[Tang-Residents] Health and Safety Inspections

[Michael J Collins]

Dear Residents,



Annual health and safety inspections are conducted it the residential halls, and we appreciate your cooperation as we work to ensure all residential halls are safe for students, staff, and faculty. Inspections will take place from March 9th  to April 15th.  The House Operations Manager for your residential hall will send notification at least 24 hours prior to the inspections taking place within your building.  Below is a quick reference guide to the process and a copy of the inspection form that will be used.  You will receive an email upon completion of your room inspection that will indicate your room has passed inspection or list any corrective steps that need to be taken.



Key Dates

  *   The inspection period for Spring 2020 will be March 9th  to April 15th (inspections will not take place during spring break).

Prior Notification of Inspection

  *   Residents are notified at least 24 hours before the inspection takes place and are not required to be present at the time of inspection.

Time to Correct Inspection Violations

  *   Any resident who receives notification of findings that require corrective action will have 72 hours to correct the issue, and can expect professional staff to revisit the space to ensure compliance.



Please note that staff will collect any unauthorized items which pose an immediate hazard at the time of the inspection (i.e., candles, incense, and any other open flame device).  Any collected items will be recorded on the inspection checklist and, if desired, students may reclaim their candles and have them shipped to their family home address (any unclaimed items will be disposed of after student move-out). You will receive an electronic copy of the inspection report in your MIT inbox and are responsible to correct any MIT policy or regulation violations marked on the report.  Below, please find the inspection process highlights and checklist.



Thank you for your time, cooperation and assistance with enhancing the safety of the MIT residential community.  For further information about fire and life safety or the inspection checklist, please visit the MIT Housing Website<https://studentlife.mit.edu/housing/housing-policies> or contact Alice Ursella, DSL EHS Program Manager, at (617) 253-4257.



Sincerely,



Housing & Residential Services





INSPECTION HIGHLIGHTS:



  *   You will receive an email from your House Operations Manager with the date and approximate time they will inspect your room. The inspections are conducted at reasonable times, typically between 10 am-4 pm on the designated inspection period (March 1st-April 15th). Residents are notified at least 24 hours before the inspection takes place and are not required to be present at the time of inspection.
  *   The procedures followed by staff conducting inspections are intended to cause minimal inconvenience to students while allowing them to do their jobs effectively. Staff are courteous and reasonable, and students are expected to treat inspectors similarly.
  *   The Health and Safety inspection is limited to plain sight; no drawers, trunks, fridges, or closets are opened. Staff look for such hazards as hanging canopies, overloaded power strips, toaster ovens, candles, items hanging from the sprinkler head, etc.  Please see the below checklist for the full list of findings.
  *   Damaged power cords will be noted on the checklist and the students are responsible for throwing them away and purchasing new ones.
  *   After the inspection, residents will be notified via email about whether their living area passed inspection or if corrective action is required. Any findings that require corrective action or confiscations that occurred will be noted on the inspection report. After receiving the results of the inspection report, the resident will then have 72 hours to take correct action to address the finding, and can expect professional staff to revisit the space to ensure compliance.
  *   House Operations Managers are available to discuss any findings noted on the inspection report and explain the reasons why the issue(s) creates an unsafe living environment and conflicted with MIT housing policies.


INSPECTION CHECKLIST

Electrical Safety



  *   Unauthorized electrical appliances are present in the room
     *   Toaster ovens, microwave ovens, hot plates, coffee maker with hot plate, electric wok, broiler, unauthorized space heater, and any other appliance with open-coiled or exposed heating elements and/or non-UL listed
  *   Electrical receptacle(s) is overloaded
     *   Max 3 devices per wall outlet
  *   Damaged power strip
     *   Damaged power strip will be discarded by resident
  *   Daisy-Chained power strips
     *   Do not extend power strips b plugging them into other power strips
  *   Fridge plugged into an extension cord
     *   Fridge must be plugged directly into the wall outlet
  *   Suspected concealed unauthorized appliances

Fire Safety

  *   Flammable, combustible, toxic, or hazardous materials are present in the room
     *   The possession, manufacture, storage or use of hazardous materials in residence halls is prohibited
  *   Candles, incense, or other open flame item is present in the room
     *   Candles and incense will be removed by House Manager.
  *   Excessive combustible material (more than 10% covers walls, floor, ceiling and door)
     *   No more than 10% of total available vertical space may be covered with combustible decorative materials (posters, pictures, papers, textiles, etc.). Decorative material: (i) must be at least 12 inches away from electrical outlets; (ii) cannot be hung from the ceiling, or in a location that will cover or interfere with light fixtures, smoke detector, sprinkler heads, outlets, heating system or other appliances
  *   Fire protection equipment is obstructed or tempered
     *   Fire protection equipment includes: (i) smoke and heat detectors; (ii) fire alarm horns and lights; (iii) fire sprinkler head and piping.
  *   Furniture or combustible material is placed direct contact with heating elements or electronics
     *   An air gap minimum of 3 feet must be maintained around heating elements, electronic devices and cords; materials cannot be placed directly against heating elements and electronics
  *   Evidence of cooking
  *   Evidence of smoking

Life safety

  *   Egress is obstructed
     *   The evacuation path inside the building must be unobstructed: the bedroom's door must fully open, and the corridor must be clear. The House Manager will remove any object left in the hallway, or other public areas (shoes, bikes, luggage, etc.).
  *   Room number is covered/tempered/modified
     *   Room's number must be visible for emergency services to properly identify and respond to emergency calls. Tampering with the door room number may cause delays in the response by emergency services.
  *   Excessive trash debris and improper sealed food

Loft

  *   Are loft structures built by students, or a bunk bed present in the room?
  *   The bed is too close to the ceiling
     *   At least 36" are required between the top of the mattress and the sprinkler head or ceiling, whichever is closest to the mattress.
  *   Loft or bunk bed block any of the doors, windows, air conditioning, heating or plumbing units, smoke detectors present in the room
     *   The above-listed items and any part of the building needing regular maintenance, require a minimum clearance of 3 feet.
  *   The loft/bunk bed is connected to the building structure
     *   Lofts must be bolted together to allow for ease of disassembly and adequate structural support. Nails and spikes are not allowed. Bolts, nails, chains, etc. cannot be sunken, attached or adhered in any way to the walls, floors and/or ceilings to support the loft/bunk bed.

Kitchens

  *   Kitchen is dirty
     *   Stove and oven should not have food residual, dust, grease etc.
  *   Combustibles are present around the stove and in the oven
     *   Combustibles such as potholders, towels, rags, drapes and food packaging are present around the stove and oven.
  *   Electric appliances and cords too close to the sink or stove heating elements
     *   Appliances should be kept 3 feet away from sink or stove.




Michael Collins


House Operations Manager
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Division of Student Life | Housing & Residential Services
Tang Residence Hall W84-104
550 Memorial Drive
Westgate Family Apartments
540 Memorial Drive
Cambridge Ma 02139
Office Tele. 617-253-5146


Repairs:  - https://atlas.mit.edu/atlas/Main.action?tab=home&sub=group_servreq

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