How Does A Business Perform A Monthly Fire Extinguisher Safety Inspection?
As a business owner, you're required to keep up with monthly fire extinguisher inspections. These monthly inspections aren't very thorough and don't require special certification, so they can sometimes be performed by your employees. Despite their simplicity, however, they're an important part of ensuring that your business can rely on its extinguishers during a fire. To learn how to perform a monthly fire extinguisher inspection, read on.
1. Check the Location
First, you need to verify that the fire extinguisher is in its proper location and that it's not obstructed from view — employees need to be able to easily see and access fire extinguishers in the event of an emergency.
2. Perform a Quick Visual Inspection
Next, you'll need to inspect your fire extinguisher for any obvious defects. Make sure that there's no corrosion on the canister itself and no holes in the fire extinguisher's hose. You should also ensure that the operating instructions on the front of the canister are still legible, including which types of fires the extinguisher is meant to be used on.
Most fire extinguishers have a pressure gauge that shows you the current pressure inside the canister. You need to ensure that the needle on the gauge is in the green zone. Other fire extinguishers use a cartridge system instead of a pressure gauge. If you don't see a pressure gauge, look for a charge indicator on the canister. The indicator should be depressed, which indicates that the cartridge has not been broken.
Finally, the fire extinguisher will have a tamper seal and a safety pin on the canister. Make sure that both of these items are still in place.
3. Measure the Canister Weight
Your fire extinguisher's maintenance log has a weight listed on it. You'll need to weigh the fire extinguisher on a scale to find out if it still weighs the same as the last time it was serviced. This ensures that the extinguishing solution isn't leaking out of the canister.
4. Update Maintenance Log
Finally, sign the maintenance log that's attached to the fire extinguisher with the current date. You'll also need to check to see if it's time for your fire extinguisher's annual maintenance. This is a more thorough inspection that's performed by certified fire extinguisher service technicians — they're trained to spot problems that your employees might not be able to catch.
In addition to annual maintenance, fire extinguishers also need to undergo periodic hydrostatic testing. A service technician empties the canister and recharges it in order to make sure that it's able to hold the correct pressure. Hydrostatic testing needs to be done every six years on liquid fire extinguishers and every twelve years on dry fire extinguishers. If it's time to have this performed, schedule an appointment with your fire safety company.
Overall, your monthly fire extinguisher inspection is a simple process. The most important part of the inspection is making sure that the fire extinguishers are visible and in the locations where your employees expect them to be. If one of your fire extinguishers doesn't pass the test, call a fire safety company to have it repaired or replaced — it's important for businesses to be able to rely on their fire extinguishers during emergencies.
To learn more, contact a company that does fire extinguisher inspections.