3701-54-06 School grounds and building exterior inspections.

(A) School grounds and building exterior inspections shall include the following areas:

(1) School grounds and building exterior:

(a) All buildings shall be in general good repair;

(b) Schools shall abide by the engine idling time policies developed in accordance with paragraph (O) of rule 3301-83-20 of the Administrative Code. In determining loading and unloading areas, schools shall consider proximity to air intakes, building entrances and exits;

(c) Vehicles or gas-powered equipment, with the exception of vehicles used by the school for student transportation, shall not idle near outside air intakes, building entrances or exits or where students are loading and unloading;

(d) Vehicle use areas, including bus loading and unloading areas, and pedestrian walkways shall be clearly marked;

(e) No trip hazards shall be present and grounds shall be maintained in a clean, orderly and sanitary condition with no litter;

(f) There shall be no evidence of standing water or drainage problems on the grounds adjacent to the building that may contribute to water intrusion into the building or to mosquito breeding;

(g) There shall be no evidence on the building of water damage or of conditions that may cause water intrusion into the building;

(h) There shall be no contaminant sources near outside air intakes and air intakes shall be protected by screens, louvers or other filtering devices;

(i) Gutters, downspouts, scuppers and storm drains shall be properly connected and shall show no signs of obstruction;

(j) Walls and windows shall be intact with no signs of cracking, blistering or peeling paint or signs of condensation or water intrusion, including but not limited to, suspected mold;

(k) There shall be no paint, roofing materials or other sealants or coatings applied during occupied periods without the use of exposure control methods;

(l) The roof of a school shall be inspected by a qualified individual once a year, following severe weather, as determined by the school, and when otherwise deemed necessary. Severe weather means any weather event that could damage the roof or lead to water intrusion including, but not limited to, damaging wind, hail, lightning, ice damming or heavy rain. Qualified individual, as used in this paragraph, means an individual familiar with the design, installation and maintenance of roofing systems. If the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system is located on the roof, the qualified individual must also be familiar with the operation and maintenance of the heating, ventilating and air conditioning system or this system must be inspected by a differently qualified individual. The school shall have documentation for the sanitarian at the time of the inspection that includes the following:

(i) A current drawing of the roof that indicates the location of all roof top items of interest including:

(a) Heating, ventilation and air conditioning unit(s);

(b) Exhaust vents notated with type and height of stack; and

(c) Roof drains.

(ii) A copy of the “Ohio Department of Health Roof Inspection Form” for each inspection conducted since the last inspection by the board of health.

(2) Playgrounds:

(a) Students shall not be allowed to use the playground during school hours without staff supervision;

(b) All playground equipment shall be in good repair;

(c) Surfacing in the use zones of playground equipment, specified in this rule, shall be maintained according to the chart below:

Maximum height (in feet) of equipment or of highest play surface based on minimum amount (in inches) of surfacing material present

See Chart at http://www.registerofohio.state.oh.us/pdfs/3701/0/54/3701-54-06_PH_FF_N_RU_20070917_1004.pdf

(d) Use zones around slides, swings and stationary equipment shall be free of obstructions and shall be of the following dimensions:

(i) Slides – at the base of the slide, height of platform plus four feet (not required to exceed fourteen feet) and a six foot radius from all other parts of the slide;

(ii) Swings – twice the height of the swings (from the surfacing material to the pivot point of the swing) in front and back and a six foot radius from the sides of the swing structure; and

(iii) Stationary equipment – six feet in all directions.

(e) Equipment shall not have any openings between three and one half inches and nine inches in size;

(f) Equipment components shall not have any protruding bolts or separations that could cause the entanglement of a portion or portions of the body, clothing, jewelry, or other items that may result in the strangulation or dismemberment of the user.

The school shall make available to the sanitarian, at the time of inspection, any and all reports from inspections done of the playground;

(3) Solid waste disposal areas:

(a) Trash, recycling and compactor containers shall be in good repair;

(b) Trash, recycling and compactor containers and surrounding areas shall be clean and located away from outdoor air intakes;

(d) Trash compactors shall have enclosed hoppers with safety interlocks and have key operation; and

(e) Trash, recycling, and compactor containers shall show no evidence of attracting pests.

(4) Outdoor athletic facilities:

(a) The school shall have all bleachers, folding and telescopic seating, and grandstands inspected at least once annually by a qualified person. Qualified person as used in this paragraph means an individual familiar with the design, installation, operation and maintenance of folding and telescopic bleachers and grandstands. Documentation of annual inspection shall be available to the sanitarian at the time of the school inspection;

(b) There shall be no areas of standing water; and

Effective: 09/27/2007

R.C. 119.032 review dates: 09/27/2012

Promulgated Under: 119.03

Statutory Authority: 3701.935

Rule Amplifies: 3701.931, 3701.935