Used to calculate occupant load

• A. Occupant load factors and area of the building
• B. Direct responsibility of building owner
• C. Opening in a fire wall used for passage between two areas
• D. NFPA classifies building construction into five classes based on

Answer: (A)

Occupant load is determined by taking the usable floor area and multiplying it by the corresponding occupant load factor for that space, then summing these values for all areas. These factors come from the applicable code and reflect how many people a space is designed to safely accommodate, which then drives requirements for exits, stairways, and egress paths. For example, an assembly space will have a higher factor than a private office, so the same floor area yields more occupants and stricter egress needs. The other statements aren’t about calculating how many people a space can hold: ownership responsibility doesn’t define the calculation, a fire-wall opening is a construction detail, and NFPA’s five construction classes relate to how a building is built, not how occupant load is computed.