Fires are a health and safety issue which impact each and every one of us, be it at home, at work or in public spaces. In order to ensure that the conditions for preventing fires from spreading are in place, it is essential to provide and maintain reliable equipment, particularly in areas which present particulalrly high risks in the event of a fire.
Although having appropriate fire extinguishers in designated areas is a great start, it is not enough to simply have these in place, and later forget about them unless they are needed. Fire extinguishers require regular inspection and servicing by professionals, in order to ensure that they are in proper working order, and have not been compromised in any way. If unfortunate circumstances did cause a fire to occur, you would want to confident in the knowledge that your extinguisher is ready to use, with no issues preventing it from serving its indented purpose.
Here are a few essential steps that need to be followed whilst performing fire extinguisher maintenance:
Perform a Visual Inspection of the Extinguisher
The person responsible for fire safety should carry out visual checks on a monthly basis at the very least, with more frequent checks taking place where circumstances require. Your visual check should consist of the following:
- Ensure that the extinguisher is located in the correct area, and is visible to those who may need to use it.
- Check that the instructions are also clear to see, and unobstructed.
- Assess the parts to ensure that it has not been damaged or operated.
- Read the pressure gauge/indicator to check it is within safe operational limits.
Arrange Corrective Action
If the extinguisher has been tampered with, or the responsible party suspects that it is not in working order, this issue should be addressed immediately, with corrective action being arranged as soon as possible.
Oversee Professional Servicing
Professional fire safety experts should always be used to perform detailed inspections on the extinguishers. The frequency of these inspections will depend on the type of extinguisher in question.
Accurately Record Maintenance
As is the case with any health and safety procedure, it is essential to ensure that the processes of maintaining your fire extinguisher is also accurately recorded. To do this you will need to use fire extinguisher maintenance labels. Here's a closer look at the recording system we provide here at Label Source as an example:
(fire extinguisher maintenance labels, supplied in packs of 50)
This label should be used to record the details of the inspection, including the date, name of the inspector and weight of the extinguisher.
To find out more about fire safety, check out our previous blogs! To see our full range of equipment inspection labels, click here.
