Policies and Procedures

Departmental Services

Institutional Services

Other Policies

"Self-Help" Work
Services Budgeted by Physical Plant
Services That May Be Charged to the Department Requesting Service
Work Orders and Interoffice Memorandums
Supply Orders and Invoice
Industrial Hygiene
Physical Plant Tools and Equipment
Departmental Equipment
Locks and Keys
Central Vehicle Pool
Decorations for Functions and Programs
Lost and Found
Use of Classrooms and Auditoriums
Fire Safety
Fire Extinguishers
Steam Tunnel Distribution System
Electricity
Issuance of Furniture and Furnishings
Manholes on Campus
Natural Gas
Water and Sewage
Underground Utilities

Departmental Services

• Building maintenance is primarily the responsibility of Physical Plant personnel result from requesting departmental or agency services.  These include the maintenance and repair of equipment and furniture which are on a departmental inventory, office material for departmental use, fabrication of apparatus and equipment, and providing many of the other services requested by a department as the need arises.
• The staff services about 10,000 work orders each year.  Generally, work orders are processed as received.
• Items that are acceptable as maintenance by Physical Plant are redecoration, new floors, ceilings, lights, repair of windows, upkeep of central heating and air conditioning systems, cabinet-making, general carpentry, stone work, and electrical repair and wiring for lighting.

Institutional Services

• Services provided by the Physical Plant which need no requests and which are provided for the overall use of the institution are regarded as institutional services. Such services include the lighting of buildings, provision of drinking water, grounds maintenance and landscaping, custodial services, and maintaining the motor pool.
• Employees of the Physical Plant keep the institution's physical facilities and services under constant surveillance.  They either rectify the faults which they find or eliminate the cause.  Since the number of facilities and services which must be inspected is extensive, members of the university staff are asked to report problem areas which they observe so that prompt corrective action by the Physical Plant will minimize maintenance.

"Self-Help" Work

• Departments with assigned technicians or other personnel with trade skills may wish to perform minor facilities alterations and renovations themselves.  Although this arrangement is usually acceptable, to assure compliance with required codes and standards, Physical Plant must have prior review to give approval of plans and must inspect the completed work.  These precautions are intended to help ensure the safety of staff and students who will use the area.  In student housing, redecorating or painting usually can be done if the group wishing to paint submits a plan and design for approval to the Director of Residence Life.  The director will check the qualifications of the people doing the work, color schemes, methods, and equipment. He will see that the actual painting and cleanup is of workmanlike quality and that the job meets university standards.

Services Budgeted by Physical Plant

• Maintenance and repair of buildings and their installed heating, ventilation/air conditioning systems; and electrical, plumbing, or other special systems and equipment installed as integral parts of the buildings.
• Painting of interior and exterior surfaces on a periodic, scheduled basis.
• Maintenance and repair of basic classroom furniture and furnishings, such as window shades and Venetian blinds, seats, lecterns, and blackboards.
• Maintenance of walks, roads, and drainage, Care of lawns, trees, and shrubs.
• Maintenance of utilities plants, and distribution systems for heat, water, gas, compressed air, electric power, sewers, and street lighting.
• Basic, scheduled custodial and refuse collection services; setup support for major, university-wide special events.
• Staff design and project management for non-capital budget, general fund projects.

Services That May Be Charged to the Department Requesting Service

• Maintenance and repair of special classroom equipment, special lighting or sound installations, office furniture and furnishings, laboratory equipment, and other departmental property.
• Renovation, alteration, or improvements to facilities.
• Painting or decorating beyond the level provided under basic maintenance budgets.
• Fabrication of cabinets, shelves, signs, name tags, and other miscellaneous items; furniture repair (excluding basic classroom furniture) and reupholstering.
• Facilities planning and design, or other professional services performed by outside consultants, architects, or engineers.  Departments are encouraged to work through the Facilities Planning Office for in-house architectural services.

Work Orders and Interoffice Memorandums

• Requests for departmental services should be directed to the Physical Plant Director by completing general work order form.  The request must fully describe the services desired and all blanks on form must be filled out and completed, or the it will not submit.
• Emergency requests should be directed to the Physical Plant by calling extension 4777 or 4778. This should be followed by submitting a general work order form and directed to the appropriate supervisor.
• The general work order form is included on this web page, there is a link to this from provided below and on every web page under the Physical Plant heading.

Supply Orders and Invoice

• Requests for office supplies are made through the online ordering system on GUS. If necessary or for emergency needs, you may fill out a supply order form which can be obtained from the storeroom at the Physical Plant.

Environmental Health and Safety

• Rules and regulations concerning hazardous materials have become increasingly complex. Combined with the positive trend on campuses toward developing safety and health programs, the full-time services of an Campus Environmental Officer was created. Duties and responsibilities of the job are divided into three broad and equally important areas:
• (1) To develop, implement, and monitor safety and environmental conditions at the university.
• (2) To help insure compliance with governmental regulations for handling and disposing of hazardous waste and to advise related procedures.
• (3) To plan control of asbestos materials, prepare abatement contracts, and to see that asbestos removal projects on campus are conducted and completed according to federal and state regulations.
• Policies and guidelines have been prepared and adopted as official university standards in each of the three areas. These have been distributed to appropriate departments and sections. Copies are available at the Physical Plant.
• Assistance with handling or disposing of hazardous materials can be obtained through the Physical Plant. Call extension 4774 for answers to questions on any of the three areas mentioned above.

Physical Plant Tools and Equipment

• Generally, tools and equipment placed at the disposal of Physical Plant employees are for in-house use only.
• Some tools, such as the roto-hammer or an airless paint gun, require a specialized skill or knowledge of operation so must be handled by a Physical Plant operator.
• Physical Plant tools and equipment are not to be used or taken off the university campus.

Departmental Equipment

• Departmental equipment is purchased, operated, and maintained by the departments.  Physical Plant has technically competent personnel to assist the departments in repair and maintenance of equipment in certain areas.  Some departments maintain service personnel of their own, especially for electronic and technology equipment.

Locks and Keys

• As a general rule, all locks used in campus buildings must be keyed to the Master Key System so that all areas are available for emergency service and response by Physical Plant.
• There are exceptions to this rule, such as the Cashier's Office, Registrar's Office, hazardous chemical storage in Heckert-Wells, and a few specialized storeroom areas on campus.
• All request for outside door keys or master keys must be approved and signed by the Director of Physical Plant.
• All inside key permits must be approved and signed by the department head or administrator authorized to do so.  Security can be seriously compromised by having several people in a department designated to approve key requests.

Issuance of Furniture and Furnishings

• The Physical Plant furnishes chairs and teachers' desks for classrooms.  Any other furniture is a departmental responsibility.
• Physical Plant has a supply of folding tables and chairs which are available on campus to departments for official functions.  The tables and chairs cannot go off campus nor are they available on a permanent loan basis.

Central Vehicle Pool

• Physical Plant maintains a Central Vehicle Pool in which state owned vehicles are made available to faculty and staff.  Automobiles and vans are usually scheduled on reserved basis and are maintained at the Physical Plant Garage.

Decorations for Functions and Programs

• Decorative greenery for functions and programs are not supplied by the Physical Plant and must be obtained either form individuals or by contracting with a commercial greenhouse.  If time permits special signs and props that benefit the entire campus are made by the Graphic Artist at the Physical Plant.

Lost and Found

• There is a lost and found service in the Overman Student Center and at the University Police and Parking Services office.

Use of Classrooms and Auditoriums

• Use of classrooms and auditoriums is normally scheduled through a procedure prior to the beginning of each semester in the Registrar's office.  Special uses outside the scheduled uses are handled through the departments.

Pest Control

• Insect and rodent control is accomplished by a regular routine maintenance program performed by contractors.  Specific problems dealing with pest control should be reported to the Physical Plant Office.  The office will then refer the problem to the pest control operator for specific treatment. Exceptions are rare emergency problems with rodents and bird control.
• Some locations on campus are excluded from pest control treatment.  In fact, any area can be excluded from treatment upon request from the department head to the Physical Plant Director.

Fire Safety

• Regardless of whether a fire is a large one or a very small one, report it to the fire department.  The Pittsburg City Fire Department is reached through a central switchboard at 911.  When reporting a fire, stay on the line until you are certain someone understands the location of the fire.
• Fire prevention is everyone's job.  Unfortunately, a responsibility which must be assumed universally is rarely taken seriously by every person affected.
• An effective fire safety plan can be implemented without spending a great deal of money if each person acts responsibly.  The rules to be followed are simple:
1.  Make certain that personal habits do not create a condition that could cause a fire.  On a university campus more fires arise from carelessness in the use and disposal of cigarettes than from any other cause.
2.  If flammable, toxic and/or explosive materials, or materials otherwise dangerous are used, they should be handled in an approved manner by observing all safety precautions.
3.  Provide at least two ways of escape from all areas where hazardous materials, machines, or processes are involved.  Keep exits free from obstruction at all times.
4.  Be familiar with the location and operation of fire extinguishers in the work area.  If instruction is needed, call the Director of Physical Plant for assistance.
5.  Report every fire and be prepared to protect other people by appropriate warning.
6.  Remain calm --do not panic.  Remember, the saving of lives and valuable property may well depend upon responsible action.
• The Physical Plant adheres to the National Electrical Code, Kansas Fire Statutes, Kansas Fire Marshall Regulations, and the National Building Code.  PSU is inspected annually by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
• For more information, direct questions to the Physical Plant.

Fire Extinguishers

• Physical Plant furnishes appropriate type extinguishers as an institutional service. All fire extinguishers, except those of Auxiliary Services, are serviced without charge.
• Service includes recharging as required, annual inspection, and testing according to the requirements of the individual extinguishers.  Complete records are maintained.

Steam Tunnel Distribution System

• Steam is distributed through a system of tunnels beneath the campus. Pipes in the tunnels transport steam throughout the main campus. Temperature of the pipes runs high as 300 degrees F. and therefore present a danger to anyone who is not trained to work in these tunnels.
• Air temperatures reach as high as 180 degrees F. in some of the tunnels during normal operations. The temperatures are allowed to become high because complete ventilation would be a waste of heating energy.
• The Physical Plant has a policy of never allowing a worker to negotiate a steam tunnel alone. Only experienced workers may service a steam tunnel. They must know where the exits are, where the access doors are, and have keys to get through these passages. Anyone not familiar with the tunnels runs the risk of being trapped in a dead-end or a passage blocked by a locked door. A person trapped in the tunnel faces serious consequences if a steam pipe ruptures and releases high pressure steam.
• Because of building security, Physical Plant must lock access doors between the buildings and the tunnels to prevent unauthorized access. This creates a dangerous situation for anyone without keys. The Physical Plant therefore prohibits unauthorized persons in the tunnels.

Electricity

• Electrical power supplied directly from Kansas Gas & Electric Company is distributed at 12,470 volts to the buildings on campus. Transformers located near most buildings further step down electricity to 480, 277, 208, and 120 volts.
• As transformers are taken out of service because of age, malfunction, or obsolescence, they are replaced by ones with similar capacity that are owned by KG&E. All transformers owned by the university have been tested by an Environmental Protection Agency approved laboratory for the concentration of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl's). PCBs are a family of 209 manufactured chlorinated organic chemicals widely used in electrical equipment. Because of their toxicity, PCBs are regulated by the EPA. Transformers containing concentrations of PCBs greater than 500 PPM (parts per million) are no longer allowed near public buildings. All transformers containing PCBs in concentrations greater than 500 PPM have been removed from campus and disposed of by a licensed contractor according to federal regulations.

Issuance of Furniture and Furnishings

• The Physical Plant furnishes chairs and teachers' desks for classrooms. Any other furniture is a departmental responsibility.
• Physical Plant has a supply of folding tables and chairs that are available on campus to departments for official functions. The tables and chairs cannot go off campus nor are they available on a permanent loan basis.

Manholes on Campus

• There are manholes located throughout the campus, serving a variety of uses. Only authorized and trained personnel are allowed to enter manholes.

Natural Gas

• Natural gas is distributed throughout the campus for use in laboratories and is piped to the Weede Building for heating boilers.
• The gas is purchased from a wholesale company and delivered by Kansas Power and Light Company. It is distributed through a university-owned gas system to the buildings using it. There is no charge made for this gas to departments using it except for Auxiliary Services.

Water and Sewage

• Water for the campus is purchased from the City of Pittsburg at a usable pressure so that it is not necessary to "re-pump" the water to maintain working pressure.
• The university has adopted a policy of strict adherence to city pretreatment ordinances that specify substances that cannot be poured or flushed down the sanitary sewer. A copy of this ordinance is on file at the Physical Plant and has been distributed to all departments.
• Tests have been conducted to identify any potential cross-connection between the storm and sanitary sewer that could cause mixing of sewage and runoff during periods of heavy rainfall. None have been identified, and any backup of water is considered to result from hydraulic overload in the city's nearby interceptor sewer.
• The sewer system on campus is owned by the university and maintained by the Physical Plant. Sewage from the campus is discharged into the city sewage system at the perimeter of the campus. The university pays a monthly charge to the city for handling sewage.

Underground Utilities

• Most utilities on the university campus are underground. These include electricity, natural gas lines, telephone lines, water lines, sewer lines, an steam tunnels
• Under no circumstances should anyone drive a stake, rod, or pointed object into the ground on campus. There is always the danger of hitting a buried utility line.