2006 New York Code - General Provisions Applying To All Buildings.

 
    §   27-4205   General   provisions   applying  to  all  buildings.  a.
  Construction.  1. All rooms in which flammable motion  picture  film  is
  handled  or  stored  shall  be  separated from each other and from other
  parts of  the  building  by  partitions  constructed  as  specified  for
  partitions in buildings of fireproof construction in sections 27-340 and
  27-346  of  the  code,  except  that partitions employing metal, wood or
  glass are prohibited. Such rooms shall be used for no other purposes.
    2. Every room in which flammable motion picture film is handled and in
  which more than two people work shall have two or more exits remote from
  each other. All doors in such rooms shall be fireproof and self  closing
  and  shall open outwardly. Artificial lighting shall be only by electric
  lights, having air-tight bulbs or globes,  or  fitted  with  vapor-proof
  marine type fixtures which are stationary, rigid and fitted with keyless
  sockets.
    3.  Every  room containing over one hundred thousand feet of flammable
  motion picture film and in which film was not handled or stored  on  the
  second  day  of June, nineteen hundred thirty-one shall be provided with
  vents which will open automatically in case of fire. These shall  be  of
  ample  size  and  may be in the form of automatic skylights or automatic
  opening window sashes.
    4. It shall be unlawful to handle or store   flammable motion  picture
  film  in any cellar, or in any basement unless such basement is directly
  ventilated to the outer air and is  provided  with  a  means  of  egress
  directly to the street.
    b.  Fittings.  In every room where  flammable motion picture films are
  repaired or pieced together, used, handled or stored, all furniture  and
  fittings  shall  be  of  metal  or other fireproof material, except that
  chair seats and table  and  floor  coverings  may  be  of  slow  burning
  material,  and  Joining,  assembling  and  inspection tables shall be at
  least four inches distant from any radiator or heating apparatus.
    c. Number of persons permitted in a room. In all rooms, except  motion
  picture  studios,  in which  flammable motion picture films are handled,
  the ratio of square feet of floor area to the number  of  persons  shall
  not  be  less  than  thirty-five  square  feet  per  person.  Except  as
  hereinafter provided, not more than fifteen persons shall  work  in  one
  room at the same time.
    d. Film in containers. All  flammable motion picture film not actually
  being  worked  upon  or  going  through  some operation shall be kept in
  closed containers. All flammable motion picture film not  necessary  for
  immediate  use  shall  be  kept  in  approval  vaults  or  cabinets, and
  flammable motion picture film stored in vaults shall be  kept  on  racks
  and  shall  not  be  stored  or kept on the floor of vaults at any time;
  except that in vaults designed for shipping  rooms  there  shall  be  no
  prohibition  against storing or keeping flammable motion picture film on
  the floor of such vaults in shipping containers.
    e. Receptacles for waste. 1. Waste, scraps, shavings, cuttings,  short
  lengths  or other waste materials of flammable motion picture film shall
  be kept under water  in  standard  metal  waste  cans  from  which  such
  materials shall be removed at least twice daily. It shall be unlawful to
  keep other waste or rubbish in these cans.
    2.  Removal of  flammable motion picture film waste materials shall be
  made in  closed  containers  as  defined  in  section  27-4202  and  the
  containers  for  flammable  motion picture film shall contain sufficient
  water at all times so that the waste materials in the  containers  shall
  be entirely submerged.
    3.  The  metal  containers  shall  be kept in a room used for no other
  purpose and not more than ten such  containers  shall  be  kept  in  any
  building.  Junk  flammable  motion  picture film shall be kept in closed


  receptacles and stored in approved vaults. Flammable motion picture film
  shall not be baled or burned within the building.
    f.  Storage  of  cements.  No collodion, amyl acetate or other similar
  flammable cement or liquid in quantities greater than one quart shall be
  kept in a room where  flammable  motion  picture  films  are  stored  or
  repaired.
    g.  Fire  extinguishing appliances. Premises wherein  flammable motion
  picture films are stored, repaired or examined shall be equipped with  a
  number  of sand and water buckets and fire extinguishers satisfactory to
  the commissioner. Each room, other than a vault,  in  which    flammable
  motion  picture  film  is  handled  or stored, shall be equipped with at
  least one approved two and one-half gallon chemical extinguisher and one
  pail of water.
    h. Heating. Artificial heating in any building or room  other  than  a
  vault  or  cabinet,  in  which    flammable motion picture film is used,
  handled or stored, shall be restricted to steam not exceeding ten pounds
  pressure or hot  water;  provided,  however,  that  this  shall  not  be
  construed   as  prohibiting  the  installation  of  an  indirect  system
  employing high pressure steam when the radiators  or  heating  coils  of
  such  system  are  not  located  in the room or rooms to be heated. Heat
  generating apparatus must be in a separate room. All steam pipes  within
  six  feet of the floor, and where passing through partitions or racks or
  near woodwork,  shall  be  covered  with  approved  pipe  covering.  All
  radiators,  heating  coils, pipes and returns that are near the floor or
  are so located as to permit any combustible material, waste or  dirt  to
  come  in  contact  therewith  shall be guarded and protected by means of
  one-fourth inch mesh galvanized steel wire cloth No. 20 B.& S. gauge, or
  by its equivalent, approved by the commissioner.  The  bottoms  of  such
  guards shall be arranged so as to lift up for cleaning purposes, and the
  tops shall slope so that guards cannot be used as shelves.
    i.  Projecting  machines. Not more than five projecting machines shall
  be located  in  one  room  where    flammable  motion  picture  film  is
  projected.
    j.  Cleaning,  polishing  and buffing. Cleaning, polishing and buffing
  machines shall not be located in rooms with other  operations  connected
  with    flammable  motion  picture film. Not more than eight standard or
  sixteen sub-standard reels of  flammable motion picture film shall be on
  hand in such room at any one time.
    k. Soldering. Soldering of cases when done in the  building  shall  be
  conducted  in  a  room  used  for  no  other  purposes.  Walls  shall be
  constructed of six  inch  hollow  tile  plastered  on  each  side  to  a
  thickness  of one-fourth inch or by its equivalent. The area of the room
  shall not exceed sixty square feet. The opening to the room shall not be
  from  another  film  handling  room,  and  shall  be  protected   by   a
  self-closing fire door. An automatic vent shall be provided with a ratio
  of  seventy  square  inches  for  each  five hundred pounds of flammable
  motion  picture  film.  The  room  shall  be  equipped  with   automatic
  sprinklers  with  a  ratio of one sprinkler for each fifteen square feet
  with proper sheet metal baffles.  The  quantity  of    flammable  motion
  picture  film  in  the  room shall not exceed one case.  A sheet of hard
  asbestos at least one-eighth inch in thickness shall be provided  inside
  of  containers to be soldered, and such asbestos sheet shall be arranged
  so as completely to separate the  flammable motion picture film from the
  lid or cover of the container.
    l. Spraying. Spraying  flammable motion picture film with a  flammable
  liquid  shall  be done in a room containing no other process and with an
  exhaust fan of sufficient capacity to remove all vapors  as  formed.  It


  shall be unlawful to keep more than five gallons of  flammable liquid in
  approved containers in this room.
    m.  Silver  reclaiming  from    flammable  motion picture film. Silver
  reclaiming from  flammable motion picture film shall not be conducted in
  the laboratory building unless in a section cut off by a  standard  fire
  wall. Flammable motion picture film before and after processing shall be
  kept  in containers in vaults. Removal of  flammable motion picture film
  from spools and processing shall be in a room entirely cut off from  the
  vault area.
    n.  Vaults  for storing  flammable motion picture film. 1. Vaults must
  be constructed in accordance with plans submitted to and approved by the
  commissioner.
    2. Vaults shall not exceed seven hundred fifty cubic  feet  in  inside
  dimensions,  except  that  the shipping room vaults shall not exceed one
  hundred fifty square feet in area and  fifteen  hundred  cubic  feet  in
  inside dimensions.
    3. Walls and floors shall be constructed of not less than eight inches
  of  brick,  six  inches  of  reinforced  concrete or of twelve inches of
  hollow tile  plastered  on  both  sides  to  a  thickness  of  at  least
  one-fourth  inch,  except  that  walls  of  shipping  room vaults may be
  constructed with not less than four inches  of  terra  cotta,  brick  or
  concrete.  Walls  and floors shall be without cracks or holes permitting
  escape of gases of combustion into the building.
    4. The roof shall be a reinforced concrete roof at  least  six  inches
  thick.  Where  the  floor above the vault or the roof of the building is
  equivalent to this, it may serve as the vault roof, and  a  heavy  metal
  screen  or  its  equivalent  may be installed below the required roof to
  limit the interior vault space to the required number of cubic feet.
    5. Unless  the  building  is  designed  to  sustain  safely  the  load
  resulting  from  the  vault  being filled with water, the vault shall be
  provided with  suitable  drains  or  scuppers  to  the  outside  of  the
  building.
    6. Proximity to stacks and other sources of heat must be avoided.
    7.  Door  openings shall be protected with two fire doors, one on each
  face of the wall. The interior door shall be  automatic  and  the  outer
  door  shall  be  of  the swinging type and shall close into a rabbet, or
  shall otherwise be made tight to prevent the passage of flame around the
  edges. The outer door shall be self-closing and if fastened open,  shall
  be arranged to close automatically in case of fire originating in or out
  of the vault.
    8.  Each  vault  shall  be  provided with an independent vent having a
  minimum effective sectional area  of  fourteen  square  inches  per  one
  hundred  pounds  of  film  capacity.  The vent area for a vault of seven
  hundred fifty cubic feet shall be fourteen hundred square inches.
    9. Vent flues inside the building shall be constructed of five  inches
  of  reinforced concrete or of a construction equivalent to that required
  for smoke chimneys, except that vents for shipping room vaults shall  be
  not  less  than  No.  18  U.S. gauge galvanized steel or its equivalent,
  covered with one inch of asbestos. The outlet  of  each  vent  shall  be
  above the roof or made to face the street, court or other clear opening,
  giving  a distance of at least fifty feet to any window or other opening
  exposed thereby and not in the same plane, and giving a distance  of  at
  least twenty-five feet to any fire escape on the same or higher level.
    10.  Each  vent  shall  be  protected  against  the  weather by single
  thickness glass one-sixteenth of an inch thick, painted a dark color, in
  a sash arranged to open automatically in case of fire  by  means  of  an
  approved releasing device placed inside the vault. The area of the glass
  shall  be  the  effective sectional area of the vent opening. No pane of


  glass shall be smaller than two hundred square  inches.  Any  protection
  equivalent  to  that specified in this paragraph may be accepted in lieu
  thereof.
    11. A light wire screen not coarser than one-eighth inch mesh shall be
  placed  over  each vent. Bars or screens designed to prevent burglary or
  injury to contents shall not have a mesh of less than  four  inches  and
  shall  give  a net opening equal to that called for under the vent. Bars
  and screens shall be so arranged as not to interfere with the  automatic
  operation of the sash.
    12.  Film vaults shall not be provided with skylights or glass windows
  other than as specified under vents.
    13.  Vaults  shall  be  provided  with  racks  of   metal   or   other
  noncombustible material, except that in shipping room vaults racks shall
  not  be  required  where flammable motion picture film is kept in closed
  containers. Vertical noncombustible partitions equivalent in  durability
  and  heat  insulation  to three-eighths inch hard asbestos and extending
  from the floor to the ceiling shall be provided to divide the racks into
  sections so that the amount of  flammable motion picture film  protected
  by  each  sprinkler  shall not exceed eight hundred thirty pounds. Racks
  shall not obstruct vent openings.
    14. Vaults shall be protected with automatic sprinklers, with a  ratio
  of  one  head  to  each sixty-two and one-half cubic feet of total vault
  space.  A vault of seven hundred fifty  cubic  feet  shall  have  twelve
  sprinkler  heads.  Sprinkler  heads  shall  be  arranged to give uniform
  distribution  within  the  sections  formed  by  the   above   mentioned
  partitions.  They  shall  be  separated by sheet-metal baffles extending
  below the sprinkler head.
    15. All lights shall be at the ceiling and of the  fixed  marine  type
  with  vapor-proof  globes  and  conduit  wiring.  All  switches shall be
  outside the vault.
    16. Heating, when required to prevent sprinkler pipes  from  freezing,
  shall  be  by  hot  water  or  low pressure steam with automatic control
  limiting the vault temperature to  not  in  excess  of  seventy  degrees
  Fahrenheit.  Radiators shall be placed at the ceiling, over aisle space,
  with pipes and radiators protected with wire guards so arranged that  no
  flammable motion picture film can be placed within twelve inches of such
  pipes or radiators.
    17.  Materials  other than film and film cement shall not be stored in
  the film vault.
    o. Cabinets for storing  flammable motion picture  film.  1.  Cabinets
  shall  be  of  a construction approved by the commissioner and shall not
  have a capacity  in  excess  of  thirty-eight  standard  or  seventy-six
  sub-standard  reels  or three hundred eighty pounds of  flammable motion
  picture film.
    2. Cabinets may be constructed of one-fourth inch asbestos board on  a
  framework  of  one  and  one-fourth  by  one  and  one-fourth by one and
  one-eighth inch angles or may be made of No. 18 U.S. gauge metal  double
  walled with one and one-half inch air space.
    3.  Racks in the cabinet shall be of metal so arranged that containers
  can be stored on edge.
    4. Doors shall be so arranged as to remain normally closed  and  shall
  be provided with catches at three points.
    5.   Cabinets   having  a  capacity  of  over  five  standard  or  ten
  sub-standard reels or fifty pounds of   flammable  motion  picture  film
  shall  be  provided with a vent to the outside of the building. The vent
  shall have a minimum effective sectional area of fourteen square  inches
  per hundred pounds of  flammable motion picture film capacity.


    6.  Vent  flues  inside  the  building  shall  be  of  a  construction
  equivalent to No. 18 U.S. gauge metal, covered with  one  inch  of  heat
  insulating material.
    7.  Each cabinet holding over five standard or ten sub-standard reels,
  or fifty pounds of   flammable motion picture film,  shall  be  provided
  with at least one automatic sprinkler, provided, however, that a cabinet
  constructed so that each reel is in a separate compartment and will burn
  out without communicating fire to film in an adjoining compartment, need
  not be provided with an automatic sprinkler.
    p.  "No  smoking" signs. Every room in which  flammable motion picture
  film is handled shall have posted therein in conspicuous  locations  "no
  smoking" signs.