What is your company’s fire-fighting policy? Fires are the most common type of emergency for most companies, and many fires start out small enough to be put out with a portable fire extinguisher. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that all employees need to know how to use a fire extinguisher.
Why It Matters
According to OSHA, workplace fires kill about 200 and injure about 5,000 persons each year. In a typical recent year, there were more than 75,000 workplace fires that caused more than $2 billion worth of damage. In FY 2004, OSHA issued more than 1,300 citations for violations of its standard on portable fire extinguishers
Training requirements
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) prohibits employees from using a portable fire extinguisher unless they’ve been trained to recognize when and how to use it. Organizations are required to provide this training when employees are first hired and annually thereafter. Employers are also advised to establish a policy clarifying who is qualified to use fire extinguishers, the situations in which they can and should be used, and the proper procedures for use.
The OSHA fire extinguisher training requirements are not very specific, but they do call for a program that “familiarizes employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use” as well as informs them of the hazards of fighting small fires. For companies that designate only certain (rather than all) employees for fire fighting, training should be more in-depth and encompass the use of various kinds of fire-fighting equipment that are appropriate for the workplace. For either type of training, employers must provide it both initially and at least once a year thereafter.
Employers who provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use must provide an educational program to familiarize all employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage firefighting. In addition, employees who are expected to use portable fire extinguishers must be provided with “hands on” training in the use of the fire extinguishing equipment. You may provide educational materials, without classroom instruction, through the use of employee notice campaigns using instruction sheets or flyers or similar types of informal programs; this however, does not relieve you of the responsibility to provide hands-on training for actual fire extinguisher use. You may provide onsite training which exposes employees to the actual “feeling” of firefighting by simulated fires for training employees in the proper use of extinguishers.
Providing fire extinguishers means OSHA compliance responsibilities
Employers need to decide if they want to provide fire extinguishers for employees to use if necessary. The decision may not be easy: While it’s obviously helpful if employees know how to put out small fires, it also exposes them to a higher level of danger than if they are simply required to evacuate. Moreover, employers that do want employees to fight small fires can’t simply mount a few fire extinguishers and leave it at that. Instead, they must comply with the requirements of OSHA’s standard on Portable Fire Extinguishers.
Contact Jasperwood Fire Equipment Company Today
Jasperwood Fire Equipment Company has been providing fire equipment sales and service to the Texas Panhandle since 1953. Jasperwood Fire Equipment Company provides complete fire protection services for restaurants, commercial kitchens and other industries in the Texas Panhandle including Plainview TX, Amarillo TX and Lubbock TX as well as the surrounding areas. Jasperwood Fire Equipment Company is your best solution for all fire protection and fire suppression system products and services. Don’t gamble with the safety of your business, your employees, your valuable assets or your guests.
Request Information, Service, Training Or A Quote or call Jasperwood Fire Equipment Company TODAY. In Amarillo TX call (806) 373-0000, in Lubbock TX call (806) 793-3000 and in Plainview TX call (806) 296-9789.