Always thinking of us...

During this holiday season we start to become very busy. In case you missed our article in the newsletter, this is the extended version of frequently asked question regarding holiday decorating. Please read and post the following holiday guidelines. Your safety is important to us. --Your Safety Committee.

As Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, naturally most sections want to put up holiday decorations which includes paper cut outs, lights, garland, Christmas trees and other items that support the holiday spirit. In this regard, we should all keep workplace safety in mind when using holiday decorations.

Listed below are some frequently asked questions regarding holiday decorating.

Can I run a drop cord to my...? No. Extension cords are not allowed except for temporary presentations or temporary attended use. Extension cords are not to be used in lieu of permanent wiring systems. Do not use ground pin "cheater" devices to plug a grounded cord into an ungrounded (2 slot) receptacle outlet.

So the two I have to use every year to decorate the damn tree are verboten? Maybe I should bring this up and let someone else deal with the tree decorating duties. I would hate for our tree to be outcompliancence...

Are candles allowed? No. No items with an open flame even during direct supervision are allowed. (candles, potpourri, etc.)

Puh-lease. They don't have any more luck with this than the dorm monitors did.

Can I put up an artificial tree? Yes. If they are labeled as "fire retardant" or "lame resistive".

Oh good for us! our tree is so old it's made from asbestos! flame and fire resistant! score one for us! It is however resistant to both "pretty" and "attractive".

Can I put up a natural tree? No. Not in State Buildings or State leased space. They can dry out because of weekend inattention and poor humidity conditions.

We had one a couple of years ago, the guy in charge of our building took chopped it down of his own yard. It smelled nice for the first day but then we got tried of having to feed and water it. We won't have another, not because it dried out but because so many people were allergic.

How many lights can I string together? Install UL listed (or CSA) lights in accordance with the listing instructions. Most light sets limit the number of sets that can be connected in series (connected to each other) since the first strand carries all of the current to subsequent strands. If no instructions are provided or available, use a UL listed multi-tap to power one or two strands only.

Right. This only applies to offices that are not this one.

It's cold in my office; can I have a space heater? No. No portable electric heaters are allowed.

Sucks being you or more importantly, ME. Assholes.

Can I decorate the stairwell? No. Not even a plant.

Saftey Grinches!

Can I decorate the hallway? Yes. However, don't block exit corridors and exits with decorations since this is our means of egress in an emergency situation.

Where do you think the left plugged into an extension cord all night non-flammable trees are? The exit doors are an ideal place to stick a tree so as to keep it out of the way. Should the worst happen, it won't matter anyway because the doors are locked.