Some public areas in and around NIH buildings have become
cluttered with unsightly and unsafe materials, trash, surplus furniture and
equipment. Employees leave items behind in atriums. Loading docks become
storage areas or dumping grounds. Hallways become extensions of offices and
laboratories, at the expense of safety and egress.
During the months of June, July and August, on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, the NIH Bethesda Campus will undergo a "Clean Sweep"
of common spaces in many buildings. Led by the Office of Research Facilities
(ORF) and the Office of Research Services (ORS), the team will focus on
recycling, removing debris, moving unwanted items to surplus, and clearing common
areas, leaving behind a safe and 'clutter free' building. Personnel will
include representatives from facility management, waste and recycling disposal,
occupational safety, the fire marshal’s office, and other support personnel and
volunteers.
The clean sweep will include only the common, public
spaces in buildings such as atriums, hallways/corridors, and loading docks.
This activity will not include bathrooms, private hallways, offices or
laboratories. Leased facilities and child care centers are not involved.
Buildings that are scheduled for major renovation or decommissioning, temporary
structures (such as a trailer), or those facilities considered sensitive or
high containment will not be part of this exercise. This activity only pertains
to the NIH Bethesda campus.
Tentatively, the schedule for buildings is as follows:
- June – Buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A/B, 8, 13, 16.
- July – Buildings 15K, 30, 31 A/B/C, 38, 38A, 41, 45, 49,
50, 60.
- August – Buildings 10, 12, 14, 28 A/B, 35, 37.
In addition to this e-mail, facility managers will
communicate with building occupants at least a week in advance to let them know
before the 'sweep' will be coming to their building. A safety and facility
'advance' team will arrive the week before to identify problem areas and items
will be tagged prior to removal and every attempt will be made to notify staff
before items are removed. This should give employees ample opportunity to move
items out of common areas. If you knowingly have an item in a common space that
should not be there but is too large to move or you need additional assistance,
please put a message on the sign alerting staff who to contact.
This is not an opportunity for employees to move your
unwanted office or laboratory supplies or equipment into the hallways. The
facility managers and staff will identify 'new' materials added to public
spaces and contact occupants to have items returned.
Once complete, 'before' and 'after' pictures will be
presented, encouraging occupants to keep these clean common areas 'clean.' ORF
Facilities Managers will monitor targeted areas to ensure they remain the way
they were intended.
If you are interested in volunteering to work with the
team, especially for your own building, please contact Ken Ryland at kenr@mail.nih.gov.
For questions about this e-mail, please contact your
facility manager, using the following list, http://orf2.od.nih.gov/AboutORF/BuildingsandFacilityManagers.asp,
or contact the ORS Information Line at orsinfo@mail.nih.gov
or 301-594-6677.
Thank you for doing your part in helping the NIH
become a safer, cleaner place, for our employees and our visitors – especially
in your own building!