At my wife's prior employer, a scientific research institution, their facilities safety officer got worried about the fire danger of having a bunch of people with heaters under their desks. Considering this facility had numerous labs with all kinds of flammable gasses (hydrogen tanks, etc.) and cabinets full of organic solvents, he had absolute authority when it came to safety.
He sent out an email saying that on a specific day, his staff will be going through every room and removing any heaters found. They then said that they will randomly check the facility, and that if any heaters were found, the employee would be formally written-up.
There was a lot of complaining, but he got his way in the end. After all, management thought a major explosion would look bad in the local papers!
Biting the hand that feeds IT
