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Unattended microwave ovens can draw lot of attention

Microwave ovens demand a lot of attention. They are convenient and significantly reduce the time needed for cooking, preparing or reheating food. But they must be monitored continuously during use.

The main building at Headquarters was evacuated briefly Thursday morning for what many people thought was an unannounced fire drill. Investigation by responding firefighters concluded, however, that a Styrofoam cup overheated and started to melt in a microwave, activating fire alarms.

Thursday’s impromptu drill also produced some other observations a reminder from Cheryl Rost, ITD’s Safety and Risk Management manager:

People in many sections vacated their office areas without turning off lights. “I turned some off as I did the walk-through,” Rost said. Other employees left doors open, and some doors remained propped open.

“Please use this exercise to initiate a review with all employees of the evacuation procedures,” she asked. The same holds true for all ITD buildings when there is a fire drill or actual emergency. Reduce the risk of spreading a fire by closing all windows and doors. Turn the lights off, and if heading out into inclement weather grab your coat on the way out, but don’t spend time looking for or trying to grab other items from your work area as you leave.

Employee safety is the paramount concern.

Thursday’s event also prompted another reminder:

“There are various experiments that have been done showing how many things will explode or flame in a microwave. Please do not leave the microwave area when heating. ..

"Remember that glass is the safest container for health reasons as well as safety issues. Check all containers to ensure they state “microwave safe” as some have components that make them unsafe for heating in a microwave.”