Single-occupancy bathrooms, m ten than not, will utilize either le or mortise locks. The thought beh is that since one person will be in makes sense to provide them w ability to lock the door to mainta vacy. Oſten, these locks allow for t to be unlocked from the outside i event of a medical emergency u ther a coin or screwdriver (see Fig In my opinion, this door did n to latch, it just needed to lock for cy. Since a tubular deadbolt is e service in a disconnect than a m or cylindrical lock, I decided to c it to push/pull hardware and a t deadbolt. The Options I could’ve used a wrap plate to r it with a privacy function lev thus potentially lowering the n of parts — depending on the ma turers — but I consider that to b kill as well. Again, that’s a lot of m parts. There’s also no visual ind of occupancy, as was the case with the mortise lock. Additional wear, i.e. push- ing/pulling down the lever, is therefore required to ascertain occupancy on both types of locks when there’s an absence of a visual indicator. Instead, I went with an indicator dead- bolt (Figure 2). The mortise pocket would be covered with a filler plate, and the function holes would be covered with a push plate and pull handle. Of all op- tions on the market, this represents the one with the fewest moving parts, and thus lowest potential for failure, while still giving a visual indication. And if, by chance, the bolt ceased to retract, it could still be accessed with just two drill points. The same could be said of some lever sets, but I guarantee that none offer less material between those drill points as indicator deadbolts. WWW.ALOA.ORG Figure 1. Single-occupancy bathrooms often have lever sets or mortise locks to allow for privacy and to be able to be unlocked from the outside in the event of an emergency. approval of the AHJ, as it wouldn’t comply with 6.1.3 Operation of Doors of NFPA 80, 2013 Edition. With that said, and with our question in mind, let’s run the life safety gauntlet as it relates to our scenario. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design requires the following: 309.4 Operation. Operable parts shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate operable parts shall be five pounds (22.2 N) maximum. This is a general rule referenced throughout the entire standard, but it’s specifically referenced by: 404.2.7 Door and Gate Hardware. Handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other “As the number of parts in a lock increases, the potential for device failure increases exponentially.” operable parts on doors and gates shall comply with 309.4. Therefore, any lock we put on this bathroom door must comply with 309.4 Operation. The thumbturn, in this case, can be op- erated by one hand without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist. I don’t proclaim to be familiar with all brands and models of indicator deadbolts, so your mileage may vary, but this particular one (Schlage’s B571) adheres to this require- ment. And, if your strike hole lines up with the bolt, bolt retraction shouldn’t require more than five pounds of force. OCTOBER 2015 KEYNOTES 23
