Need a Safer Workplace? Include These 3 Types of Inspections in Your Fire Equipment Maintenance Program

If you own or run a business, having fire equipment is one of the legal regulations you are expected to fulfil. Without fire equipment, it's hard to escape the effects of fire if it strikes. However, you could still experience regrettable fire damage if the fire equipment in your business isn't in good shape.

Most fire extinguishers malfunction due to poor maintenance and even delayed or skipped inspections. For any fire equipment to be efficient when a fire breaks, it must be in good working condition—something that only happens when routine maintenance inspections aren't neglected. Here are the maintenance inspections your fire equipment needs to be in good shape and ready for any fire emergency:

Monthly Maintenance Inspections

If you don't inspect your fire equipment once a month, you aren't just violating the OSHA rules and risking your business, but you are also risking the lives of your customers and employees. By inspecting the fire equipment monthly, it's easier to identify physical damage signs like dents, leakage and corrosion and fix them before they take a toll on it and render it useless.

Monthly inspections aren't complicated. They involve simple things such as checking whether the equipment is at the right place and if it's charged and in good working condition. When inspecting the equipment, the fire protection expert also checks whether it's accessible and if the view is being obstructed in any way.

Yearly Maintenance Inspections

Although your fire-fighting equipment might not develop any problem by the end of the year, it doesn't mean you should skip the yearly inspections. These inspections are done to show the current state of the equipment and probably the repairs it needs to increase efficiency and extend its lifespan.

The employer shouldn't perform annual inspections themselves, but they should instead contact a reputable fire safety expert or company to do so. Fire safety technicians have the right gears and expertise to identify any probable fire risk and prevent it.

Maintenance Inspections After 5 Years

Besides the monthly and yearly inspections, a fire safety technician or company should also inspect your fire equipment after five years. Here, the fire protection experts discharge the equipment and examine its internal system or components. They then recharge the fire equipment and test if its efficiency is optimal. For instance, if your fire equipment uses the dry chemical, a fire protection expert should examine its internal components after five years and test its hydrostatic cylinders after 12 years. This helps to know if the equipment has adequate pressure to release the chemical substance needed to put out the fire.

OSHA has outlined how various maintenance inspections should be done, when they should be carried out and who should conduct them. Maintaining your fire equipment in good shape isn't a nice-to-do task, but it's something you must do to create a safer workplace for your employees and customers. For more information, reach out to professionals who provide fire equipment maintenance. 

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