Storage of items in hallways and stairwells is of concern. Hallways should not be used for storage, in particular hazardous materials. Exhibit A shows a lab that uses the hallway for storage of their empty and newly delivered compressed gas cylinders. If these are flammable or highly toxic gas cylinders, they are of particular concern. I wouldn’t want to be the one trying to get out of this lab in the event of a fire with those potential rockets right there! Notice the other problem with these cylinders? They are missing their caps.
Another hallway storage concern is ordinary combustibles, like paper, posters, and decorations. Typically, the UNL Fire Authority doesn’t want to see any type of decoration hung from the ceiling. They also don’t want to see more than about 10% of the wall surface area covered with paper decorations, posters, etc.
Sometimes, occupants will try to free up office and lab space by moving furnishings and excess equipment into hallways, but this is not allowed, unless the items are relatively non-combustible and are located in an alcove. With respect to items in the hallways, don’t get overzealous- e.g., citing carts that have been temporarily located, very small tables on rollers, temporary boxes, etc. Use some common sense judgment.
Exhibit B & C show excess equipment being stored in a stairwell. Although it is located back away from the stairs, this is not acceptable. Typically, the UNL Fire Authority allows NOTHING in a stairwell. No equipment, no boxes, no bicycles, nothing. You can cite this condition liberally.
The tricky part about citing this item is figuring out who the responsible party is. If it is directly outside a lab, then the lab will generally be responsible. For stairwells, the responsible party will most likely be the department, but consult with the Senior Specialist for the building to determine this.