Physical Plant shares guidelines for holiday decorations

As the season for holiday decorating approaches, first with Halloween, then Thanksgiving and Christmas, we ask that you be aware of some safety and maintenance concerns that must be considered when decorating.

Fire safety and egress:

• Decorations must never block exits or egress pathways. Egress pathways are the paths or hallways that a person must take that leads to the exit door. The pathway width should be maintained to at least the same width as the doorway itself.
• It is also important to know that the University is required to comply with Denver City Fire and ADA accessibility codes. This requires all pathways and doorways to have a minimum clearance of 36 inches.
• Windows should never be covered or blacked out, as this reduces visibility for safe egress, security, emergency rescue and ADA accessibility.
• Do not remove ceiling tiles or hang decorations from ceiling tiles or ceiling grid unless specifically authorized to do so with appropriate hanging devices. Even minimally disturbed ceiling tiles can cause a void that smoke can enter, preventing or delaying fire detection.
• Some decorations may be flammable, which can add more fuel for a fire. Use décor that is flame retardant and avoid too many decorations together in one location.

Posting and poster putty:

• The University has a posting policy that restricts the products used to post things on walls to latex based putty, we strongly recommend UHU Tac ONLY. The University's posting policy can be obtained from the Office of Student Life.
• Items stapled to walls or other types of surface-damaging tape, including duct and painters’ tape to hang items is prohibited. Tapes will emulsify into the paint and door finishes and it damages the surfaces when removed. It also takes an extended amount of time for the custodial staff to clean when the tape is left behind, which could result in chargebacks.

Lights and trees:

• Decorative lights must be UL listed and must be hung in a manner that follows safe fire and hanging practices as listed above. Lights should be hung away from objects/papers that could ignite. Lights must be UNPLUGGED when space is unoccupied, such as at night, over weekends.
• Do not daisy chain extension cords or surge protectors to each other.
• Live trees are prohibited, but fake trees are allowed.
• Must be UL listed; must not block egress or fire extinguisher access; must not be of excessive size/ height for the space it is in; must be UNPLUGGED when space is unoccupied, such as at night, over weekends.

We appreciate the fact that decorating department areas builds morale and stimulates creativity in the workplace. However, we ask that greater attention be given to both the safety of occupants in the buildings and to the possibility of damage to walls and ceilings that creates costly and time-consuming maintenance problems.

Decorated areas will be monitored throughout the season and if decorations are found to be in violation of regulations, corrections maybe asked to be made immediately and/or decorations may be confiscated.

Thank you from Physical Plant.