> 1) How common (do you think) is the policy of forbidding use? and 2) what are the arguments for this “no use” policy?
>
Another element in this policy decision that I haven’t seen mentioned yet are the requirements of the relevant Authority Having Jurisdiction. There was turnover in the Fire Marshall’s office that oversees our fire safety program in the last year and we were informed last week that their expectations for fire extinguisher training and fire watches was being updated immediately. This will impact the staging of a theatrical performance which had planned on using haze effects as part of the production, since we can’t upgrade the alarm systems quickly enough to meet the new requirements.
With this in mind, I would expect response agencies to want to know what to expect of the occupants’ response in case of a fire, so consulting with the AHJ should be part of writing a policy, as well as all of the technical and human factor considerations others have already pointed out. I suspect that the policy will turn out to be a more complicated process and vary from institution to institution more than it appears on the face...
- Ralph
Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859
ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu
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