Where’s the Fire Extinguisher?
Robert
S. Michaud, P.E.
Fire extinguishers are often the first line of defense should a fire
break out in your facility. Before we get into too much detail in
this analysis, please consult your local, state and federal codes on
the proper use, location, application and maintenance of fire
extinguisher for your building. Depending on your location, there
will likely be one or more codes that dictate the specifics
about fire extinguishers and in fact, some codes overlap, or at
least, compliment each other. For instance, most, if not all,
jurisdictions adhere to the NFPA code requirements, but were you
aware that OSHA has guidelines for their mounting, placement and
signage? Refer to CFR
1910.157 for more information. For NFPA: From the 2018 edition
of NFPA 1
13.6.1.2* Where Required. Fire extinguishers shall be provided where
required by this Code as specified in Table 13.6.1.2 and the
referenced codes and standards listed in Chapter 2.
With
all that said, the picture above depicts a fire extinguisher that is
located in a pretty awkward place. It doesn’t meet the OSHA
requirements of having the extinguisher “readily accessible to
employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury.”
That fire extinguisher is located really close to the ground without
many (any) markings around it to indicate that it is there, and it is
very close to the adjacent electric motor, and there is a pipe
located along the floor next to it as well. The pipe poses a
tripping hazard, with the electric motor right there to catch your
fall!
There
are a lot of considerations to review when locating your fire
extinguishers, and as mentioned above, please check with the codes
applicable in your location first. In addition to that, as a
building or maintenance manager, you need to be sure that they are
being inspected and tested regularly. We can see in this photo that
this extinguisher has an inspection tag on it, but when was it
inspected last? As it is located in a hard to find place, it
wouldn’t be surprising to find that it had not been inspected in a
while. Take a moment when you find an out of the way extinguisher
like this to review its tag. If it hasn’t been inspected, work
with your inspection company to make sure it gets added to the list
and if you do decide to relocate it, let them know about that too.
Fire
extinguishers are great tools and they can prevent a minor flare up
from becoming a full building fire. However, they need maintenance
and attention just like everything else. It is too easy to get
complacent and just walk by these red sentinels. Take a moment and
give them a closer look the next time you see them – you will be
glad you did.
No comments:
Post a Comment