Campus Services Impairment Notification Policy

Reason for Policy

To ensure the maximum reasonable degree of safety is maintained during construction, maintenance and repair operations in all Dartmouth properties.

To comply with insurance company requirements.

To minimize risk and disruption to Dartmouth’s business operations by implementing the most feasible, efficient and effective procedure to assure adequate process review and approval of impairments to any building life safety system.

Affected Parties

All Staff, Sponsored Accounts

Policy Statement

 This policy outlines the process by which employees and/or third-party contractors can request and gain approval to impair a Dartmouth building’s life safety system. 

Only College employees or designated third-party contractors who receive proper approval may impair a Dartmouth building’s life safety system. Approval is granted only after thoughtful review of the Systems Impairment Request/Notification Form that is submitted through the Work Control Office. 

A minimum of 48 hours prior notice is required to submit the System Impairment request/Notification Form to allow time for appropriate review and approval.

Exclusions & Exceptions

If this policy is not followed, future requests to impair a Dartmouth life safety system may be denied. 

Contact(s)

Fire Systems Maintenance Shop Supervisor

Procedures

The procedure to request, approve, and close out impairments to life safety systems in Dartmouth buildings is as follows:

1.  Project Manager Approval (if applicable):

If a contractor (non-Dartmouth staff) requests the impairment as part of a project, it is their responsibility to communicate the plans for impairment with their Dartmouth Facilities project manager and gain approval for the proposed date and reason prior to submitting the System Impairment request/Notification Form.

The Dartmouth Facilities project manager is responsible for communicating and coordinating the requested impairment with the System Impairment Request/Notification Process

2.  Submit the Form:

The individual, department, or company desiring to impair a system affecting a safety system, shall complete the System Impairment Request/ Notification Form and submit to FOM by clicking the Submit button at the bottom of the form.  This will auto-compose an email with form attached to the Fire Systems Maintenance Shop (FSMS) supervisor, the FSMS Lead employee, and to Work Control for review and approval.

  • A minimum of 48 hours (2 business days) prior notice is required to maximize the ability to accommodate a request.
  • The request shall include a detailed description under the “reason for impairment”, and/or shall include a detailed work plan outlining the process and safeguards to minimize risk during the impairment.

3.  Approval:

Once received, a review and approval or denial will be sent to the requester within 24 hours. With copies to all affected Facilities staff and where applicable the assigned Facilities Project Manager.

4.  Work Order:

All approved impairment requests must be entered as a Service Request into the Work Control system. Once a system impairment request is approved, a work order will be created to initiate the work.

5.  Insurance Company Notification:

If the impairment is for a fire protection system within a Dartmouth building, The Fire Systems Maintenance Shop will forward the impairment approval to FM Global at ENGBostonCustomerServiceDesk@fmglobal.com to comply with the FM Global impairment notification requirement.

6.  Close out:

Once the impaired life safety system has been restored, the requester or their designee shall provide notification of the complete restoration via reply email to all parties who were copied on the original to the impairment approval. The fire systems supervisor or shop lead will forward the approved impairment request to Work Control for processing. 

Effective Date

March 9, 2017

Office of Primary Responsibility