Opinion ID: 398038
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: other conditions of confinement

Text: 128 Defendants shall forthwith develop specific fire safety regulations, and evacuation plans, construct adequate fire exits to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff, and otherwise comply with the current edition of the Life Safety Code of the National Fire Protection Association. Defendants shall file a report with the court by November 1, 1981, stating the measures taken or planned, together with timetables for completion, which will assure compliance with the applicable provisions of the Life Safety Code. Every TDC unit shall be in compliance with the fire safety standards, and no prisoner may be confined in any unit, or assigned to a work or program activity area that is not in compliance, by May 1, 1982. In addition, the report shall specifically address and provide for: 129 1. The inspection of all TDC facilities on a regular basis by an independent qualified fire safety officer to assess compliance with fire and safety standards and a weekly fire and safety inspection by a staff member or TDC employee. 130 2. The prompt release of prisoners from locked areas in case of emergency. 131 3. An assessment of fire fighting plans, procedures, and equipment on hand or readily available. 132 4. An evacuation corridor between rows of beds in dormitory housing, which shall be at least four feet wide.
133 1. Defendants shall comply with the requirements of the following state statutes: the Texas Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 4476-5 (Vernon's 1976) (canneries, meat processing plants, dairies, dining halls and food preparation areas); Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 4476-10 (food service and processing employees and prisoners working in such activities); the Texas Meat and Poultry Inspection Act, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 4476-7, Section 10 (meat and poultry operations); Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 165-8, Section 7 (egg-handling operations); Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 165-3 (milk production); Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 5173 (mill, workshop, factory, laundry and other industrial operations); Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann. Art. 5192(a) (industrial and agricultural operations). 134 2. By November 1, 1981, defendants shall file with the court a plan for regular and adequate inspections of all TDC facilities by independent and qualified inspectors of defendants' compliance with the statutes listed above.