Dear Editor,

The “Pipe Dreams” feature in the Daily on April 12 is a topic that has resurfaced in the Daily from time to time. It is important to clarify that students and other unauthorized personnel are not to enter steam tunnels or other campus underground utility spaces as they can expose entrants to serious safety hazards including oxygen deficiency, toxic gases, and other dangers not easily detected by the senses. Every year, ~100 worker fatalities in the U.S. are linked to unsafe entry into such confined spaces (per National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/confinedspace/).

In accordance with California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) regulatory standards, steam tunnels around the Stanford Campus are Permit Required Confined Spaces, meaning that all personnel involved with such entry must be specially trained and equipped to strictly follow safety procedures.

The University’s Utilities Department stresses the importance of preventing unauthorized entry into its underground utility spaces. In addition to safety hazards, unlawful entry into the steam tunnels could also result in a criminal prosecution for trespass or referral to the University’s Judicial Affairs systems. The risks here are simply not worth it.

Dean Murray
Associate Director-Thermal Distribution Systems
Department of Sustainability & Energy Management