2018 Edition
Major changes and an expanded scope make the 2018 edition of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code® essential in any occupancy -- from assembly to health care, industrial, and residential.
As the built environment and risks evolve, so do the challenges to protect people from fire and related hazards. NFPA®'s Life Safety Code is the most widely used source for strategies for occupant safety throughout the life of a building. Vital for architects, engineers, building owners and building managers, hospital administrators, and AHJs, NFPA 101 covers it all: Egress, sprinklers, alarms, emergency lighting, smoke barriers, special hazard protection, and much more.
For the 2018 edition, the scope of NFPA 101 is expanded to include hazardous materials emergencies, injuries from falls, and emergency communications.
The Code provides a flexible approach that adapts to nontraditional use of buildings; innovative designs; and new technologies, materials, and construction practices. It addresses life safety in both new and existing structures. Significant changes for the 2018 edition include:
- New requirements for hazardous materials protection of other than fire-related hazards (Chapter 8)
- A new reference to NFPA 4 for integrated fire protection and life safety system testing, and new provisions for risk analyses for mass notification systems (Chapter 9)
- Animal housing facilities added as special structures (Chapter 11)
- Added requirements for carbon-monoxide detection in new assembly occupancies and new residential board and care occupancies (Chapters 12 and 32)
- Added criteria for door locking to prevent unwanted entry in educational, day care, and business occupancies (Chapters 14-17, 38, and 39)
- A mandatory sprinkler requirement for all but very small new educational occupancies (Chapter 14)
- New provisions that permit health care and ambulatory health care smoke compartments up to 40,000 ft2 (3720 m2) in area (Chapters 18 and 19)
- Added requirements for bathtub and shower grab bars, which are then referenced by numerous occupancy chapters (Chapter 24)
- Added requirements for attic protection requirements that impact certain new hotels and dormitories and apartment buildings (Chapters 28 and 30)
- A new reference to NFPA 99 for medical gases in business occupancies (Chapters 38 and 39)
- A new Annex C that offers guidance on several NFPA® hazardous materials standards to assist users with the new hazardous materials protection requirements
Be sure your knowledge is up-to-date and your facilities meet code. Base your decisions on the 2018 edition of NFPA 101 and tackle safety challenges effectively. (Print, 568 pp., 2018)
Interested in other editions of NFPA 101? Use the drop down menu above to select the edition year you need.
Get to Know the Handbook
Discover how the 2018 Handbook can help you comply with NFPA 101, Life Safety Code requirements. It includes the full code text along with expert commentary and more than 750 visual references.
2015 Edition
The updated NFPA 101®: Life Safety Code® raises occupant safety to a new level.
Protect people where they live, work, and play with NFPA®'s Life Safety Code -- the most widely used source for strategies for occupant safety throughout the life cycle of a building. As the built environment and risks evolve, so do the challenges to protect people from fire and related hazards. The 2015 Life Safety Code provides a flexible approach that adapts to nontraditional use of buildings; innovative designs; and new technologies, materials, and construction practices. It is the only document that addresses life safety in both new and existing structures.
There's no substitute for the latest NFPA 101 in any occupancy -- from assembly to health care, industrial, and residential.
Essential for architects, engineers, building owners and building managers, hospital administrators, and AHJs, NFPA 101 covers it all: Egress, sprinklers, alarms, emergency lighting, smoke barriers, and special hazard protection.
- Atrium walls are now permitted to serve as part of the separation for creating separated occupancies, offering greater flexibility in building design.
- New requirements enhance public safety, such as calculating occupant load for business uses that better represents how the space is used.
- Requirements permitting the use of alcohol-based hand-rub (ABHR) dispensers are included in more occupancy chapters, reflecting their widespread use.
- New mandates for carbon monoxide detection and alarm are included for new educational and new day care facilities for greater safety to life where CO might be generated.
- Expanded provisions concerning the responsibilities, training, and duties of crowd managers help ensure emergency readiness in places such as sports arenas, nightclubs, and concert halls.
- Revised rules permit door locking in new and existing residential board and care facilities, based on clinical needs to secure residents for their own safety.
Other changes help provide for safer, more homelike health care facilities:
- Health care occupancy provisions allow nursing home minimum corridor width to be reduced within small smoke compartments.
- Provisions added to permit doors to be disguised with murals for settings like dementia units.
- New self-contained ambulatory health care chapters improve code usability with one-stop access.
Make sure your knowledge is up-to-date and your facilities meet code. Base your decisions on the 2015 NFPA 101 and tackle safety challenges effectively. (Softbound, 520 pp., 2015)