Building Assessments

Assessments and inspections are routinely performed in PSU-owned campus buildings. The purpose of these assessments is to identify any present or potential hazards and to take action to mitigate those hazards for the safety of all occupants.

These consist of general workplace safety inspections that are performed on a quarterly basis by both the Campus Safety Committee and the Facilities and Construction Safety Committee, as well as more in-depth assessments performed by EHS and Fire Prevention staff. These assessments often include, but are not limited to, mechanical, electrical, and janitorial spaces.

Building Occupants

As an occupant of a building, you are essentially the eyes for common hazards. Many of these hazards have a simple and effective corrective action or solution that may prevent a future incident or accident.

How You Can Help!

Here is a list of common workplace hazards and their corrective actions.

Common Hazard	Corrective Action
Electrical Safety
Electrical panels do not have 36” of clearance	Remove obstructive material(s)
Extension cords are daisy chained or otherwise being used as permanent wiring	Remove daisy chain or contact the Work Control Center for permanent wiring work
Switches, receptacles, junction boxes, or breaker panels are missing covers or plates	Submit a request to the Work Control Center to have covers or plates replaced
Stairs and Stairways
Stairwells have stored items, either on landings or underneath the stairway	Clear the obstructing materials
General Workplace Safety
Lights are not in normal working order or are missing their covers	Request for maintenance on lights from the Work Control Center
Rooms are not labeled correctly	Request for the Work Control Center to replace signage
Walls and doors are damaged, may contain holes	Request for the Work Control Center to fix damage
Rooms have impeding clutter	Clear area of clutter
Fire and Life Safety*
Fire rated doors are propped open	Remove item holding door open
Fire extinguishers lack clearance of at least 18” from all directions	Clear any obstructions
Extension cords and multi plug adapters are not used appropriately	Extension cords are for temporary use only; multiplug adapters are not allowed on campus
Egress pathways do not have 36” clearance	Clear obstructions
Electrical panels are blocked / inaccessible	A minimum of 36” clearance must be maintained around electrical panels

*For more information on Fire and Life Safety hazards, please visit the Fire & Life Safety webpage

See Something, Say Something!

If you notice a safety concern in your building and you aren’t sure what to do or you feel it is outside of your scope to correct, reach out to EHS staff. EHS will come take a look and ensure the appropriate corrective action is followed.

Resources

Submit Work Request
Safety Committee Website
Workplace Safety Inspection Sheet