Don’t Let Your Historic Building Become a Historic Ruin
Th e historic buildings on Capitol Hill are some of our country’s most prized architectural landmarks. But they are also overcrowded – and potentially hazardous – office spaces.
Space Heaters
Old, historic buildings often translate to cold, drafty workspaces. If space heaters are allowed in your building, be sure the one you are using is safe. Space heaters in the workplace must be approved for commercial be approved for commercial use by a recognized safety testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories, and they must have a mechanism that automatically have a mechanism that automatically turns off the heater if it tips over. Unplug your space heater when it’s not in use, keep it at least 3 feet from any flammable 3 feet from any flammable materials—including that mountain of paperwork on the floor—and never plug it into an extension cord.
Extension Cords
Extension cords may have become a way of life in century-old buildings retrofitted for modern conveniences, but they are still one of the leading causes of office fires. Extension cords are meant to be used as temporary fixes, not as permanent wiring. Light-weight, residential brown and white extension cords are not made to handle the electric current from a copier, two printers, and a coffee maker—and often much more. If you do have to use an extension cord, make sure it’s been approved by a safety testing laboratory, don’t use it for more than 90 days and don’t plug g more than one device into it at a time.
Daisy Chains
One of the most common safety hazards common safety hazards found on Office of Compliance inspections of the legislative branch are “Daisy Chains,” a series of extension cords and power strips plugged into one another. Office of Compliance inspectors discovered more than 2,400 daisy chain violations in their inspections of the 109th Congress alone. Quite often, a power strip can be a safe substitute for a series of extension cords. For a better long-term solution, however, consider requesting that more outlets or modular furniture with wired outlets be installed in your office.
