Control Areas

A space within a building where quantities of hazardous materials not exceeding the maximum allowable quantities (MAQs) per control area are stored, dispensed, used, or handled.

Control areas can be indoors or outdoors. A single control area can span an entire building, floor, room, or contiguous suite of rooms. However, they must be separated from other control areas by fire-resistance rated construction.

Cube Image Control Area Example
3D cube
  • Consider this “box” to be a control area, where each of the six sides (floor, ceiling, 4 walls) are fire-resistance rated barriers on all six sides.
  • Number of control areas allowed and MAQs per control area vary with floor level, sprinkler status, and storage conditions of chemicals

 Table - Fewer chemicals are allowed on upper floors and MAQ percent per floor

Single Control Area Shared by Multiple Labs Example
Single control area shared by multiple labs

Control areas:

  • In this example, a floor is a single control area shared by multiple labs.
  • Corridor walls are not fire resistant rated
  • Lab A + Lab B + Lab C + … Lab X = TOTAL Control Area MAQs