§ 14-16-64. Penthouses and machine rooms.

A.

Access. Safe and convenient access to penthouses and machine rooms shall be provided and maintained.

B.

Use as thoroughfare prohibited. Elevator machine rooms and penthouses shall not be used as thoroughfares.

C.

Machine room doors. Doors to machine rooms shall be arranged to permit the doors to be opened from within the machine room without keys.

D.

Machine guards. When power elevator machines are not located in an elevator machine room, the machines shall be surrounded by a substantial grill enclosure at least six feet high.

Exceptions: machines located in a pump, engine or machine room in the charge of an attendant and/or in any room secured against unauthorized access. Machines located six feet or more above the floor.

E.

Light. Permanent provision for adequate artificial light shall be made in machine rooms and penthouses. The electric light switch shall be within easy reach of the machine room entrance.

F.

Disconnect switch. A manually operated multi-pole disconnect switch shall be provided in the machine room of every electric elevator located adjacent to and visible from the hoisting machine or motor generator set. No provision shall be made to close the disconnect switch from any other part of the building.

G.

Floor. Penthouses used as machine rooms and machine rooms shall be provided with a floor. If metal bar grading is used for flooring, the flooring should be designed to reject a three-quarter inch round ball. If perforated sheet steel is used for flooring, the openings should be designed to reject a ball 1 1/8 inch in diameter.

H.

Machine room storage. Machine rooms shall not be utilized as general storage space and no flammable liquids shall be stored or kept in such rooms.

I.

Enclosure for machinery compartment. When a compartment which contains machinery for operating an elevator is not separated from the hoistway by fireproof or semifireproof construction, it shall be enclosed with partitions and ceiling of not less than two-hour noncombustible construction and all openings shall be protected with approved fire doors, approved fire shutters or approved fire windows, as the case may require, except that, where one-hour construction is permitted for hoistway enclosures it may have similar construction.

(Code 1967, § 49-114; Code 1985, § 46-134)