Fire Protection
Precendents
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Charts, 1992-2007 [372 KB PDF, 17 pages], fires and explosions accounted for 3% of workplace fatalities in 2007. This page provides valuable reference materials for prevention of fire-related injuries in all workplaces. Fire safety is addressed in specific standards for recordkeeping, general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, gear certification, and the construction industry. This page highlights OSHA standards, the Regulatory Agenda (a list of actions being taken with regard to OSHA standards), directives (instructions for compliance officers), and national consensus standards related to fire safety. Fire safety becomes everyone's job at a worksite. Employers should train workers about fire hazards in the workplace and about what to do in a fire emergency. This plan should outline the assignments of key personnel in the event of a fire and provide an evacuation plan for workers on the site. In the construction industry, a "fire plan" should be set up prior to the beginning of any demolition job.
What should employers do to protect workers from fire hazards
Employers should train workers about fire hazards in the workplace and about what to do in a fire emergency. If you want your workers to evacuate, you should train them about how to escape. Just as, if you expect your workers to use firefighting equipment, you should give them appropriate equipment and train them to use the equipment safely.
Equipment
Examples of equipment that needs to be maintained include: Hose reels and cabinets Hose outlets and connections, mounting Hose, connected or readily available Nozzles, shut-off type (straight or fog) Water supply, 100 gpm for 30 minutes
Fixed Fire Suppression Equipment
Fixed Extinguishing Systems Section 1910.160 This section applies to all fixed extinguishing systems installed to meet a particular OSHA standard except for automatic sprinkler systems, which are covered under 1910.159. General Requirements Fixed extinguishing system components and agents shall be designed and approved for use on the specific fire hazards they are expected to control or extinguish: Designed and approved for specific hazards Noticeable distinctive alarms required Safeguards to prevent employee entrance Hazard warning or caution signs Systems inspected annually
What are the rules for fixed extinguishing systems
Fixed extinguishing systems throughout the workplace are among the most reliable fire fighting tools. These systems detect fires, sound an alarm, and send water to the fire and heat. To meet OSHA standards, employers who have these systems must: Substitute (temporarily) a fire watch of trained employees to respond to fire emergencies when a fire suppression system is out of service. Ensure that the watch is included in the fire prevention plan and the emergency action plan. Post signs for systems that use agents (e.g., carbon dioxide, Halon 1211, etc.) posing a serious health hazard.
Do employers have to provide portable fire extinguishers
No. But if you do, you must establish an educational program to familiarize your workers with the general principles of fire extinguisher use. If you expect your workers to use portable fire extinguishers, you must provide hands-on training in using this equipment.
Must employers develop emergency action plans
Not every employer is required to have an emergency action plan. OSHA standards that require such plans include the following: Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, 1910.119 Fixed Extinguishing Systems, General, 1910.160 Fire Detection Systems, 1910.164 Grain Handling, 1910.272 Ethylene Oxide, 1910.1047 Methylenedianiline, 1910.1050 1,3 Butadiene, 1910.1051 When required, employers must develop emergency action plans that: Describe the routes for workers to use and procedures to follow. Account for all evacuated employees. Remain available for employee review. Include procedures for evacuating disabled employees. Address evacuation of employees who stay behind to shut down critical plant equipment. Include preferred means of alerting employees to a fire emergency. Provide for an employee alarm system throughout the workplace. Require an alarm system that includes voice communication or sound signals such as bells, whistles, or horns. Make the evacuation signal known to employees. Ensure emergency training. Require employer review of the plan with new employees and with all employees whenever the plan is changed.
Must employers have a fire prevention plan?
OSHA standards that require fire prevention plans include the following: Ethylene Oxide, 1910.1047 Methylenedianiline, 1910.1050 1,3 Butadiene, 1910.1051 Employers covered by these standards must implement plans to minimize the frequency of evacuations. All fire prevention plans must: Be available for employee review. Include housekeeping procedures for storage and cleanup of flammable materials and flammable waste. Address handling and packaging of flammable waste. (E.g., Recycling of flammable waste such as paper is encouraged.) Cover procedures for controlling workplace ignition sources such as smoking, welding, and burning. Provide for proper cleaning and maintenance of heat producing equipment such as burners, heat exchangers, boilers, ovens, stoves, and fryers, and require storage of flammables away from this equipment. Inform workers of the potential fire hazards of their jobs and plan procedures. Require plan review with all new employees and with all employees whenever the plan is changed.
Sprinkler Alarms
On all sprinkler systems having more than twenty (20) sprinklers, the employer shall assure that a local water flow alarm is provided which sounds an audible signal on the premises upon water flow through the system equal to the flow from a single sprinkler.
How to use a fire extinguisher
PASS System of Using Portable Fire Extinguishers It's easy to remember how to use a fire extinguisher if you can remember the acronym PASS, which stands for Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. P - Pull the pin. A - Aim nozzle at base of flames. S - Squeeze the trigger. S - Sweep the extinguisher from side to side, covering the area of the fire with the extinguishing agent.
Portable fire extinguishers section 1910.157
Scope and Application Requirements The requirements of this section apply to the placement, use, maintenance, and testing of portable fire extinguishers provided for the use of employees. Paragraph (d) of section 1910.157 does not apply to extinguishers provided for employee use on the outside of workplace buildings or structures. Where extinguishers are provided but are not intended for employee use and the employer has an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan, which meets the requirements of 1910.38, then only the requirements of paragraphs (e) and (f) of section 1910.157 apply.
Standpipe and Hose Systems: Section 1910.158
Section Applies to Class II and III This section applies to all small hose, Class II, and Class III standpipe systems installed to meet the requirements of a particular OSHA standard. Standpipes will be protected: The employer shall assure that standpipes are located or otherwise protected against mechanical damage. Damaged standpipes should be promptly repaired.
Installation and Testing
The employer shall assure that all employee alarm systems are restored to normal operating condition as promptly as possible after each test or alarm. Spare alarm devices and components subject to wear or destruction shall be available in sufficient quantities and locations for prompt restoration of the system.
Test supervised alarms annually by qualified personnel
The employer shall assure that all supervised employee alarm systems are tested at least annually for reliability and adequacy.
Water supplies
The employer shall assure that every automatic sprinkler system is provided with at least one automatic water supply capable of providing design water flow for at least 30 minutes. An auxiliary water supply or equivalent protection shall be provided when the automatic water supply is out of service, except for systems of 20 or fewer sprinklers.
Protected from Corrosion
The employer shall assure that fire detection equipment installed outdoors or in the presence of corrosive atmospheres be protected from corrosion. The employer shall provide a canopy, hood, or other suitable protection for detection equipment requiring protection from the weather.
Response time - Operate in time to control or extinguish
The employer shall assure that fire detection systems installed for the purpose of actuating fire extinguishment or suppression systems shall be designed to operate in time to control or extinguish a fire.
Provide time for employee evacuation
The employer shall assure that fire detection systems installed for the purpose of employee alarm and evacuation are designed and installed to provide a warning for emergency action and safe escape of employees.
Sprinklers
The employer shall assure that only approved sprinklers are used on systems. Mixing of type or brand of replacements requires new engineering analyses.
Acceptance test for water systems
The employer shall conduct proper acceptance tests on sprinkler systems installed for employee protection after January 1, 1981, and record the dates of such tests. Proper acceptance tests include the following: Flush underground connections Hydrostatic tests of piping Air-tests in dry-pipe systems Test of drainage facilities
Placement by Maximum Travel Distances
The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers for use by employees on Class A fires so that the travel distance for employees to any extinguisher is 75 feet (22.9 m) or less. Class A and D - 75 feet The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers for use by employees on Class A fires so that the travel distance for employees to any extinguisher is 75 feet (22.9 m) or less. Class B - 50 feet The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers for use by employees on Class B fires so that the travel distance from the Class B hazard area to any extinguisher is 50 feet (15.2 m) or less. Class C - Based on existing As and Bs The employer shall distribute portable fire extinguishers used for Class C hazards on the basis of the appropriate pattern for the existing Class A or Class B hazards.
Located/protected from physical impact
The employer shall locate or otherwise protect detection equipment so that it is protected from mechanical or physical impact which might render it inoperable.
Total Flooding Systems
The employer shall provide an emergency action plan in accordance with 1910.38 for each area within a workplace that is protected by a total flooding system, which provides agent concentrations exceeding the maximum safe levels. On all total-flooding systems the employer shall provide a pre-discharge employee alarm that complies with 1910.165 and is capable of being perceived above ambient light or noise levels before the system discharges, which will give employees time to safely exit from the discharge area before system discharge.
General Requirements
The employer shall provide portable fire extinguishers and shall comply with the following: Mount, locate, and identify fire extinguishers. Use only approved fire extinguishers. No carbon tetrachloride or chlorobromomethane should be used. Maintain fire extinguishers fully charged and operable. No soldered or riveted shell inverting type fire extinguishers should be used.
Inspection, Maintenance, and Testing
The employer shall: Not provide or make available in the workplace portable fire extinguishers using carbon tetrachloride or chlorobromomethane extinguishing agents. Assure that portable fire extinguishers are maintained in a fully charged and operable condition and kept in their designated places at all times except during use. The employer shall inspect fire extinguishers monthly and should do an annual maintenance check. The employer shall record the annual maintenance date and retain this record for one year after the last entry, or for the life of the shell, whichever is less.
Introduction
There is a long and tragic history of workplace fires in this country. One of the most notable was the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911, in which nearly 150 women and young girls died because of locked fire exits and inadequate fire extinguishing systems. History repeated itself several years ago in the fire in Hamlet, North Carolina, where 25 workers died in a fire in a poultry processing plant. It appears that here, too, there were problems with fire exits and extinguishing systems.
Fixed Systems Gaseous Agent Section 1910.162
This scene discusses all fixed extinguishing systems, using a gas as the extinguishing agent, installed to meet a particular OSHA standard. These systems shall also comply with 1910.160. In some cases, the gas may be in a liquid state during storage.
Fire Detection Systems
This scene focuses on all automatic fire detection systems installed to meet the requirements of a particular OSHA standard. Restore to normal condition ASAP after testing or activation The employer shall assure that all devices and equipment constructed and installed to comply with this Standard are approved for the purpose for which they are intended. Maintenance and Testing: Maintained in operable condition Test system as needed to ensure reliability Only trained personnel on system
Training and Education
Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer should also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with beginning stage fire fighting. The employer shall provide the following: Initial and annual training The required training upon initial assignment to the designated group of employees and at least annually, thereafter
Number, Location, and Spacing of Detectors
Based on design data from multiple sources: The employer shall assure that the number, spacing, and location of fire detectors is based upon design data obtained from field experience, or tests, engineering surveys, the manufacturer's recommendations, or a recognized testing laboratory listing.
What does OSHA require for emergency fire exits
Every workplace must have enough exits suitably located to enable everyone to get out of the facility quickly. Considerations include the type of structure, the number of persons exposed, the fire protection available, the type of industry involved, and the height and type of construction of the building or structure. In addition, fire doors must not be blocked or locked when employees are inside. Delayed opening of fire doors, however, is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design. Exit routes from buildings must be free of obstructions and properly marked with exit signs.
Selection and Distribution
Portable fire extinguishers shall be provided for employee use. They should be selected and distributed based on the classes of anticipated workplace fires and on the size and degree of hazard that would affect their use.
Testing unsupervised alarms every two months
The employer shall assure that a test of the reliability and adequacy of non-supervised employee alarm systems is made every two months.
Maintenance and Testing - Maintain in operating condition
The employer shall assure that all employee alarm systems are maintained in operating condition except when undergoing repairs or maintenance.
Maintenance for water systems
The employer shall properly maintain an automatic sprinkler system. The employer shall assure that a main drain flow test is performed on each system annually. The inspector's test valve shall be opened at least every two years to assure that the sprinkler system operates properly.
Automatic Sprinkler Systems: Section 1910.159
The requirements of this section apply to all automatic sprinkler systems installed to meet a particular OSHA standard. All automatic sprinkler designs used to comply with this Standard shall provide the necessary discharge patterns, densities, and water flow characteristics for complete coverage in a particular workplace or zoned subdivision of the workplace. Automatic sprinkler systems installed in workplaces, but not required by OSHA, are exempt from the requirements of this section
Employee Alarm Systems Section 1910.165
This section applies to all emergency employee alarms installed to meet a particular OSHA standard. The requirements in this section that pertain to maintenance, testing, and inspection shall apply to all local fire alarm signaling systems used for alerting employees regardless of the other functions of the system. General Requirements The employee alarm system should: Provide warning for actions required by emergency action plan Have an alarm that can be heard or seen Be distinctive and recognizable Employees should be informed of preferred means of reporting emergencies
