Fire Extinguisher Specifications

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established specific guidelines for all employers in regards to fire extinguishers in the workplace. These specifications include regulations on the placement and testing of fire extinguishers.

Considerations

An employer is responsible for the inspection of all fire extinguishers in the workplace. Fire extinguishers must be inspected annually and, if necessary, must undergo hydrostatic testing (typically, every six years). Hydrostatic testing is a process that tests the fluid pressure of a fire extinguisher by placing it in a sealed vessel filled with water or oil.

Identification

Employees must be able to easily locate fire extinguishers in an emergency. Fire extinguishers should be placed so no employee is more than 75 feet away from one or, if it is a workplace that is considered more hazardous by OSHA, no more than 50 feet away.

Types

OSHA allows for a large variety of fire extinguishers to be used in the workplace, so long as they pass annual inspection. These include fire extinguishers that use water or foam (both of which are for standard fires on paper or wood), or extinguishers that use dry chemicals or carbon dioxide (with the later two being appropriate for use against chemical fires or a flammable liquid).

References

• OSHA: Portal Fire Extinguishers
• Engineers Edge: Hydrostatic Testing Review
• Interactive Learning Paradigms: Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers