College of Architecture and Urban Studies No. CFS-08 Rev.: 1 Studio Safety Procedures Date: June, 2022 ______________________________________________________________________________ Subject: Safety Procedures for Studios

  1. Purpose Studio safety procedures are intended to; help prevent accidents and injuries; increase safety awareness; maintain safety compliance with VT Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH); reduce institutional liability; and establish safety responsibilities for CAUS studio users (enrolled-students, faculty and staff). All studio users are required to be thoroughly familiar with their safety responsibilities and commit to following established safety practices at all times.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS) and Virginia Tech (VT) are committed to providing a safe and healthy living, learning and working environment for faculty, staff and students.

  1. Studio Users Affected by these Safety Procedures This CFS-08 applies to all faculty, staff and students occupying CAUS studio spaces.
  1. Responsibilities

3.1 Studio Instructors and Assistants

  1. Ensure all studio students are following prescribed safety procedures as detailed in this document (CFS-08, Section 4).
  2. Correct safety violations as required within their respective studio spaces.
  3. Report to the Safety Compliance Officer or Facilities Manager observed safety violations in common areas utilized near studio spaces, such as corridors, classrooms and labs.

3.2 Safety Compliance Officer and Facilities Manager

  1. Perform periodic inspections of studio spaces and issue Safety Violation Notices as needed.
  2. Provide guidance and support to students and instructors on safety procedures as needed.
  3. Coordinate with college administration and school directors on compliance-related issues as needed.

3.3 Studio Users (students)

  1. Ensure that your work area within the studio is maintained to meet safety compliance as detailed in this document (CFS-08, Section4)
  1. Procedures

4.1 Studio Safety Procedures that all Studio Occupants are Required to Follow:

  1. Extension cords are prohibited in studio spaces. Instead, use UL-Listed power strips with over-current protection. Power strips come with various cord lengths. Use the length best suited for your power requirements. Also, if your power strip cord crosses a walkway, be sure to secure it with strong tape or walkway conduit to mitigate a trip hazard. (see References, 5.5)

4.1 Studio Safety Procedures that all Studio Occupants are Required to Follow (cont’d):

  1. Daisy-chaining power strips is prohibited. Each power strip used must be plugged directly into a building power outlet. (See References 5.6)
  2. Furniture and materials stored in corridors, hallways and passthroughs is prohibited under Virginia Fire Code. Means of egress in emergencies must be maintained. (see References 5.7)
  3. Excessive paper/materials on, below or beside studio tables is prohibited. Scrap materials such as paper, cardboard, wood, etc. must be removed from your workspace promptly. Trash cans are available for smaller items and a dumpster is provided at the Burchard loading dock for larger items. Maintain an organized clutter-free space will make your studio work more efficient and less problematic. Clutter can be a fire hazard. (see References 5.8)
  4. Chemicals (glue, varnishes, paints, etc.) must have an associated Safety Data Sheet (SDS). SDS’s can easily be found at the manufacturer’s website. A printed copy must be available to safety inspectors on demand. (see References 5.9)
  5. Spray painting should be performed in the designated paint booth outside (there is a paint booth outside of Cowgill). This is to prevent damage/defamation to university property.
  6. Student class wiring projects must be below 50volts. Anything above that requires the person to be “qualified” and the PI or instructor would be responsible for oversight and training in electrical. (see References 5.10)

4.3 Studio Safety Monitoring

  1. It is the responsibility of each student and studio instructor to monitor their studio for safety violations detailed in this document and correct said violations. Any studio occupant (enrolled-student, faculty or staff) working in an unsafe manner will be asked to correct the safety violation immediately. A second violation in the same semester will require the user to leave the studio until the CAUS Safety Compliance Officer is notified. The Safety Compliance Officer will be required to counsel the violator on proper safety procedures. A third violation will result in the person being prohibited from studio access for the rest of the semester or a length of time determined by the Safety Officer or Facilities Manager.
  2. The CAUS Safety Compliance Officer, Facilities Manager and EHS have the express authority to enforce safety procedure violations.
  1. References
  2. VT Health and Safety Policy #1005
  3. University Safety and Security Policy #5615
  4. Bicycles inside Buildings, see: https://policies.vt.edu/assets/5005.pdf, section #3.2.1
  5. EHS Policies/Documents/Programs
  6. Extension Cords: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/ELE_ext_cords.php (at bottom)
  7. Daisy-chaining Power Strips: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/ELE_ext_cords.php (at bottom)
  8. Furniture/Material Storage: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/FLS_egress.php
  9. Excessive Paper and Materials on or around studio tables: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/FLS_fire_prevent.php
  10. Chemicals and Required SDS: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/HAZ_com_plan.php
  11. Electrical Wiring for Class Projects: https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/ELE_design_install.php (see General Wiring Design and Protection for wiring for connection to supply)

https://www.ehss.vt.edu/programs/MAC_machinery.php

  1. Approvals

CAUS Safety Compliance Officer: Brian Squibb, squibb@vt.edu CAUS Facilities Manager: Jeff Snider, jeffs@vt.edu CAUS Asst. Dean for Administration and Finance: Erin Poff, emcclusk@vt.edu VT EHS Occupational Safety Program Manager: Robin Miller, rmmiller@vt.edu