Respectfully disagree but you raise an important point.  Our work load is at 
least 50% educational projects at any given time so I’ve got a headful of this 
topic.  Ramping up from middle to high school to community and then university 
level science “labs”, the hazard grows incrementally.   But even at the MS 
level, we look at two basic criteria: 1) does it have piped/pressurized CNG 
and, 2) do they store/use hazardous or unstable chemicals.  In California, ANY 
educational space that has pressurized gas or flammable liquids is 
automatically OH2, including science rooms and vocational tech’ rooms such as 
auto shop, metal shop, even jewelry making.    MS science rooms generally have 
the pressurized gas, HS rooms have gas and light chemicals, CC and university 
labs go up from there.  These are unquestionably OH2 and potentially EH if 
chemicals are stored in the classrooms, which they are generally not.  (Chem 
storage areas are usually provided in separate compartments or anterooms, and 
they are often H-group occupancy.)

But the term “Lab” is very popular in today’s educational architect-speak and 
it often refers to a basic classroom, which is obviously Light Hazard.   When 
we see “computer lab” or “learning lab” or “collaborative lab” on a set of 
plans, we immediately request that the architect change that terminology 
because the myopic plan reviewers will invariably classify that space as OH if 
they think it’s a lab-lab.

My

From: Sprinklerforum [mailto:[email protected]] On 
Behalf Of Jeff Normand
Sent: Monday, December 05, 2016 7:42 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: College Lab Classrooms

Chemistry, biology, physics, math, reading lab? Would depend on quantity of 
chemicals, gases and such.

Most labs would be Light Hazard me thinks.

On Mon, Dec 5, 2016 at 9:36 AM, 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Quick question.
College Lab classrooms.  Light or Ordinary hazard?


Bill Menster
WFM Consulting Inc.
2416 Malaya Ct.
Punta Gorda, FL 33983
ph. 941-421-9786
fax 941-391-6133
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
www.wfmconsultinginc.com<http://www.wfmconsultinginc.com>


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