360
Electrical Distribution: Design Criteria
In areas where there is a heavy diversity of services, concentration of the
outlets together with the plumbing distribution into consoles or service
walls is recommended. The console may take the form of a partition-
mounted unit, such as an ICU bedhead unit, or a ceiling-hung unit such as
those used in operating rooms or laboratories.
In areas requiring minimal servicing, like offices or clinics, the outlets
usually must be spread around a room. In this kind of layout, full use
should be made of equipment such as electrical distribution poles and
surface mounted raceways, the latter both horizontal and vertical. Some
components could combine electrical supply and communications circuits.
Floor distribution grids within the topping slab can be used where
required, for radiology table supply for instance.
363.6
ACCESSIBILITY
All components should be designed and located so that routine
maintenance and repair and minor alterations will cause minimal
disturbance to patients and will not interrupt hospital activities. Major
repairs and alterations must be possible with minimum down time for the
space in which they occur, and without interrupting hospital activities in
adjacent spaces. Switchboards, circuit breakers and transformers must
be readily accessible for convenient maintenance and replacement, and
for emergencies.
363.7
ADAPTABILITY
The distribution network should be reasonably oversized and/or provided
with excess area to handle future change in demand. It should also be
laid out so that it can be logically extended into any future expansion of
the building. The various networks must be zoned so that temporary loss
of supply through maintenance or alterations will affect only a local area.
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