APARTMENT Risk Management Guidebook

APARTMENT Risk Management Guidebook

The purpose of this Risk Management Program is to provide our clients in the Apartment industry with information dealing with targeted areas of loss potential for Apartment Housing operations. Please take time to review these materials and integrate them into your ongoing loss prevention efforts at your facility. If you would like additional Loss Control assistance please contact the Philadelphia Insurance Companies Loss Control Department by visiting us on the web:

PIC Loss Control Services

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The enclosed loss control information is for your consideration in your loss prevention efforts1.

They are not intended to be complete or definitive in identifying all hazards associated with your business, preventing workplace accidents, or complying with any safety related, or other, laws or regulations. You are encouraged to address the specific hazards of your business and to have your legal counsel review all of your plans and company policies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: GENERAL APARTMENT SAFETY ................................................................................. 3 Dryer Safeguards ............................................................................................................ 3 Outdoor Grilling Safeguards ............................................................................................ 7 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ........................................................................................... 9 Fall Prevention: Guards, Handrails & Window Guards .................................................. 10 Residential Bodies of Water .......................................................................................... 10 SLIPS, TRIPS and FALLS............................................................................................. 11 POOL SAFETY ............................................................................................................. 14 Swimming Pool Safety Checklist ................................................................................... 17 The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Act .................................................................. 18 PLAYGROUND SAFETY .............................................................................................. 23 PROPERTY CONSERVATION ..................................................................................... 24 WATER DAMAGE PREVENTION................................................................................. 25 VEHICLE SAFETY ........................................................................................................ 27

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GENERAL APARTMENT SAFETY

Risk Management is a formal written and practiced program to ensure that the organization is properly prepared, for potential property losses from various perils and crises including natural disasters and catastrophes. This section will focus on special hazards associated with Apartments.

Dryer Safeguards

Background Appliances such as clothes dryers, found today in many settings in the workplace can be both a personal & property hazard! Dryers typically are electric or gas fired units. Dryers are no longer relegated to below ground installations. Dryer installations are now commonplace in habitational and living areas in kitchens, hallways and even closets! Hazard Statistics According to the U.S. Fire Administration (Division of U.S. Department of Homeland Security), clothes dryers were involved in an estimated 15,600 U.S. structure fires, fifteen deaths, 400 injuries and $100 million in direct property damage, annually, between 2002-2004. The leading cause of clothes dryer fires was lack of maintenance (lint build-up in the exhaust system). Add to that well over 300 carbon monoxide poisonings resulting from improper dryer ventilation set-up, installation or improvement renovations gives cause for concern. Dryer fires are one of the leading causes of fires in homes, hotels, motels and hospitals. Dryer fires cause 1 of every 5 fires in nursing homes. Identifying the Problem ? What could be causing so many dryer fires? Several loss factors can be attributed to potential clothes dryer fires in your workplace:

Improper use Ventilation and ductwork Lack of maintenance

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Improper Use

Persons using the dryer must consult the manufacturer`s guidelines and recommendations regarding what can be effectively dried in the appliance. Oil soaked clothing, tennis or athletic shoes (sneakers) and foam-backing on throw rugs introduce additional potential for fire if the appliance is not functioning and is overheating. DO NOT DRY MOP HEADS ? DRYER`S HEAT CAN IGNITE THE CLEANING CHEMICAL RESIDUE ON MOP HEADS! Not being present while the dryer is in operation is also a cited factor!

Ventilation and ducting

The appliance is designed to heat and evaporate approximately one half gallon of water in a full load of wet clothing or towels. As the dryer heats, the water is evaporated and what is left is the familiar lint created from the clothing material. The appliance is designed to be installed per the manufacturer guidelines to vent dryer air and lint out of the appliance and chassis and out to atmosphere in the shortest distance possible; typically duct runs of less than 6 feet in length. Lint many times will build and collect if the appliance is forced to pass dryer air longer distances. Wire imbedded foil type flex duct and wire bound vinyl ducting which is not recommended may also lead to dryer failures. (See recommendations)

Lack of Maintenance

Appliances that are abandoned from any preventive maintenance routine or checklist and left to collect lint and dust may become less efficient with reduced airflow leading to high operating temperatures and possible overheating and ignition causing lint or other materials in the dryer to ignite.

How a Dryer Fire Begins

Dryer fires usually begin underneath the dryer when the motor overheats, which can be caused by a lint build-up which in turn can block airflow. A simple warning sign` to be aware of:

Another opportunity for a fire is lint accumulation and reduced exhaust airflow; both problems feed on each other to provide conditions ripe for a fire. If your clothes are taking longer to dry or if the velocity of air exhausting from the dryer vent hood is minimal, maintenance is needed. Again clothes dryers are prone to lint build up if there are numerous 90 degree turns or elbow` transitions in the system or the distance is excessive. Therefore, the exhaust hood (roof jacks especially), transition hose and metal ducts should be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis.

Offering Best Practice Solutions

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Ventilation: It is important to make sure that a smoke/carbon monoxide detector is installed nearby along with a fire extinguisher; also make sure that all laundry appliances are well grounded with any drying machine installation.

Check and clean the dryer as often as possible Clean the lint trap after every load Check the exhaust pipe which can be loosened with pliers or a screwdriver

After unplugging the dryer, remove the exhaust pipe, reach into the dryer, and remove as much lint as possible. Metal piping is preferred over vinyl or wire embedded foil because those can ignite and cause fires. Also, metal pipes are more durable because they won`t rip or tear.

If any part of your vent duct pipe is at a 90 degree angle, make sure to clean it as often as possible. Although this is the commonly accepted set-up, lint build up and limited airflow provide attractive conditions for a fire. Lint is highly combustible and decreased airflow causes overheating of the exhaust environment, demanding excessive cycling of the high temperature limit switch. Concealed rigid metal ducting should not be longer than 25 feet. For every 90 degree elbow, deduct 5 feet from that length. Dryers must vent outside, if vented inside the humid air can lead to problems with mold and mildew. Dryer ducting should have at the minimum a 4 diameter.

NOT RECOMMENDED - Inferior Ducting Remove and discard any installations where the ducting is:

wire-bound white vinyl flex pipe or wire-embedded foil type flex

NOTE: Vinyl and foil type flex duct is all but completely prohibited, both by building departments and appliance manufacturers. Vinyl ducts often collapse causing blockage and lint build up within the dryer. This type of plastic or vinyl ducting can ignite or melt and will not contain a fire within the dryer. Some municipalities allow or do not discourage the wireembedded foil type flex but almost all appliance manufacturers insist on the use of Flexible metal (aluminum flexible) pipe.

Recommended Cleaning If you suspect clogged or partially clogged exhaust ducting, it is likely you need to have them cleaned. Actually inspect the termination port of the dryer and the wall or roof jack. Look for birds nest or clogged openings. Most importantly, feel for proper exit velocity of the air leaving the vent and look at or feel the interior walls of the duct.

Clean every 6 to 12 months. Dryer vent cleaning improves the safety and efficiency. Dryer vent cleaning is also a very real commercial trade and the contracted work is sometimes described as Routine` and Problem Cleaning`. Routine Cleaning - is performed from the outside by sending an air-propelled "jet-snake" through the vent. It blows air 360 degrees backwards, blasting the lint loose and blowing it outside. The lint is caught in a special bag.

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