Environmental Health & Safety

Table with tools and floor plans

Maintenance & Construction

Hot Work

Hot work is defined as any welding, brazing, grinding, open flame use, or other spark-producing activities. When any of these activities occur in PSU buildings, the Hot Work Program must be utilized to ensure fire and life safety requirements are met.

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Fire Watch

Fire Watch is required as a short-term emergency measure to provide an acceptable life safety precaution in any buildings / spaces that have an impaired fire alarm system, fire sprinkler system, or any other life safety feature of the building that could put occupants in danger.

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Fire System Impairments

Occasionally a fire system in one of PSU's buildings must be disabled or impaired by contactors or PSU staff. In this event, the PSU Fire Prevention Coordinator has created guidelines to ensure compliance with our insurance providers and City of Portland Fire and Rescue requirements.

Review the Impairment Policy about this content

Safety Signage & Barriers

  • Signs shall be visible at all times when applicable work is being performed and shall be removed promptly when the purpose for them no longer exists.
    • Danger signs shall be used where an immediate hazard exists.
    • Caution signs shall be used to warn against potential hazards.
  • Barricades shall be visible at all times when work is being performed and shall be removed promptly when the hazard no longer exists.
    • All red danger barricades shall have a sign identifying the hazard that the barricade is protecting.
    • Red and black “DANGER” barricade tape shall be used to designate an area of danger.
      • Employees are not allowed to enter a red barricaded area without permission from the supervisor/crew responsible for the hazard in that area.
      • Examples: Overhead work, tree pruning, crane picks, boom lifts.
    • Yellow and black “CAUTION” barricade tape shall be used to designate an area of caution.
      • Employees shall be allowed to move through an area marked with caution tape once the hazard is identified.
      • Example: Trip hazards
Two men in PPE overlooking a construction site
A diagram showing seven spotter hand signals: back up, back and turn left, back and turn right, move forward, distance left to back, slow down, and stop.

Spotter Safety

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A woman in PPE next to a sport's sign that has been taken down
A man on a scissor lift

 

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Resources

Templates and Signage