Making the right decisions regarding fire safety is critical for keeping employees safe in the workplace. The following are a handful of important rules that employers must follow to comply with safety regulations and consensus standards:
- The nearest fire extinguisher should never be more than 100 feet away.
- There must be a fire extinguisher on every floor of a building.
- There should be at least one fire extinguisher adjacent to the stairway in multistory buildings.
- Wherever there is more than five gallons of flammable or combustible liquids, or five pounds of flammable gas, there must be a fire extinguisher within fifty feet and rated as 10B or higher.
Fill in the following form to determine the recommended minimum number of portable fire extinguishers. Full coverage of the area in case of a fire is one of the most important aspects of fire prevention, which is why having the right number of fire extinguishers is so critical. This calculator will ensure the ratio of fire extinguishers to space is appropriate for the hazard level present in the area.
Suggested minimum number of portable fire extinguishers
Each extinguisher protects (in square feet)
What's next?
Once all the appropriate fire extinguishers have been purchased and implemented across the area, these safety devices must be properly maintained. The NFPA provides guidance on fire extinguisher maintenance within the standard 10A-1973.
Make sure to also take a look at 29 CFR 1926.150 Fire Protection and Prevention in OSHA’s regulations to further grasp the importance of fire safety within industrial environments.
