PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

1. The requirements of this section are in compliance with OSHA regulations and apply to the use, maintenance, and testing of portable fire extinguishers provided for the use of employees.

1. Portable fire extinguishers will be provided, mounted, located and identified so that they are readily accessible without subjecting employees to possible injury.

2. Only approved portable fire extinguishers will be used.

3. Portable fire extinguishers will be maintained in a fully charged and operable condition and kept in their designated places at all times except during use.

1. Portable fire extinguishers will be provided for employee use and selected and distributed based on the class and size of anticipated fires.

2. Portable fire extinguishers will be distributed for use by employees so that the travel distance to any extinguisher is 75 feet or less for Class A fires.

3. Portable fire extinguishers will be distributed for use by employees so that the travel distance to any extinguisher is 50 feet or less for Class B fires.

4. Portable fire extinguishers used for Class C hazards will be distributed on the basis of the appropriate pattern for the existing Class A or Class B hazards.

5. Portable fire extinguishers or other containers of Class D extinguishing agent will be distributed 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, etc., are generated at least once every two weeks.

1. The Safety Office is responsible for the inspection, maintenance and testing of all portable fire extinguishers on campus.

2. Portable extinguishers will be visually inspected monthly by safety office personnel and housekeepers.

3. The Safety Office will conduct an annual maintenance check on all fire extinguishers. The maintenance date will be recorded and the record kept for one year.

4. Stored pressure dry chemical extinguishers that require a 12-year hydrostatic test will be emptied and subjected to applicable maintenance procedures every 6 years.

5. When portable fire extinguishers are removed from service for maintenance and recharging another fire extinguisher will be put in its place.

1. Hydrostatic testing will be performed by trained persons with suitable testing equipment and facilities.

2. Portable extinguishers will be hydrostatically tested at the intervals listed in the following table:

3. Portable fire extinguishers will be hydrostatically tested whenever they show new evidence of corrosion or mechanical injury.

4. Extinguisher shells, cylinders, or cartridges which fail a hydrostatic pressure test, or which are not fit for testing will be removed from service and from the workplace.

5. The Safety Office will maintain records that hydrostatic testing of fire extinguishers has been performed at the proper time intervals. The record will include the date of the test, the signature of the person who performed the test and the serial number, or other identifier, of the fire extinguisher that was tested. Records will be kept until the extinguisher is hydrostatically retested again or is taken out of service, whichever comes first.

1. The Safety Office will provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with fighting a fire.

2. The education program will be provided upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter.