Holiday Decorations
Please decorate safely this holiday season
The Holiday Season is upon us. To avoid risk of serious injury and potential property loss, please follow these guidelines when decorating university office space.
General Decorations
- Types of Decorations. Fire code requires all decorations to be non-combustible; those made of combustible material must be treated with a U.L. listed fire retardant.
- Location. Do not place decorations on doors leading to building corridors or within the corridor itself. In addition, care should be taken not to block access to exits or create tripping hazards in walkways.
- Lighting. All decorative lighting should be U.L. listed and of the type that does not produce heat. You should be able to hold a bulb between your fingers without discomfort for an indefinite period of time.
The temporary use of extension cords is usually unavoidable. However, never leave decorative lighting energized during non-office hours. Do not run extension cords from one room to another, and never string cords across doorways or walkways.
Do not string cords together! If your decorative lighting is too far from an outlet for one extension cord to reach, move the decorations closer, or do not use them. Outdoor lights and energized decorations must be equipped with ground fault interrupters (GFIs). - Remember: use of open flame (e.g., candles, luminaria, incense) is prohibited.
Holiday Trees
- Live or harvested trees should be less than five feet in height and placed in common areas only (reception areas, meeting rooms, break rooms). Never place trees near exit doors, exit aisles or in corridors.
- Trees used indoors are required to be treated with flame retardant.
- A tag must be affixed to the tree when purchased stating the date of the sale, type of fire retardant used for treatment, the name of the person who applied the treatment and the name of the person affixing the tag.
- A support device must be used to hold the tree in a stable, upright positio