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NFPA 99 Guidelines
4.1 Building System Categories.
Building systems in health care facilities shall be designed to meet system Category 1 through Category 4 requirements as detailed in this code.
4.1.1 Category 1.
Facility systems in which failure of such equipment or system is likely to cause major injury or death of patients or caregivers shall be designed to meet system Category 1 requirements as defined in this code.
4.1.2 Category 2.
Facility systems in which failure of such equipment is likely to cause minor injury to patients or caregivers shall be designed to meet system Category 2 requirements as defined in this code.
4.1.3 Category 3.
Facility systems in which failure of such equipment is not likely to cause injury to patients or caregivers, but can cause patient discomfort, shall be designed to meet system Category 3 requirements as defined in this code.
4.1.4 Category 4.
Facility systems in which failure of such equipment would have no impact on patient care shall be designed to meet system Category 4 requirements as defined in this code.
Additional Information:
Category 1: Systems are expected to work or be available at all times to support patient needs.
Category 2: Systems are expected to provide a high level of reliability; however, limited short durations of equipment downtime can be tolerated without significant impact on patient care. Category 2 systems support patient needs but are not critical for life support.
Category 3: Normal building system reliabilities are expected. Such systems support patient needs, but failure of such equipment would not immediately affect patient care. Such equipment is not critical for life support.
Category 4: Such systems have no impact on patient care and would not be noticeable to patients in the event of failure.