For thousands of restaurants, hotels, offices, factories, hospitals, leisure facilities, and retailers across the UK, fire extinguishers act as the first line of defence, should a fire occur. With the blueprint for reopening now set, your fire extinguishers must be fully operational.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that a competent fully trained person must service fire extinguishers at least once per year to remain compliant with the current British Standard (BS 5306-3), and that extended fire extinguisher servicing needs to be conducted every five or ten years (depending on the type of fire extinguishers that you have).
Whilst maintenance and servicing must be carried out every twelve months, businesses must conduct a visual inspection of all fire extinguishers on-site once per month. Examples of things to look out for include:
- Signs of damage, e.g. leaking, corrosion, dents, or indicators that someone has tampered with the fire extinguisher.
- Check that the pressure gauge is pointing to the green and working.
- Ensure all fire extinguishers are visible and nothing is obstructing them.
- A broken or wobbly handle.
- Missing or broken locking pins or seals.
- A blocked, torn, or cracked nozzle or hose.
- Make sure the safety pin is intact.
- Check that the seal isn’t broken or damaged.
- Remove any debris or dirt that could be clogging the nozzle.
For more information on how to carry out a monthly visual inspection of your fire extinguishers, take a look at our helpful video guide.
It is important to make sure that your monthly inspections are recorded before re-opening. This ensures that there is adequate information when the fire extinguishers are serviced more thoroughly.
If it has been over 12 months since your fire extinguishers were last checked by a fire safety professional, these will need to be serviced urgently.
At Churches Fire & Security we work tirelessly to ensure fire extinguishers remain in full working order and are legally compliant. We are registered to the BAFE SP101 scheme, demonstrating that our technicians work to the highest safety standards in the commissioning and servicing of fire extinguishers.
To arrange a service for your fire extinguishers, speak to a member of our customer development team today.
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