Care Areas
Bonding to ground in intermediate and critical care areas shall conform to Basic Care Areas whether the
supply is derived from a grounded or an isolated system.
If a patient care environment bonding point is provided [per CAN/CSA Z32], it shall be bonded to the
panelboard serving the patient care environment with which it is associated by either:
(a) A bonding jumper connecting it to the bonding terminal in an enclosure which accommodates
the bonding point along with receptacles for a patient care environment; or
(b) A copper conductor which is installed for that specific purpose, and is run in the same
raceway as the equipment bonding conductors serving that patient care environment.
24-114 Receptacles in Intermediate and Critical Care Areas
Receptacles in intermediate and critical care areas shall meet the requirements of Basic Care Areas.