Fires are among the greatest workplace hazards, and 100 or more workers die a year from fires or explosions on the job.
But if you have fire extinguishers nearby, employees can put deadly fires from spreading, reducing risk to their comrades and damage to their office or factory.
Both the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the U.S.-based non-profit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provide guidance regarding having fire extinguishers located where they are easily accessible.
And in fact, there are fire extinguisher compliance measures when it comes to placement, mounting, employee training and routine inspections.
Here’s a closer inspection of NFPA and OSHA guidelines for fire extinguisher placement, as well as other measures your workplace can implement to enhance the visibility and accessibility of these potentially life-saving safety tools.
Guidelines for Fire Extinguisher Placement NFPA 10
NFPA 10 visual guidelines in a warehouse Production floor support beams with fire extinguishers
NFPA 10 is a standard for accessibility of fire extinguishers. It also identifies various fire hazards, including flammable liquids and cooking equipment and ordinary combustible materials.
It describes the type of extinguisher needed for each type of hazard.
The standard also establishes a travel distance to an extinguisher of 30 to 75 feet and provides criteria for mounting heights.
These standards are meant to ensure that all facilities have extinguishers available so that anyone can take action against a fire without having to travel far to locate what they need.
OSHA Fire Extinguisher Regulations And Location Requirements
OSHA spells out a similar set of placement rules for fire extinguishers. It draws from NFPA 10, but establishes additional requirements. You have to make sure your extinguishers are always charged and ready to use. That involves inspecting pressure gauges, making sure pins are whole and inspecting the equipment for leaks or external damage.
In short, the NFPA is a recommended practice but OSHA’s regulations are enforceable mandates. Specifically, they are part of OSHA 1910, which refers to workplace safety laws.
The fining of companies that do not comply with the fire extinguisher placement requirements or other workplace regulations is the work of OSHA. The penalty for serious breaches can reach beyond $15,000 per violation.
Inspectors sometimes will, however, allow companies to correct compliance issues. If they fail to meet the deadline to make the changes, the fines can still come and grow daily until the issue is resolved.
Willful or repeated violations of the rules or disregard for abatement requests can lead to fines in the six figures.
Maximum Travel Distances between Extinguishers
Fire extinguisher diagrams illustrate where you’d locate extinguishers depending on the possible hazards i.e. ordinary combustibles, flammable materials, live electricals and combustible materials.
Travel distance is defined as the distance in feet to an employee must travel to a fire extinguisher from any point in the workplace. These calculations should include walls and other obstacles.
Required Travel Distance for OSHA Requirements and NFPA Standards Segment 2: Types of Fire Hazards Segment 2: Types of Fire Hazards. Each has five travel distance-related classifications.
- Class A: The travel distance for ordinary fire hazards is not to exceed 75 feet.
- Class B: If flammable liquids are present, the travel distance shall be 30 and 50 feet depending upon the kind and quantity of liquid and the kind of extinguisher.
- Class C: For electrical devices, spacing is according to the standard Class A fire hazard criteria. However, if it contains flammable liquid, then the placements must be done according to Class B.
- Class D: Places with combustible metals need to follow the 75-foot spacing rule, but the extinguishers must be rated for the materials.
- Class K: Fire extinguishers should be within 30 feet of workers in areas with cooking equipment.
Larger facilities may have multiple fire extinguishers and areas with different classes of hazards.
Where to Place Fire Extinguishers
There are various elements that could impact the access of a fire extinguisher. Best practices for the best places to mount the equipment and what to avoid.
Put extinguishers in common areas. They should not be behind doors or in infrequently used rooms. Instead, go for communal spaces such as hallways.
Never place extinguishers behind barricades. They shouldn’t be behind office equipment, desks or other furniture. Also think about temporary fences. For instance, do not put a unit in a section of a loading dock where boxes are frequently piled.
Don’t put extinguishers very close to obvious hazards. If the unit is adjacent to any embers and an extinguisher or flammable liquid container, it may not be accessible if the hazard ignites.
One also has to make sure people can access the extinguisher no matter their size or physical ability.
How High Can You Mount Extinguishers?
Both OSHA and NFPA standards cover the correct mounting heights of extinguishers. Common ones depending on the weight of the units.
40 lb. Extinguishers All less than 40 lbs. must be at least four inches above the ground, but the handle itself may not exceed five feet from the floor. Heavier units (over 40 lbs.) must not be more than four inches off the ground, but the handle cannot exceed 3.5 feet.
The extinguishers may be in cabinets with transparent doors or mounted directly on the wall with hooks or brackets. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), mounted features (including cabinets for fire extinguishers) must not protrude more than four inches from the wall. Not a solution to abide by the OSHA and ADA rules recessed cabinets meeting height requirements.
Improving a Fire Extinguisher Sign Visibility
Employees need to react quickly to workplace fires. While proper spacing of extinguishers is important, signage must accompany extinguishers to identify extinguishers and make them more visible.
A sign can draw attention to a unit in a recessed cabinet or around a corner right away.
You have the option of selecting signs by your personnel. Signs that are bilingual, multilingual or graphic are helpful for employees and make sites easier to navigate regardless of what language these workers speak or how fluent they are in English.
Fire Extinguisher Signs You Can Use
A fire extinguisher safety sign in a hallway indicates that a fire extinguisher may be found below.
In working with languages and symbols, you can also think of overall visibility. Three-way view signs and two-way corridor signs, for example, can indicate where a recessed fire extinguisher cabinet is located so that the appliance is visible regardless of which angle a visitor is standing in, either in a room or a hallway.
You, too, can install informational signs with text and graphics instructing people how to use a fire extinguisher.
You can also look at lighted signs or emergency lighting, which will light up the location of extinguishers if the power goes out.
Fire extinguishers are an important component of workplace safety. Correct installation can assist employees or visitors prevent flames from extending and leading to injury or destruction. OSHA mandates proper placement, and your business can incur fines for failing to follow any spacing and mounting guidelines.
Lastly, appropriate signage will increase visible extinguisher locations within different types of conditions, establishing that workers will be able to find fire extinguishers for each emergency.