Annual fire inspections by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, which began last week, will continue through February and into March. Inspections cover all residential spaces and academic areas. Please review your work spaces and ensure that you are maintaining a safe and compliant environment for you and others in the building. Your help will also support the University’s goal of no violations.
Please take a moment to review the checklist appropriate for your area: https://intranet.clarkson.edu/administrative/dehs/fire-safety/annual-fire-inspection/
Specific items to look out for:
1. Portable space heaters – Due to the recent fire in NYC that claimed the lives of 17 people this issue has become a point of even greater concern. If you have a portable space heater in your space, ensure that it is UL listed, it has an automatic shutoff feature if it were to tip over, it is plugged directly into a wall outlet (no extension cord or power strip use) and it is at least 3 ft away from any combustible material and is not left on unattended.
2. Propped fire doors – Which used to be acceptable as long as the room was occupied, is now no longer permitted by the Fire Marshal.
3. Refrigerators/microwaves – All refrigerators and microwaves must be plugged directly into a wall outlet, they cannot be plugged into a power strip or extension cord.
4. Power strips – If you are using a power strip or multi-plug outlet extender, ensure that it has surge protection and that it is plugged directly into an electrical outlet. It cannot be combined with any other power strips, extension cords or other multi-plug adapters.
5. Storage – Ensure that combustible material is not stored closer than 18” from the ceiling if the room has sprinkers, or 24” from the ceiling if the room does not have sprinklers.
6. Egress – Always ensure that you have a clear egress path out of your office and ensure that your door can fully open. You should not have items stored behind it preventing it from opening
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the upcoming inspection or items on these checklists, please reach out to Erica Arnold (earnold@clarkson.edu) or Brian Moulton (blmoulto@clarkson.edu) in the Environmental Health & Safety Department.