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REAL ESTATE
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BUILDERS
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NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 20, 1915
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I
HOW TO PLAN FOR FACTORY BUILDINGS I
Preliminary Studies Should Be Submitted to the State Industrial Commission
—Ignorance of the Labor Law Causes Trouble, Says Commissioner Lynch
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Section lO-d, subd. 3, of the Labor Law, re-
approval of plans, reads as follows: "Before
construction or alteration of a building in which
it is intended to conduct one or ynore factories,
the plans and specifications for such construc¬
tion or alteration may be submitted to the Com¬
missioner of Labor" for examination and ap¬
proval.
BECAUSE of the use of the word
"May" the Department of Labor has
no jurisdiction over a building in course
of erection, and it is not mandatory to
submit plans and specifications of pro¬
posed factory buildings or alterations
to existing buildings (except elevator
installations, which is mandatory under
rule 400 of the Industrial Code), but
if desired by a manufacturer, architect
or engineer, they may be submitted to
the State Industrial Commission in such
form and with such information as may
be deemed necessary to intelligently de¬
termine their compliance with the pro¬
visions of the Labor Law and Industrial
Code pertinent thereto. As soon as a
building is actually used for factory pur¬
poses, the Department of Labor has
jurisdiction.
The Safest Way.
The safest way to build for factory
purposes nowadays is to get your plans
approved by the State Industrial Com¬
mission, as well as by the local officials
having jurisdiction. Commissioner
James H. Lj^nch, head of the Bureau of
Inspection, writing in the November
Bulletin of the department, gives some
very pertinent and timely information
and advice to owners and architects con¬
cerning the requirements of the Labor
Law and the safest procedure in filing
plans. The report says:
The arrangement of plans was for¬
merly done by owners or managers, who
made little or no provision for their e.x¬
tension or development, and it was the
belief that the buildings were of little
importance, but it is now well known
that they can and should be arranged
and designed to facilitate production to
the greatest extent, at the same time
affording adequate protection against
loss of life and property by fire.
The efficiency of a new plant, or its
capability of producing at minimum cost,
depends to a great extent on the thought
and study which has been given to the
general arrangement of machinery in
each department.
Maximum Number on a Floor.
The Labor Laws specify the maxi¬
mum number of people permitted to
work in a room in a factory as fol¬
lows: For each person employed, not
less than 250 cubic feet of air space be¬
tween 6 o'clock in the morning and 6
o'clock in the evening, and 400 cubic
feet between 6 o'clock in the evening
and 6 o'clock in the morning. Further,
section 79-a, applicable to all buildings
and additions erected after October 1,
1913, specifies that exits be provided in
such number as the floor area may re¬
quire, same being 5,000 square feet or
less—two exits; each additional 5,000
COMMISSIONER JAMES M. LYNCH.
square feet or part thereof an additional
exit. The location, number and type of
these exits being fixed by law, they
should be a primary consideration be¬
fore arranging the contents of a struc¬
ture.
Sufficient exit capacity for the number
of employees is also required. The
minimum width of 44 inches for stairs,
as specified in the law, may be insuffi¬
cient to accommodate the contemplated
occupancy, thereby necessitating wider
stairs or additional exits.
Vertical openings in the form of shafts
are to be enclosed in fireproof parti¬
tions, thereby reducing the vertical fire
hazard.
Fire Walls.
Fire walls equipped with fire doors
may often be conveniently provided, af¬
fording horizontal exits for the occu¬
pants, as well as automatic fire stops
by breaking up areas and localizing fire
within a building.
Buildings over four stories in height
are required to be of fireproof construc¬
tion, and the provisions of section 79-f
of the Labor Law defining same, are
applicable thereto.
Sanitary conveniences are essential to
efficient work and are required, such as
good light, pure air, wash rooms, dress¬
ing rooms, water closets, etc.; sizes and
number depending on sex and number
of occupants as defined by the Sanitary
Code. All of these requirements oc¬
cupy a certain amount of floor space,
and the need is therefore evident for
very careful planning and study before
beginning detail drawings. The law of
economic construction in the building
of plants is, that the greatest efficiency
and economy is obtained only when the
work is under the direction of a thor¬
oughly proficient and experienced per¬
son. Efficiency is greatly hindered
when a building is unsuited to its use,
and defects which are discovered after
completion are usually expensive to
remedy.
A manufacturer who contemplates the
erection of a new factory building or ex¬
tensive alterations to an existing build¬
ing secures the services of a competent
and conscientious engineer or architect.
Preliminary studies of proposed build¬
ings should be subinitted to the State
Industrial Coinmission, to be examined
by its Engineeering Division, because in¬
timate knowledge of the requirements of
the Labor Law places the division in a
position to advise the manufacturer or
his engineers as to the simplest, most
economical and best methods of com¬
plying with the provisions of the law.
Preparation of Plans.
It has been the experience of the En¬
gineering Division that some architects
and engineers prepare plans either in
ignorance of the requirements of the law
or on the assumption that their interpre¬
tations of it is correct. In the former
case buildings have been completed, and
upon inspection by a factory inspector,
numerous changes and alterations have
been necessitated in complying with or¬
ders issued, causing additional expense
to the manufacturer, which could other¬
wise have been avoided, beside the an¬
noyance and inconvenience.
IJpon tardy receipt of plans of build¬
ings in course of erection it has been
found by the Engineering Division that
the number of exits specified were either
insufficient or of a type not recognized
bv law, the building having been de¬
signed with consideration of the nature
of the industry as to layout of machin¬
ery, etc., with no provision as to the
width of aisles, number of exits, size and
construction of toilet rooms, location of
wash rooms, etc. It is needless to state
that the manufacturer, on being notified
that his building is being erected con¬
trary to the requirements of law, is put
to extra expense and annoyance, in view
of the fact that the building was let at a
contract price and any additional work
is usually estimated on a percentage
basis. In the case of alterations or
providing additional exits to an existing
building, the possibility of future expan¬
sion is frequently overlooked. A pro¬
posed exit, if of sufficient width to pro¬
vide for, in addition to the existin.g exits,
the maximum occupancy on a factory
floor permissible by law, the necessity
of requiring additional exit capacity for
an increased occupancy would be ob¬
viated.
Actual Cases Cited.
In order to illustrate more clearly the
assertion that some architects and en¬
gineers design and erect factory build¬
ings contrary to the requirements of the
Labor Law, while their clients, the man¬
ufacturers, are of the impression that
their buildings, having been approved
by the local building department, meet
all legal requirements, we cite the fol¬
lowin.g actual cases, one of which is at
present under consideration:
(l) Plans were approved by a local
building department for a $100,000 bak-