Fire Extinguisher Maintenance | How Often Should It Be Inspected?

Fire safety tends to be one of your top duties and even more so when we talk about fire protection in the workplace. You have your working smoke alarms in place, each fire exit marked, and well-defined safety standards for employees. That said, the most important factor in case of a fire is typically the fire extinguisher. On-time fire extinguisher installation in London is a crucial part of safety at any site, domestic or commercial.

Know that your site and its occupants are not entirely safe from fire threats if it has been too long since there was a thorough fire extinguisher maintenance on your site.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the detailed answer to a common concern: how often should fire extinguishers be checked?

Fire Extinguisher Maintenance: Securing Your First Line of Safety

A strict schedule for the maintenance of a fire extinguisher can be the difference between injury and safety. It is the tool you have to avoid facing considerable financial loss via damage to assets.

Your well-maintained fire detection systems and extinguishers in areas with high fire risks enable you to suppress a fire at its initial stages without harm. Then, there are other benefits of rigorous fire extinguisher maintenance to consider:

• Commercial or industrial sites in any industry in the UK stay compliant with regulations and maintain reputation when they have fire safety tools and methods in check.
• Fire safety training and other measures play a vital role in employee motivation. People perform well with peace of mind when they know they are safe.

Let’s move on to the crucial matter keeping these benefits in mind, i.e. on-time fire extinguisher maintenance. You need to know when to schedule upkeep in order to ensure optimum safety and legal compliance too.

How Often Do Fire Extinguishers Need to Be Inspected?

The simplest answer is that there is no single specific time when you should go for fire extinguisher maintenance. The standard for upkeep is that you should inspect or go for professional inspection and maintenance of fire inspections at least twice a year. For industrial properties where fire risks are always a concern, extinguisher maintenance at the start of every season is imperative.

That said, proper fire extinguisher maintenance is more intricate than this. Ideally, break down the upkeep process into monthly, biannual, and annual tasks.

Monthly Inspections of Fire Extinguishers

A simple checklist of fire upkeep is your job every month. It is fairly simple too; according to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005, you should conduct monthly visual inspection of every extinguisher on your property. This can be a self-inspect by a practised individual on your team, or you can call the experts.

While you and your employees may be aware of how does a fire spread and take precautions every single day, know that fire does not always discriminate. Even the most well-planned spaces used by the most diligent people are at risk of fire.

Visual fire extinguisher maintenance is a simple but significant action. This process should include the following steps:

• Check if the exterior surface of the container is intact, with no dents or scratches present.
• NO parts should be missing, including the trigger, tamer seals, and head cap pin.
• What is the pressure gauge reading? Your fire extinguisher should show functional pressure.

Finally, check if the position of the fire extinguisher is correct. That way, the next person to use it in an emergency can access it without hindrance. Of course, a too-old fire extinguisher needs replacement.

What most people don’t know is that your commitment to maintenance affects how long does a fire extinguisher lasts. With proper care, fire extinguishers are functional for around 10 years, or however long the expiration dates are. After that, maintenance won’t suffice to ensure safety, and you will have to replace the canister.

This inspection process is relevant to fire extinguishers for various types of fires and their causes, from Class A to F, as well as Electrical. Your meticulousness toward monthly fire extinguisher upkeep will be a vital aspect in case of a fire emergency.

Basic Annual Servicing of Fire Extinguishers

How often should a fire extinguisher be serviced according to law? This is where your annual fire extinguisher maintenance is relevant. More importantly, you have to get this testing done by a certified expert.

The specifics of this service can differ based on the type of extinguisher and fire safety checklist for workplaces according to industry. However, there is a list of basic functionalities every professional extinguisher inspector will complete.

• Full operational test, which includes replacing seals and O-rings and nozzle maintenance.
• Test the integrity of the exterior of the extinguisher and check the pressure gauge function.
• Ensure the usage and safety instructions are clearly present on the fire extinguisher.
• Refilling each fire extinguisher. This is a step which you should consider after every use.
• Write the service history on the card (that hangs around the extinguisher) for your record.

The top benefit of your annual fire extinguisher maintenance is that not only do you get your extinguishers perfectly functional again, but you are also able to access other fire security services in Greater London. From risk assessment to smoke alarm installation, adding other servicing tasks along with extinguisher upkeep means you complete one of the biggest responsibilities as a manager (for now!), and your site is much safer.

Who Can Carry Conduct Fire Extinguisher Upkeep?

You ensure legal compliance when you hire a certified expert for servicing fire extinguishers. Of course, we have covered that this is necessary for annual inspections.

As for your monthly upkeep checklist, you can leave a responsible and experienced person in charge of the task. Ideally, it should be someone who works full-time in the building so that they can be present in case of any issues.

Have some basic tools ready for safe and effective inspection. Make sure that the person conducting the maintenance wears safety glasses evade a possible accidental fire extinguisher discharge. They should have a clean, dry cloth at hand to clean the extinguisher. Lastly, be sure that they record details of the inspection and changes on the log card.

Bottom Line: Timely Maintenance Saves Lives

Foster a culture of fire safety in every way. By keeping fire extinguisher maintenance your top priority in site safety and risk protection, you can turn a potential disaster into a manageable situation. Your employees and facility’s soundness lies in the mere act of hiring a certified team of fire safety experts who do not take up much of your time!

KForce Security offers a wide array of workplace fire safety solutions like professional service of fire extinguishers. Contact us today to book detailed fire extinguisher inspections throughout your site to ensure their effectiveness in case of a fire.