Safety Corner: Portable Fire Extinguishers

                                                       General Requirements

In accordance with OSHA standard 1910.157, the employer shall provide portable fire extinguishers and shall mount, locate and identify them so that they are readily accessible to employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury. In addition, the employer shall assure that portable fire extinguishers in commercial trucks are maintained in a fully charged and operable condition and kept in their designated places at all times except during use. Portable fire extinguishers shall be provided for employee use and selected and distributed based on the classes of antici-pated workplace fires and on the size and degree of hazard, which would affect their use. The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers for use by employees on Class A fires so that the travel distance for employees to any extinguisher is 75 feet or less.

The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers or other containers of Class D extinguishing agent for use by employees so that the travel distance from the combustible metal working area to any extinguishing agent is 75 feet or less. Portable fire extinguishers for Class D hazards are required in those combustible metal working areas where combustible metal powders, flakes, shavings, or similarly sized products are generated at least once every two weeks.

Inspection, Maintenance, and Testing 

The employer shall be responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and testing of all portable fire extinguishers in the workplace. The employer shall assure that portable fire extinguishers are subjected to an annual maintenance check. The employer shall record the annual maintenance date and retain this record for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less. The employer shall assure that alternate equivalent protection is provided when portable fire extinguishers are removed from service for maintenance and recharging.

Training and Education

Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer shall also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting. The employer shall provide initial fire safety education upon employment and at least annually thereafter.

The employer shall provide employees who have been designated to use firefighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan with training in the use of the appropriate equipment.

For additional information on your commercial truck insurance, visit us at http://www.covermybigrig.com/