Dashpivot Article – What is the OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers?
What is the OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers?
In this detailed article, we answer the question, "What is the OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers?" and break down the requirements, placement, maintenance, and training needed to stay OSHA fire safety compliant.
Why should fire extinguishers comply with OSHA Standard?
Fire extinguishers are the first line of defense in the event of a fire in the workplace, these are handheld devices that dispenses a dry or wet chemical to extinguish or prevent the spread of fire. Fire extinguishers are necessary in the workplace and given its importance for workplace health and safety these also must comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). So the immediate question becomes, what is the OSHA standard for fire extinguishers?
OSHA is a federal agency in the United States that sets a certain level of quality that employers must follow to ensure workplace health and safety and the provision and correct of fire extinguishers are part of these standards.
Any company who wilfully & repeatedly violates can face a fine of not more than $165,514 per violation per violation plus relevant legal actions and penalties according to OSHA.
As we go over the OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguisher, let’s explore briefly what are the different kinds of fire extinguisher, how to use a fire extinguisher and effective methods
What are different classes of fire and the different kinds of fire extinguisher?
In the United States, there are five acknowledged class of fires that is classified according to what caused it or which combustible material is involved.
Classes of Fire
Class A – These are fires caused by the burning of organic materials such as wood, paper, trash or other ordinary materials that easily burns and produce ash.
Class B – Are fires caused by flammable liquids such as gasoline, paint and thinner and flammable gases such as hydrogen, methane, and ammonia that are difficult to control since it easily ignites when mixed with air and can potentially explode.
Class C – These are fires that involve burning of energized electrical equipment. This can potentially happen when the electrical component that is connected to an electrical source has faulty wiring, short circuit or damaged power cords.
Class D – These fires are due to the burning of combustible metals like Titanium, Aluminium, Potassium and Calcium which are common in automotive industries, metalworking industries, construction sites and etc.
Class K – These fires are caused by kitchen oils or oils mainly used for cooking like vegetable oil, animal oil and fats. This generally can be considered as Class B fire since it’s also a flammable liquid.
Read this more comprehensive article about the different classes of fire extinguishers.
Types of Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are also categorised according to the class of fire it puts out.
Water Fire Extinguisher (Type A) disposes pressurised water to put out a fire. This can be used on Class A fires only and not on classes of fire that is caused by flammable liquids, gas and electricity as water can expand in volume the liquid or gas, spread it thus worsening the fire.
Dry Powder Extinguisher (Type ABC) uses powder or multi-purpose dry chemical to put out the fire by separating the fuel from the oxygen. These are commonly found inside establishments as this extinguisher put out fires for Class A (by insulating the organic materials), Class B (by breaking the chain of reaction of the flammable liquid and gas) and Class C (stop electrical conduction).
Type K Extinguisher extinguishes fire caused by animal and cooking oils found in the kitchen. It dispenses chemical that separates the heat elements.
What is the OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers?
OSHA 1910.157 governs the use, maintenance and testing of portable fire extinguishers in the workplace and it follows significant requirements in different key areas that for our purposes today will be summarized accordingly:
OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers - Provision and location of Portable Extinguisher
Employers must provide portable fire extinguishers in the workplace and the workers must know how to use it as needed. The fire extinguishers inside the workplace must be located and kept in the designated place usually this is near the fire exit. It must be visible around areas that are high risk of fire. For risk of Class A fire the portable extinguisher must be placed within 75 feet travel distance and for potential Class B hazard areas it must be 50 feet or less.
Requirement on the use of extinguishing agent
Employers must comply to the standard fire extinguisher type mentioned above but must not use carbon tetrachloride or chlorobromomethane extinguishing agents because of its toxicity.
Inspection, Maintenance and Testing of Fire Extinguisher
Employers must be responsible for the monthly visual inspection of the fire extinguisher and its annual maintenance checks that includes pressure inspection, and maintenance dates must be recorded and retained.
OSHA Standard for Fire Extinguishers - Training and Education of the Use of Fire Extinguishers
If there are fire extinguishers available and visible for use by the employees during emergency, employers are responsible to educate their employees how to use it and the principles and practices of how to put out a fire.
There is an easy four-step technique to follow how to use a fire extinguisher and it’s called P.A.S.S: Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep.
1st step: Pull the safety pin first. The safety pin is found at the top of the extinguisher to break the seal.
2nd step: AIM the base of the fire by pointing low.
3rd step: SQUEEZE the handle to release the extinguishing agent.
4th step: SWEEP the nozzle from side to side at the base of the fire. If the fire re-ignites, Aim and Squeeze the extinguisher again.
Effective methods to comply the OSHA standard for fire extinguisher
The OSHA requirements for the use fire extinguishers in the workplace should be followed by companies in the United States not just because of the potential sanctions of non-compliance but because these regulations are reasonable and protects the employee and the business. Given this, here are effective methods to comply the OSHA standard for fire extinguishers:
Develop and Implement a Comprehensive Fire Safety Policy
All workplaces should have a fire safety policy that references to the OSHA standards for fire protection and it should outline the types of fire extinguishers required for different areas of the workplace according to the potential class of fire mentioned above, installation locations, maintenance schedules, and employee responsibilities. Ensure that this policy is accessible to all employees and is included as part of the onboarding process for new hires.
Conduct Internal Fire Safety Audits or Inspections
Internal fire safety audits proactively prepares your company for external safety audit, especially that of OSHA which can happen at any time and often without advance notice. These internal fire safety inspections allows you to check if the company’s safety policies aligns to OSHA standards. There is a Free Fire Inspection Report form here, that you can utilise and customise as needed to check your existing fire safety controls including fire extinguishers. If there are any findings that requires attention, within the form you can easily add photos/videos then add a caption to highlight the issue.
Hold Toolbox Talks on Fire Extinguishers
Holding a toolbox talk specifically about fire extinguisher use and general inspection is an effective way to ensure that all workers are familiar with the OSHA standards. Toolbox talks are very safety meetings that encourages open discussions on the topics of the talk, with regard to fire extinguisher OSHA standards, it ensures the workers know the purpose and how to use fire extinguishers.
To conduct an effective toolbox talk on OSHA fire extinguisher standards, prepare a focused discussion points where the supervisor or team lead highlights key OSHA requirements for Fire Extinguishers such as its location and distance to the class of fires found in the workplace, the different types of fire extinguishers and what is available in the workplace and where should it be used i.e. water extinguishers should be used on class A fire only and not on other classes because of the fact that it can spread the fire.
And, you can even include a short demonstration of the PASS (Pull, Aim, Squeeze and Sweep) Technique when using a fire extinguisher in this short meeting – this way, it will encourage discussion on correct usage.
See below for a useful framework for running a talk about fire extinguishers in relation to the OSHA standard for fire extinguishers.
Free Toolbox Talk for Fire Extinguishers Template
Enhance your toolbox talks about fire extinguishers with this free form
Utilise digital forms for fire extinguishers and fire safety in the workplace
The toolbox talk form found above is just an example of the number of documents that you can use, create and access online through a software called Dashpivot. One thing that makes sure you comply with OSHA standards for fire extinguishers is that maintenance records must be kept and stored accordingly and the best way to do this is to use a cloud management system that you can access thru your phone, tablets or laptops which makes the the internal audits and inspections significantly fast and effective too!
Finally, all things considered this post has effectively answered what is the OSHA standard for Fire Extinguishers by discussing first the fire classes in the United States and its respective fire extinguishers then highlighting the key areas of OSHA standards for the provision of portable fire extinguishers in the workplace under OSHA 1910.157 and lastly ended the post with effective methods to comply the OSHA standard for fire extinguishers.
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