907.5.2.3.1 Public and common areas. Visible alarm notification appliances shall be provided in public areas and common areas. [F]
Visible alarm notification appliances must provide coverage in all areas open to the public as well as all shared or common areas (e.g., corridors, public restrooms, shared offices, classrooms, medical exam rooms, etc.). Areas where visible alarm notification appliances are not required include private offices, mechanical rooms or similar spaces. The intent with this section is to replicate the provisions included in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG). See definition in Chapter 11 for "Common use."
907.5.2.3.2 Employee work areas. Where employee work areas have audible alarm coverage, the notification appliance circuits serving the employee work areas shall be initially designed with a minimum of 20-percent spare capacity to account for the potential of adding visible notification appliances in the future to accommodate hearing impaired employee(s). [F]
This section provides for spare capacity on notification circuits to allow for those with hearing impairments to be accommodated as necessary. This spare capacity is intended to eliminate the potential for overloading notification circuits when a hearing-impaired person is hired and needs to be accommodated, but reduces the initial construction cost as such alarms may not be necessary in every situation. This section is intended to apply to employee work areas that are not common areas.
