Core Rules

Portable Fire Extinguishers WAC 296-800-300

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Important:

The following WISHA rule applies to the placement, use, maintenance, and testing of portable fire extinguishers provided for the use of employees. Your local fire marshall also enforces fire codes which address fire safety that are more comprehensive and may go beyond WISHA rules.

Your Responsibility:

To provide readily accessible, appropriate portable fire extinguishers for employees in your workplace

You must:

Exemptions: You are exempt from the requirements of portable fire extinguishers if you have the following: - A written fire safety policy that requires the immediate and total evacuation of employees from the workplace when there is a fire alarm signal AND - An emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan which meet the requirements of WAC 296-24-567 AND - Portable fire extinguishers in your workplace that are not accessible for employee use. If another WISHA rule requires portable fire extinguishers, then you must comply with these requirements. Where extinguishers are provided but are not intended for employee use and you have an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan (which meet the requirements of  WAC 296-24-567), then only the requirements of WAC 296-800-30020 apply.

WAC 296-800-30005

Provide portable fire extinguishers in your workplace

You must:

(1) Provide approved portable fire extinguishers for your workplace and distribute them so they are readily accessible.

• Make sure that your portable fire extinguisher does not use extinguishing agents such as carbon tetrachloride or chlorobromomethane extinguishing agents. In addition, soda-acid foam, loaded stream, anti-freeze and water extinguishers of the inverting type shall not be recharged or placed into service.

(2) Mount, locate, and identify portable fire extinguishers so employees can easily reach them, without being subjected to possible injury.

WAC 296-800-30010

Select and distribute portable fire extinguishers in your workplace

Exemption: This does not apply to the portable fire extinguishers provided for employees to use outside of workplace buildings or structures. You are exempt from the distribution requirements of this rule if you have an emergency action plan (that meets requirements of WAC 296-24-567): - Which designates certain employees to be the only employees authorized to use the available portable fire extinguishers AND - Requires all other employees in the fire area to immediately evacuate the affected work area upon the sounding of the fire alarm.

You must:

• Provide the correct type of portable fire extinguishers and distribute them in your workplace, depending on the type, size, and severity of fire that could occur.
  • - The type of portable fire extinguishers you must have in your workplace depends on the types of fire hazards that exist in your workplace.

WAC 296-800-30015

Make sure that portable fire extinguishers are kept fully charged, in operable condition, and left in their designated places

You must:

• Make sure that fire extinguishers found with deficiencies are removed from service and replaced with a suitable fire extinguisher.

WAC 296-800-30020

Inspect and test all portable fire extinguishers

You must:

•  Perform inspections:
  • - Make sure that portable fire extinguishers or hose systems (used instead of fire extinguishers) are visually inspected monthly.
• Perform maintenance checks:
  • - Make sure that all portable fire extinguishers are subjected to an annual maintenance check.
  • - Keep records of all annual maintenance checks and make available to the department upon request.
  • For 1 year after the last maintenance check
  • OR
  • For the life of the shell, whichever is less.
  • - Make sure that equal protection is provided when portable fire extinguishers are removed from service for maintenance and recharging.

Exemption: Most stored pressure extinguishers do not require an internal examination. Examples of those that do require an internal examination are those containing a loaded stream agent.

• Perform hydrostatic testing:

Exemption: Dry chemical extinguishers that have nonrefillable disposable containers are exempt from this requirement. Manually pressurized pumptanks are exempt from this requirement.

• Make sure that portable extinguishers are hydrostatically tested

  - At the intervals listed in Table 1, of this section.

  • - Whenever they show evidence of corrosion or mechanical injury.
• Not perform hydrostatic testing on fire extinguishers if:
• - The unit has been repaired by soldering, welding, brazing, or use of patching compounds.
• - The cylinder or shell threads are damaged.
• - Corrosion has caused pitting, including corrosion under removable name plate assemblies.
• - The extinguisher has been burned in a fire.
• - Calcium chloride extinguishing agents have been used in a stainless steel shell.

• Maintain records showing that hydrostatic testing has been performed. Provide the following evidence to the department upon request:
• - Date of test.
• - Test pressure used.
• - The serial number, or other identifier of the fire extinguisher that was tested.
• - Person or agency performing the test.
• Keep records until:
• - The extinguisher is retested
• OR
• - The extinguisher is taken out of service, whichever comes first.
• Empty and maintain stored-pressure dry chemical extinguishers requiring a 
  12-year hydrostatic test, every 6 years.
  • - When recharging or hydrostatic testing is performed, the
    6-year requirement begins from that date.

Hydrostatic Test Table

WAC 296-800-30025

Train your employees to use portable fire extinguishers

You must:

• Train your employees where you have provided portable fire extinguishers for their use in:
  • - The hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting (the early stage of a fire when it can be extinguished by a portable fire extinguisher).
  • - The general principles of fire extinguisher use.
• Provide the training when they are first hired and then annually.