Clearance for Commercial Kitchen Hood

[brr]

Oregon OMSC

507.4.1 Hood Size and Location

I cannot see in the code where there is a minimum height of a commercial kitchen hood above the floor. I'm working on a new bakery in an existing kitchen space, and the owner pulled out the old concrete slab that had a 1/2" slope (used to be a car ramp leading to a repair shop) to make the floor level, and he's raised the floor below the hood up 4". It used to go from 74.5" to 79" and now it is 70.5" (5'-10 1/2") above the floor.

Even if building code allows it, I can see it being an OSHA issue. Anyone know if there is a minimum head clearance?

The hood is 120" x 50".

 

[Sifu]

No min. I know of for the hood but without use of side panels the hood must extend 6" over the cooking appliance, which would make it an issue for protruding objects. It seems like it already was an issue.

 

[steveray]

1003.3.3​

Objects with leading edges more than 27 inches (685 mm) and not more than 80 inches (2030 mm) above the finished floor shall not project horizontally more than 4 inches (102 mm) into the circulation path.

 

[walker.t]

minimum head clearance?

an issue for protruding objects

The requirements for protruding objects also include elements protruding down from the ceiling. A117.1-2017 Section 307 Protruding Objects > 307.4 Vertical Clearance requires a minimum 80” clearance.

I don’t know what minimum requirements are per OSHA, but considering ADA and A117.1 require 80” my guess is that OSHA doesn’t allow less than 80”.

Not related to your question, a comment about the door. Assuming the door opens to the exterior, health department where I work requires closers on exterior doors, door maneuvering clearance may be an issue because a 12” latch-side clearance is required on the push side of doors with a closer and latch per A117.1-2017 Figure 404.2.3.2(C).

I know this space is in process, but I don’t think the health department here would accept the bundles of loose cables on the ceiling, they’d want that in hard conduit.

 

[mtlogcabin]

No minimum distance that I could find just a maximum​

507.4.1​

The inside lower edge of canopy-type Type I and II commercial hoods shall overhang or extend a horizontal distance of not less than 6 inches (152 mm) beyond the edge of the top horizontal surface of the appliance on all open sides. The vertical distance between the front lower lip of the hood and such surface shall not exceed 4 feet (1219 mm).

Exception: The hood shall be permitted to be flush with the outer edge of the cooking surface where the hood is closed to the appliance side by a noncombustible wall or panel.

 

[ICE]

This is not a circulation path, it is a kitchen. 5'-10 1/2", while not ideal, it is not a violation. Anybody walking so close to cooking surfaces that they would bump their head on the hood has a hard head to begin with.

 

[brr]

The requirements for protruding objects also include elements protruding down from the ceiling. A117.1-2017 Section 307 Protruding Objects > 307.4 Vertical Clearance requires a minimum 80” clearance.

I don’t know what minimum requirements are per OSHA, but considering ADA and A117.1 require 80” my guess is that OSHA doesn’t allow less than 80”.

Not related to your question, a comment about the door. Assuming the door opens to the exterior, health department where I work requires closers on exterior doors, door maneuvering clearance may be an issue because a 12” latch-side clearance is required on the push side of doors with a closer and latch per A117.1-2017 Figure 404.2.3.2(C).

I know this space is in process, but I don’t think the health department here would accept the bundles of loose cables on the ceiling, they’d want that in hard conduit.

Thanks for the feedback Walker,
This is a kitchen for employees not open to the public. Do you think the ADA applies?
Good call on the cables - we are removing everything and putting in new conduit and installing new FRP. The owner-baker wants all conduit run along the ceiling (for looks) and we'll put runs down to the outlets above counter height.
The door and it's frame is being removed replaced. I'll provide a separate post with a code question about that - the landlord pored the new slab flat, so the door threshold is now 13" below the kitchen slab which is poured right up to...

 

[Sifu]

The circulation path issue is one I figured would be debatable (the commentary even admits it is "subjective"). However, without a definition for "pedestrian" we have to go elsewhere for it. MW and other online sources seem to consider a pedestrian as someone going by foot. I am assuming the staff will travel by foot. I would have a nasty gash at that height.

 

[walker.t]

Thanks for the feedback Walker,

You’re welcome!

This is a kitchen for employees not open to the public. Do you think the ADA applies?

Yes, an accessibility standard is likely going to apply even if it’s only for employees. A117.1-2017 1104 Accessible Route…1104.3.1 Employee Work Areas requires common use circulation paths to be accessible routes. If your kitchen is less than 1000 s.f. then you qualify for Exception 1 which allows the circulation path to not be accessible.

The circulation path issue is one I figured would be debatable (the commentary even admits it is "subjective").

Funny you mention that, I was looking at something else in the code this afternoon and checked the A117.1-2017 commentary on “circulation path” and saw that commentary: “Which part of a floor is not a circulation path will be subjective.” So I was wondering if the area below the hood could be excluded as part of the circulation path. But maybe a building official would only accept that if the equipment was secured in some way to prevent it from being moved - I flipped burgers in high school, the friers were on wheels such that we could slide them around a bit when cleaning the floors but the griddle on the other side of the cook aisle was so heavy it was like it was bolted to the floor.

The door and it's frame is being removed replaced.

Be careful about the door, you’ve converted this space to a kitchen, you won’t be able to use that door for egress serving the rest of the building per 1016.2:

2021 IBC 1016.2 Egress Through Intervening Spaces (partial quote)
Egress through spaces shall comply with this section…5. Egress shall not pass through kitchens, storage rooms, closets or spaces used for similar purposes.

2021 IBC Commentary on 1016.2 (partial quote)
However, for other spaces, a customer means of egress should not be through the working portions of a commercial kitchen in a restaurant or the stock storage area of a storage room in a mercantile occupancy. A dedicated path must be established through such space.

I don’t know what an acceptable method would be for delineating a “dedicated path,” not that it looks like you really have room for that.

MW and other online sources seem to consider a pedestrian as someone going by foot.

I would consider the employees in the kitchen to be pedestrians. Some of us were pretty mobile during lunch rushes, actually, about the only person who didn’t move far from their station during a lunch rush was the person dressing the buns.

 

[Sifu]

I would think the area that could be considered circulation would be the projection beyond the line of the appliances. If there are no side panels, that would be a 6" projection into the path. If there were side panels then the appliance can be flush with the front of the hood and no projection would be required, therefore no projection into that circulation path. Not sure about the functionality of that but seems to be a possibility.

Appears to be other stuff in there that wouldn't meet these standards either.

 

[mp25]

I second Steveray's thoughts on this - it is from chapter 10, and applicable regardless of accessibility requirements.

 

[Yikes]

In CaliforniaBuilding Code, a common use circulation path to employee workstations must be an accessible route.
So if there are two+ workstations accessed via traveling under the hood, it is an accessible route and must comply with the protrusion limits of max. 4” when less than 80” high.

You may not have the same requirement outside of CA.

 

[mtlogcabin]

Protruding objects are limited within a circulation path. Common use circulation paths for employees have some exceptions

Is your kitchen less than 1,000 sq ft?
#2 might be applicable also with regards to protruding objects exceeding 4"s