fOTOfAX BREVARD PLANT PHOTO PRODUCTS DEPARTMENT VOL. 12, NO. 7 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1979 GUIDELINES SET FOR FIREWOOD CUTTING SIGNS OF A HARP WINTER: Ray Miller and Ken Walend assist John Golden as he signs over 60 "Certificates of Compliance" with Department of Energy heating and cooling regulations. A bluenose, says our dictionary, is "a puritanical person". But that was be fore DOE. This winter, a law-abiding citizen on the job may also be called a bluenose. The U.S. Department of En ergy, under the direction of President Carter, has issued regulations for comfort heating and cooling. As a result, some of our noses, fingers and toes will feel a distinct chill in months to come. Two key words are "comfort" and "regulation". Comfort of people is no longer an allowable reason for heating a plant space to more than 65° F. And the 65 degree limit is a regulation, with severe penalties for violation. After years of suggestions, recommen dations, good ideas and voluntary guide lines, the word "regulation" sounds sur prisingly harsh. The federal restrictions apply to all non-residential structures. As with all such things, there are exemptions, exclu sions and considerations to the law, but its terms are basically easy to under stand. In order to ease the financial drain caused by continuing increases in the price of foreign oil, the government is limiting the use of fuel related energy for heating and cooling buildings. No energy may be used to raise tempera tures above 65°F or lower them below 78. Water heaters must be set down ward to 105°F or as low as the thermo stat can be adjusted. Plant thermostat settings will be very important under the new rules. At pres ent, the only persons allowed to autho- tize adjustments to space conditioning thermostats are Bruce Blythe and Henry Adams. If a workplace temperature is Unsatisfactory, they can offer only sym pathy if the air is between 65 and 78 egrees. The law won't permit them to tna e adjustments for the sake of any one's personal comfort. There's a $5,000 civil penalty for a violation and a $10,000 criminal penalty for willful violation. Each day beyond the limits is counted as a separate offense. Many employees will enjoy working in areas where temperatures must be controlled to more customary levels. The Federal edict does not apply to conditions which are required to pro tect materials or product, so in areas where electrical static problems and dry ing rates are tied to room temperatures, life will be comfortable. For those who work in other places, sweaters will be coming back in style. Weather prophets have long had fa vorite ways to predict the severity of a coming winter. $ome favor the measure ment of husks on corn, others insist that the size of the acorn crop or the width of wooly worm stripes is the only reli able indicator. For Brevard Plant em ployees and anyone else who works in a nonresidential building, the arrival of the "Emergency Building Temperature Restrictions" is an absolute guarantee of a hard winter - particularly for those who "froze" last year at 68°. What can we do? Dress warmer and be thankful for the heat we have, one supposes. But looking for some sign of a silver lining in the coming cloud of cold air discloses some positive facts: those who must work outdoors will ex perience less discomfort in going out of 65° than from 72° or more. People who breathe cooler air in winter seem to have fewer colds and other respiratory problems. And we can take advantage of our own tendencies to live by habit. For most people, the only reason 72° seems more comfortable than 65 is because "we're used to it". If we enter the heating season with Employee Relations has issued guide lines for woodcutting on the plant property this year. As more employees turn to wood- burning stoves for supplemental heating, the availability of firewood becomes a matter of greater interest. Having a source of wood in company cutting areas will be of considerable benefit to many employees. The benefit, however, is tied to some responsibilities, which include following the guidelines and using safe work practices. Cutting days this year will be Mon day, Wednesday and Baturday as weather permits. The following guidelines apply: Cut only in designated zones Don't cut marked trees Cut low, as close as possible to ground level Take all wood 1" and bigger Check in and out with the Gate on each load Harvesting is limited to six pickup loads per household per year. Wood is not to be taken for resale. Remember that roads to the fire wood cutting zones are not always pass able. These roads become very muddy as cold, wet weather increases. It's probably a good idea to call in and check on road conditions before plan ning your day's work in the woodlot. home thermostats set at 65°, we should soon become accustomed to that tem perature. That should make us more comfortable on the job, save significant money on the home heating bill, and peiiiaps even give us a little bit of pride in having done our part to stop the national dollar drain. $ure enough, winter's coming. Learn ing to live at 65° is going to be a tough experience for some of us. But if fing- gers seem to get a bit stiff when you're working in a remote corner, when peo ple around us say our nose is turning blue - we can aivyays look ahead to the coming of Spring. But we'd best not think too far. A 78 degree summer will be another story. ■ .* '• *• • Lv PLEASE, DON'T BREAK was the unvoiced plea of many to the flying egg at the annual picnic. This one didn't break — this time. Address Correction Requested Box 267, Brevard, N. C. 28712 Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID Brevard, N.C. Permit #66 28768