UW - LA CROSSE

HEALTH AND SAFETY BULLETIN

SUBJECT: Fire Prevention
RELEASED BY: Dan Sweetman
DATE: March 24, 1994

The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse requests that each employee do everything possible to provide a safe and healthful working and learning environment for our employees, students, guests and residents of the community. A component of this shared commitment involves eliminating potential for fires. The following are some of the actions each of us can take to prevent the devastating effect of fires.

ELECTRICITY

  1. Do not use lightweight lamp or extension cords for permanent wiring.
  2. Do not overload electrical circuits. Hot circuit breakers that trip frequently may indicate a wiring problem requiring investigation and maintenance by a qualified electrician.
  3. Contact Facilities Management to request modifications to electrical service. All modifications to building electrical circuits must be conducted by qualified Facilities Management Electricians.
  4. Only use strip outlets with built in over-current protection.
  5. All electric hand held tools, portable hand lamps and appliances shall be electrically grounded (three pronged grounding plug) unless protected by an approved system of double insulation or its equivalent.
  6. Do not cover or prevent air flow through air cooling vents on any electrical equipment.
  7. Disconnect or turn electrical equipment off when not in use for extended periods.
  8. Light bulbs should be at least 2 inches from combustible materials.

HEATING

  1. Combustible materials such as paper, cardboard, cloth and plastic should not be placed on
  2. heat registers or steam pipes. Leave at least 6 inches clearance around this equipment to allow for adequate ventilation.
  3. Keep portable and stationary space heaters at least 3 feet from combustible materials.

CHEMICALS

  1. Limit quantity of flammable liquids in work area to a one day supply. Isolate large quantities of flammable liquids, (i.e., quantities in excess of one days supply) in flammable storage cabinets or specially designed inside storage rooms.
  2. When possible, use a non-flammable or less flammable/combustible solvent or cleaner.
  3. To protect against static electricity use bonding and grounding wires when dispensing flammable liquids from drums or tanks.
  4. Do not mix chemicals unless you are sure that they are compatible.

MISCELLANEOUS

  1. Obsolete equipment, files, records, furniture and other combustible materials should be removed\disposed.
  2. All areas should be kept clean and orderly. Accumulation of combustible materials and disorderly arrangement contribute to the rapid spread of fires.

TRAINING AND/OR AUDITS
Personnel interested in receiving fire prevention training, conducting fire prevention audits in their work area or have any questions related to workplace environmental health and safety should contact Dan Sweetman in Physical Plant or at 785-6800.


Who Do I Contact For Additional Information

For incidents or questions, contact Dan Sweetman, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, 855 East Avenue North, La Crosse, WI 54601 EMail: sweetman@mail.uwlax.edu Telephone: (608)785-6800 Fax: (608)785-6577

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Last updated May 7, 1997