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College of Design Safety and Facilities Use Policy

College of Design community members demonstrate respect for other people’s space, projects, belongings, and creativity. We endeavor to foster creativity, collaboration, & shared experiences.

For the latest information about facilities use during COVID-19, please visit our FAQs for Fall 2020 page.

This Safety and Facilities Use Policy complements the College of Design’s Positive Environment for Learning and Working Policy.

These policies complement but do not replace NC State’s Policies, Regulations, and Rules (PRR); the Code of Student Conduct; Raleigh laws; state laws; and federal laws. Several relevant University policies and state building codes are highlighted below.

  • Pets are not allowed; service animals are welcome
  • Store bikes at bike racks, not in studios, open offices or handrails.
  • Post flyers and advertisements in appropriate locations. Do not attach them to glass or wooden doors, brick or metal surfaces, or cover windows. Flyers and advertisements for events should be removed after the event has concluded.
  • Building Access:
    • Doors should remain closed after hours and on weekends and holidays.
    • Do not prop open doors.
    • Do not provide others access to spaces in the College of Design (do not let in someone knocking on the door).
    • Do not share access codes to spaces. Codes should only be distributed by department/school/unit heads, program directors, or administrators.

Link: Fire Code

  • Do not block exits, walkways, or windows
  • Do not pile up materials creating a fire hazard
  • Do not hang things from pipes or electrical conduit
  • No open flames
  • Use facilities in the manner for which they were intended (e.g. paint items in the spray booth not in a studio, on a sidewalk, or in stairwells).
  • Do not use materials with odors or fragrance outside of the spray booth. Choose low VOC options.
  • Take training courses before you use facilities or equipment; follow the procedures/rules outlined in the training. If you forget something, ask for help.  
  • Work areas must remain accessible and passable to all including maintenance people, those with varied abilities, and emergency personnel. 
  • Spaces are to be left in the condition or better than they were received in (at the end of a meeting, project or semester). 
  • Individuals engaging in loud conversations will be asked to move outside or into a private, enclosed space to minimize disruption. Similarly, music, podcasts and other audio (e.g., remote conference calls and interviews) should be consumed using earphones or in an enclosed space from 8 am – 6 pm M-F. 
  • Be considerate of community members with allergies and sensitivities.
  • You may heat a meal at an appropriate location; however, you may not cook your meal in the college.
  • Report any facilities or equipment problems via email to College Operations (design_operations@ncsu.edu).

Spaces were designed to foster creativity and collaboration, enhance flexibility, and promote informal communication. As such:

  • Spaces will be used and maintained in a professional manner, respectful of the collaborative space as supporting the needs of multiple individuals; 
  • Access to spaces is to be secure; and 
  • Spaces are intended to support spontaneity in the way people bump into each other affording collaborative creative engagement.
  • If you rearrange the room, return it to the primary room layout before leaving.
  • Turn off lights, projectors, and displays at the digital room panels before leaving.
  • Check out equipment using your university ID; return tools and materials to their ‘home’ before you leave a space.
  • Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • You ‘own’ the space that you are working in (which includes work surfaces, equipment, and the surrounding floor). Any mess that was there when you took over is now yours to clean up. Users must clean up after themselves by vacuuming or sweeping the floor as needed. Leave the space cleaner than you found it.
  • Safety glasses and closed-toed shoes are required at all times.
  • Use other personal protective equipment (PPE) as needed.
  • Sign in at the reception desk before beginning any work in the materials lab.
  • Check out tools using your university ID; return tools to their ‘home’ before you leave the lab.
    • Until a more formal (e.g. barcode scanning) system is installed, lab users will leave their name, ID number, and university email address (showing their NCSU ID) in order to check out hand tools. The ID will be returned when hand tools are returned.
  • Check out any tools that leave the lab with your university email.
  • You ‘own’ the space that you are working in (which includes work surfaces, equipment, and the surrounding floor). Any mess or tools that were there when you took over are now yours to clean up.
    • Lab users must clean up after themselves by vacuuming tools and benches and sweeping the floor. Leave the Lab cleaner than you found it.
  • Do not leave projects on tabletops or in traffic paths. Any projects that are left are subject to removal or disposal.
  • Do not write any note on any project that includes the words ‘Do Not Touch’. Polite instructions as to the nature of the project and the reasons it should not be disturbed are much more effective. Before leaving a project, speak to a staff member to see if there is a more appropriate place to store a project.
  • Do not wear headphones or earbuds. Legitimate hearing assistance devices are of course exempt.
  • Use equipment as described in the Materials Lab orientation. 
  • Check out with a staff member before leaving the Lab.

 Any materials that are inappropriately stored are subject to removal or disposal without notice.

If your behavior is unsafe or unprofessional, a faculty or staff member will notify you of your infraction and record your name, date, time of the infraction, and duration of the suspension from that specific facility within the College of Design. More specifically, infractions in computer labs will not result in suspension from Materials Lab facilities. The safety infraction list will be maintained for the current semester. The duration of the suspension as a result of the infraction will be as follows:

  • First infraction: 24-hour suspension from use of the facility
  • Second infraction: 48-hour suspension from use of the facility
  • Third infraction: Suspension from use of the facility for the remainder of the semester

A suspension from the facility as a result of a safety infraction will not delay the time at which your assignment is due. Faculty will not likely reward your unsafe behavior or actions by offering you an extension.  You are encouraged to find alternative, safe methods of solution development that do not require the use of the facility while you wait for the suspension period to lapse.  

If you are found by faculty, staff or peers engaging in a behavior or practices in violation of any rules or policy listed here in the College of Design Safety and Facilities Use Policy; be it a studio, classroom, the Materials Lab, any egress or College of Design grounds; a faculty or staff member will notify you of your infraction and record your name and pass it along to the appropriate person to address your suspension.

If you have concerns about this policy, contact Joe McCoy (Jonas_McCoy@ncsu.edu).