Webinar Review: Chemical Management Strategies and Their Impact on Laboratory Safety Requirements
Lab Design hosted its Laboratory Safety webinar series on June 25, 2024. Industry experts Victoria Grimes, PE, senior fire engineer and Jonathan Eisenberg, PE, a principal, both with Arup, shared their valuable insights focusing on strategies and standards to enhance safety in laboratory environments as well as preventing hazards in the lab during and after the design, construction, and renovation process.
This webinar can be accessed on demand at https://www.labdesignnews.com/events/laboratory-safety-webinar-series.
A key takeaway from the webinar was the necessity of integrating chemical management strategies across different regulatory framework, along with engaging with local fire officials and regulatory bodies to ensure compliance early in the project planning phase. This approach not only facilitates smoother approvals and permits but also enhances overall safety by addressing potential regulatory discrepancies upfront.
One of the strategies discussed in the webinar was control areas. These compartments within buildings are designed to store and manage hazardous chemicals safely. They are crucial because they help limit the quantities of chemicals in specific areas, thereby reducing the fire risk and ensuring that safety measures are adequately enforced.
According to Grimes, control areas are governed by maximum allowable quantities (MAQs) specified in building codes. These MAQs vary depending on the floor level within a building. For instance, lower floors may permit higher quantities of chemicals than higher floors, where stricter limits are imposed to mitigate risks associated with fire propagation.
Grimes also emphasized the importance of understanding the different categories within control areas, such as storage, closed use, and open use.
An additional point, Eisenberg highlighted, was the significance of NFPA 45 standards in the laboratory process. NFPA 45 categorizes laboratory units into Class A through Class D based on the fire hazard posed by ignitable liquids. Each class has specific limits on the quantity of chemicals allowed per unit area, balancing operational needs with safety requirements.
Eisenberg noted that while NFPA 45 provides comprehensive guidelines for managing ignitable liquids, laboratories must also integrate these standards with other regulatory requirements, such as building codes like the International Building Code (IBC).
Key Requirements and Considerations
Control Areas:
Definition and Purpose: Control areas are fire-resistant compartments within buildings designed to safely store and manage hazardous chemicals.
Maximum Allowable Quantities (MAQs): Governed by building codes, MAQs dictate the maximum amount of chemicals allowed per control area. Limits vary by floor level within a building to mitigate fire risks effectively.
Categories within Control Areas: Distinctions like storage, closed use, and open use dictate how chemicals are managed and used, ensuring compliance with safety protocols and regulatory standards.
NFPA 45 Standards:
Purpose: NFPA 45 provides guidelines for the safe design and operation of laboratory units based on the fire hazards posed by ignitable liquids.
Categorization: Laboratories are classified into Classes A through D, each with specific limits on chemical quantities per unit area to balance operational needs with safety requirements.
Integration with Other Standards: Integration of NFPA 45 guidelines with broader regulatory frameworks (e.g., International Building Code - IBC) ensures comprehensive hazard management in laboratory settings.
Integration and Compliance Across Regulatory Frameworks:
Multi-tenant Considerations: Laboratories in multi-tenant buildings must adhere to both building-level and tenant-level hazardous material reports to ensure transparency and accountability.
Engagement with Regulatory Bodies: Proactively engaging local fire officials and regulatory bodies during project planning phases enhances compliance and addresses regulatory discrepancies upfront. Speakers emphasized proactive engagement with local fire officials and regulatory bodies during project planning phases. This proactive approach facilitates smoother approvals and permits, enhancing safety by addressing potential regulatory discrepancies upfront.
From here, the speakers explored integrating innovative strategies regarding classification, evoloution, efficiency and safety.
One such evolution was introducing and refining High-Red Lab Suites, a concept embedded in the 2020-2024 editions of the IBC and IFC.
Group L Occupancies were also introduced as a crucial classification, especially in states like California, where specific chemical management strategies are rigorously enforced.
High-Red Lab Suites: Summary
High-Red Lab Suites can be traced back to the recognition of unique challenges posed by laboratory environments in educational settings. Traditionally, these spaces require stringent safety protocols due to the nature of hazardous materials and processes involved. The incorporation of High-Red Lab Suites into the IBC and IFC has codified requirements not only for new constructions but also for retrofitting existing facilities.
Key Requirements and Considerations
Central to the implementation of High-Red Lab Suites are several pivotal requirements:
Structural Integrity: Ensuring floors and supporting constructions meet a minimum two-hour fire resistance rating is foundational.
Density and Space Utilization: Unlike traditional control areas, High-Red Lab Suites offer expanded flexibility in terms of allowable floor area quotas (FAQs) and the number of laboratory suites per floor. This flexibility is tiered based on floor levels, with higher floors necessitating reduced density to enhance safety further.
Mechanical and Electrical Systems: Compliance extends beyond structural elements to encompass stringent requirements for mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) systems. These include provisions for standby power, ventilation in accordance with NFPA 45 standards, and specific safeguards for hazardous material handling.
Documentation and Compliance: Rigorous documentation requirements, such as Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) and Hazardous Materials Management Plans (HMPs), ensure ongoing compliance and preparedness. These documents are pivotal for securing Certificates of Occupancy (CFOs) from regulatory bodies.
* With the introduction of Section 428 in the Massachusetts State Building Code, the framework initially designed for higher education labs has been extended to commercial research and development (R&D) facilities.
Group L Occupancies: Summary
Group L occupancies are a specialized classification under the IBC that specifically applies to laboratory suites. They are designed to regulate and enhance safety measures within laboratory environments, ensuring that hazardous materials are handled with the highest levels of precaution.
Key Requirements and Regulations
Occupancy Classification: Group L is akin to other occupancy classifications (e.g., Group B for laboratories) but specifically focuses on laboratory suites. These suites are demarcated by fire barriers and can house multiple labs along with ancillary functions.
Tenant Limitations: Each laboratory suite within a Group L occupancy is restricted to one tenant, ensuring that operational control and safety protocols can be strictly managed without cross-tenant complications.
Size Limitations: A maximum size of 10,000 square feet per laboratory suite is prescribed, ensuring that large spaces are effectively compartmentalized for safety purposes.
Fire Safety Requirements: Group L occupancies necessitate enhanced fire safety measures, including fire-rated separations and specific fire barrier requirements depending on the building's construction type and floor location.
Sprinkler Systems: All floors housing Group L occupancies require robust sprinkler systems. The minimum sprinkler design for Group L is 0.2 gallons per minute per square foot over 2500 square feet.
Ventilation and Standby Power: Adequate ventilation, at a rate of 1 CFM per square foot with no recirculation, is mandated. Standby power with a 10-second transfer time is also required to ensure uninterrupted operation of essential systems during power outages.
Exit Requirements: Laboratories exceeding 500 square feet containing hazardous materials must have two exit access doors, exceeding standard egress requirements due to the heightened risks involved.
Vertical Separations: For buildings with four or more stories, vertical fire barriers are required between laboratory suites to prevent the spread of fire and hazardous materials.
Implementation Challenges and Legacy Codes
The implementation of Group L occupancies in older buildings constructed under legacy codes require different strategies, including:
Fire Rating Analysis: Assessing if existing materials can meet current fire rating requirements.
Chemical Inventory Reduction: Phasing out older, hazardous chemicals to reduce risks.
Compartmentation Improvements: Enhancing compartmentation through physical barriers and fire-rated materials.
Sprinkler System Installation: Retrofitting sprinkler systems where absent or inadequate to enhance fire suppression capabilities.
Effective chemical management in laboratories can enhance safety protocols, minimize risks associated with chemical handling, and create a secure environment for scientific research and innovation.
To learn more about how architectural design can significantly enhance lab safety, and to view practical examples that offer valuable insights into the complexities of designing safe and efficient laboratory environments, view the on demand video of this webinar for free at https://www.labdesignnews.com/events/laboratory-safety-webinar-series. AIA/HSW learning units are available for this webinar as well as the other two webinars in this virtual event.
