Vault operating practices

(a) Equipment. (1) Filing equipment shall be noncombustible throughout. (2) Loose papers shall not be filed on open shelving. (3) Arrangement of filing devices shall be such that they will be in short sections and with ample aisles between for convenient access and to retard the spread of fire. (4) Open-front containers should be located at least thirty-six inches away from door openings; fully enclosed containers at least four inches away from door openings. (5) The bottoms of the lowest record storage spaces should be not less than four inches above the floor of the vault. (b) Supervision. The vault shall be under responsible supervision from opening until closing time and inspections shall be made daily, particularly before closing time, to insure that all containers are closed, no records are left on top of containers or elsewhere exposed, all waste papers are removed, and vault doors are closed and locked. (c) Housekeeping. (1) General cleanliness shall be of the highest type. (2) No materials other than records and record storage equipment shall be permitted in vaults at any time. (3) Safety photographic film may be treated as records, but flammable nitrate film shall not, under any circumstances, be kept in record vaults. (4) Smoking inside vaults shall be forbidden, and "No Smoking" signs shall be prominently displayed.