Architect of Capitol ordered to fix fire hazards

Congress' Office of Compliance Monday ordered Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman to fix fire safety hazards that jeopardize the lives of legislators, their staffs and thousands of daily visitors, the Associated Press reported.

The office, created five years ago to serves as Congress' health and safety inspection agency, issued eight citations directing the architect to install fire doors, test fire suppression equipment and alarms, and train maintenance employees on the storage of hazardous chemicals.

The citations cover the Capitol and the House office buildings. Gary Green, general counsel for the Office of Compliance, said testing of sprinklers and alarm systems has been "almost uniformly disregarded for many, many years."

The citations are similar to those issued to private industry by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, except they do not carry a fine. Until the Congressional Accountability Act was passed in 1995, Congress was exempt from compliance.

Hantman has told Congress his office is making progress in improving fire safety. Congress has proposed providing $15 million to address the fire safety issue as part of an emergency spending bill for fiscal 2000.