How a Building Protects Occupancy

I. Building Occupancy and Protection

A. Building Occupancy

What is Occupancy?
Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the
use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of
persons, animals or property.
Occupancy can also refer to the number of units in use, such as hotel rooms, apartment flats,
or offices. It can also refer to the number of persons using an undivided space, such as
a meeting room, ballroom, auditorium, or stadium.

B. Significance of Building Occupancy Protection

Why occupancy needs to be protected?

Since occupancy encompasses lives of people in a building, protecting the health, safety,
and welfare of building occupants is the main reason why building should meet its
standards for it to be capable of protecting its occupancy. It is because of the lives of the
people.

II. Building Design

Refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of
buildings.

A. Integrating Safe and Secure Design

A balance between the security and safety goals and the other design objectives and
needs of the facility can be attained. The establishment of an integrated design process
where all of the design team members understand each other's goals can aid in
overcoming these challenges and will lead to the development of a solution which
addresses all of the requirements.

B. Building Standards and Regulations

ACTUALLY, FOLLOWING THE BUILDING CODE AND BUILDING REGULATION, WHICH INCLUDES
THE STANDARDS OF A BUILDING IS THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT OCCUPANCY.

What is a Building Code?

 a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings
and non-building structures.
 The main purpose of building codes is to protect public health, safety and general
welfare as they relate to the construction and occupancy of buildings and
structures.
III. Principles of All-Hazard Building Design
A. Fire Protection

A fire protection system is an important component of a building’s safety plan, regardless

of whether it’s a commercial facility, hospital or educational facility. Without a fire
protection system, the lives of those who are inside the building are placed at a high risk
in the event of an emergency. That’s why passive fire protection systems have been
designed to help protect the building and its occupants during a fire.

1. Issues Involved in Developing a Successful Fire-protection Design

a. Design Team
It is most important that the project delivery team (including Fire protection
professionals) comprise a safety design of the building regarding with fire
emergencies to ensure safety of the occupants and property.

b. Design Standards and Criteria (i.e. Building code, etc.)

to be utilized by the design team, including statutory requirements, voluntary
requirements addressing owner's performance needs, and requirements that are
sometimes imposed by insurance carriers on commercial projects.

c. Site Requirements
A quality site design will integrate performance requirements associated with fire department
access, suppression, and separation distances and site/building security.

 Fire department access

 Design buildings with uncomplicated layouts that enable firefighters to locate an area quickly.
 Provide rapid access to various features such as fire department connections (FDCs), fire command center,
fire alarm control equipment, fire pump room, hose valves, elevators and stairs, annunciators, key boxes, etc.
 Accommodate the access of fire apparatus into and around the building site
 Comply with local authorities having jurisdiction to accommodate the access of fire apparatus into and
around the building site and to coordinate access control point layout.

 Fire hydrants
 Coordinate with security measures

d. Building Construction Requirements

 Construction type, allowable height, and area

 Exposures/separation requirements
 Fire ratings, materials, and systems
 Occupancy types
 Interior finish
 Exit enclosure

e. Life Safety

 Exit access paths

 Exit remoteness
 Exit discharge
 Areas of refuge
 Accessible exits
 Door locking arrangements (security interface)
 Occupancy

f. Fire Detection and Notification System Requirements

 Detection
 Mass Notification
 Survivability of systems
 Alarm Notification and Fire

g. Fire Suppression Requirements

Water supply

 Type of automatic fire extinguishing system

o Water-based fire extinguishing system
o Non-water-based fire extinguishing system
 Standpipes and fire department hose outlets
 Non-water agents

h. Emergency Power, Lighting, and Exit Signage

 Survivability of systems
 Electrical Safety
 Distributed Energy Resources

i. Special Fire Protection Requirements

 Engineered smoke control systems

 Special hazard systems
 Fireproofing and firestopping
 Atrium spaces
 Mission critical facility needs

2. Relevant Codes and Standards

a. Fire Protection Features for Different Types of Occupancies/ Relevant Regulation
on Fire Safety Measures Acc. RA 9514
b. Alternative and/or Remedial Fire Safety Measures (For existing buildings before
the effectivity of RA 9514)
B. Occupant Safety and Health

1. Factors Threatening Occupant Safety and Health

Potential for indoor air quality problems, occupational illnesses and injuries,
exposure to hazardous materials, and accidental falls beckons architects, engineers,
and facility managers to design and maintain buildings and processes that ensure
occupant safety and health. Notably, building designs must focus on eliminating or
preventing hazards to personnel, rather than relying on personal protective equipment
and administrative or process procedures to prevent mishaps.
Therefore, the design team should apply an integrated approach, including work
process analysis and hazard recognition to develop solutions that provide healthy built
environments, having no undue physical stressors, as well as meeting other project
requirements.
2. Preventive Measures in a Good Building Design

a. Designs that Eliminate or Reduce Hazards in the Workplace

 Provide designs in accordance with good practice as well as applicable building, fire,
safety, and health codes and regulations.
 Conduct preliminary hazard analyses and design reviews to eliminate or mitigate
hazards in the work place.
 Use registered design professionals and accredited safety professionals to ensure
compliance with safety standards and codes.
 Provide engineering controls in place rather than rely on personal protective
equipment or administrative work procedures to prevent mishaps.
 Integrate safety mechanisms, such as built-in anchors or tie-off points, into the
building design, especially for large mechanical systems.
 Design a means for safely cleaning and maintaining interior spaces and building
exteriors.
  Provide for receiving, storing, and handling of materials, such as combustibles,
cleaning products, office supplies, and perishables.

b. Prevent Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

 Consider work practices, employee physical requirements, and eliminating confined spaces
when designing buildings and processes.
 Design for safe replacement and modifications of equipment to reduce the risk of injury to
operations and maintenance staff.
 Comply with applicable regulatory requirements such as the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) standards. All OSHA standards are available in the 29 Code
of Federal Regulation) (1926—Construction, and 1910—General Industry).
 Provide proper ventilation under all circumstances, and allow for natural lighting where
possible. See High-Performance HVAC and Natural Ventilation.
 Mitigate noise hazards from equipment and processes.
 Designate safe locations for installation of RF equipment such as antennas on rooftop
penthouses.

c. Prevent Falls from Heights

 Provide guardrails and barriers that will prevent falls from heights in both interior and
exterior spaces.
 Provide fall protection for all maintenance personnel especially for roof-mounted equipment
such as HVAC equipment and cooling towers.
 Provide certified tie-off points for fall arrest systems.

d. Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls

 Provide interior and exterior floor surfaces that do not pose slip or trip hazards.
 Select exterior walking surface materials that are not susceptible to changes in elevation as
a result of freeze/thaw cycles.
 Provide adequate illumination, both natural and artificial, for all interior and exterior areas.
See Daylighting and Energy Efficient Lighting.
 Comply with all regulatory and statutory requirements such as the Americans with
Disabilities Act. See WBDG Accessible Branch.

e. Ensure Electrical Safety

 Ensure compliance with NFPA 70 National Electrical Code® (NEC).
 Provide adequate space for maintenance, repair, and expansion in electrical rooms and
closets.
 Provide adequate drainage and/or containment from areas with energized electrical
equipment.
 Evaluate all areas where ground fault circuit interruption (GFI) and arc fault interruption
(AFI) devices may be needed.
 Consider response of emergency personnel in cases of fires and natural disasters.
 Label all electrical control panels and circuits.
 Install non-conductive flooring at service locations for high voltage equipment.
 Specify high-visibility colors for high voltage ducts and conduits.

f. Eliminate Exposure to Hazardous Materials

 Identify, isolate, remove, or manage in place hazardous materials such as lead, asbestos,
etc.
 Consider use of sampling techniques for hazardous substances in all phases of the project
to include planning, design, construction, and maintenance.
 Consider occupant operations and materials in designing ventilation and drainage systems.
 Incorporate integrated pest management (IPM) concepts and requirements into facility
design and construction (e.g., use of proper door sweeps, lighting, trash compactors, etc.)
and require the use of IPM be performed by qualified personnel during all phases of
construction and after the facility is completed. This should include not only interior pest
management, but landscape and turf pest management as well. See Sustainable O&M.
 Provide adequate space for hazardous materials storage compartments and segregate
hazardous materials to avoid incompatibility.
 Substitute high hazardous products with those of lower toxicity/physical properties.

g. Provide Good Indoor Quality and Adequate Ventilation

  Consider ventilation systems that will exceed minimum ASHRAE standards.
 Recognize and provide specially designed industrial ventilation for all industrial processes to
remove potential contaminants from the breathing zone.
 Design separate ventilation systems for industrial and hazardous areas within a building.
 Consider the use of carbon monoxide (CO) monitoring equipment if there are CO sources,
such as fuel-burning equipment or garages, in the building.
 Specify materials and furnishings that are low emitters of indoor air contaminants such as
volatile organic compounds (VOCs). See Green Products.
 Consider the indoor relative humidity in the design of the ventilation system.
 Avoid interior insulation of ductwork.
 Locate outside air intakes to minimize entrainment of exhaust fumes and other odors. (e.g.,
vehicle exhaust, grass cutting and ground maintenance activities, industrial pollutant
sources, cooling tower blow-offs, and sewage ejector pits).
 Ensure the integrity of the building envelope, including caulks and seals, to preclude water
intrusion that may contribute to mold growth.
 Prevent return air plenums/systems from entraining air from unintended spaces.
 Provide air barriers at interior walls between thermally different spaces to prevent mold and
mildew.

h. Provide Ergonomic Places and Furniture

 Design work places that make the job fit the person. See WBDG Functional /Operational
Design Objective.
 Select furnishings, chairs, and equipment that are ergonomically designed and approved for
that use.
 Design equipment and furnishings reflective of work practices in an effort to eliminate
repetitive motions and vibrations as well as prevent strains and sprains.
 Consider using worker comfort surveys in the design phase to help eliminate work-related
musculoskeletal disorders.
 Accept the principle that one size does not fit all employees. See Accessible—Beyond
Accessibility to Universal Design.
 Consider providing break areas to allow the employees to temporarily leave the work place.
 Minimize lighting glare on computer monitor screens. Provide task lighting at workstations to
minimize eye fatigue. See Energy Efficient Lighting.

i. Perform Building Operations and Maintenance

Proper preventative maintenance (PM) not only improves the useful life of the systems and
building structures, but it can lend to good indoor air quality and prevent "sick building" syndromes.
See Sustainable O&M Practices.

 Ensure all maintenance and operation documentation, especially an equipment inventory, is

submitted to the building owner/operator prior to building occupancy.
 Follow manufacturer recommendations for proper building operations and maintenance.
 Include safety training of operator personnel as part of the construction contractor's deliverables.
 Require the use of integrated pest management (IPM) for all pest management services, interior
and exterior of the building.
 Require building maintenance personnel to maintain the HVAC air infiltration devices and
condensate water biocides appropriately.
 Monitor chemical inventories to identify opportunities to substitute green products.
 Consider incorporating continuous commissioning  into your building maintenance program.
Federal mandate for continuous commissioning are found in EPAct 2005 and EISA 2007.

C. Natural Hazards Mitigation

Buildings in any geographic location are subject to a wide variety of natural phenomena
such as windstorms, floods, earthquakes, and other hazards. While the occurrence of these
incidents cannot be precisely predicted, their impacts are well understood and can be managed
effectively through a comprehensive program of hazard mitigation planning.

Ongoing changes in climate patterns around the world may alter the behavior of
hydrometeorological phenomena within our lifetimes. The frequency and severity of floods, storms,
droughts, and other weather-related disasters is expected to increase, as is the risk from
associated changes in the manifestation of other hazards such as wildland fires.

1. Principles Underlying the Process of Mitigation

 2. Types of Natural Hazard and Building Design Resolution
a. Earthquakes

b. Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Tornadoes

c. Flooding
d. Rainfall, Wind-driven Rain and Ice Dams
e. Differential Settlement (Subsidence)
f. Landslides and Mudslides
g. Wild Land Fire/ Urban Interface
h. Tsunami
3. Related Issues
a. Areas of Refuge
b. Critical Infrastructure
4. Relevant Codes and Standards
a. Guidelines and Implementing Rules on Earthquake Recording and
Instrumentation for Buildings (2015)
D. Security for Building Occupants and Assets
1. Security Standards
a. Guidance for Commercial Buildings
b. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
c. Application of Standards to Buildings
2. Design Basis Threat Tactics
a. Types of Attack and Threats to Occupants
IV. Conclusion