This policy applies to all students, faculty, and staff using portable heaters in any building that is owned, rented, or leased by the university except residence halls.  No portable heaters will be allowed under any circumstances in residence halls.
 

Acceptable Circumstances for the Use of Portable Heaters

• Portable heaters may only be used on a temporary basis when there are problems with the central building heating system.  The heaters must meet the minimum requirements to be approved heaters.

• If there is a central building heating problem please notify the physical plant of the problem at 342-5170.

• The approved portable heaters may be used when the building temperature cannot be maintained by the central building heating system at a comfortable temperature (68 degrees F or above).

• Other use of portable heaters will require the written approval of the environmental health & safety officer.  You may call the EH&S Officer at 342-5177.

Approved Portable Heaters

Only portable heaters that meet the following requirements are allowed for use at the university.  The requirements are:

• The heater must be electrically powered.  The heater should be listed by Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) and/or approved by Factory Mutual (FM).  Tags or labels indicating the device has been tested and approved by either of these agencies can be found on the electrical cord or die stamped on the heater itself.

• The heater should have a thermostat for heat regulation.  The thermostat will shut off the heater once the desired temperature has been reached.

• The heater must be a convection type heater (fan driven). Approved for use are radiator type heaters filled with oil or water/antifreeze mix.  Heaters that use a ceramic element to produce heat are also approved.

• All heaters are required to have tip-over shutdown feature so that if the heater is knocked over, the unit automatically turns off.

• The heater must be clean and not covered with dust.  The cord must be in good condition and not frayed or otherwise damaged.

Conditions Required for Portable Heater Use

• The heater must be located on the floor.

• Never place or store anything on the portable heater.

• Do not place portable heaters near central building heater thermostats.

• Maintain adequate clearance around the heater.  Adequate clearance is at least three feet from any combustible material.

• The heater must be plugged directly into the electrical outlet.  No extension cords or power strips are allowed.

• The heater must be unplugged (not just turned off) any time the room or area being heated is unoccupied.  Never leave the heater unattended.

NOTE: This policy is applicable to most situations, however, there will be some situations where the policy is not appropriate.  Portable heater use may not be appropriate in some buildings due to electrical problems, age of the building, fire life safety building codes, etc.  In these cases the physical plant and/or the environmental health and safety officer may decide not to allow portable heater use in these buildings.