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 marshal 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 meet the requirements …	in this section:
Provide portable fire extinguishers in your workplace	WAC 296-800-30005
Select and distribute portable fire extinguishers in your workplace	WAC 296-800-30010
Make sure that portable fire extinguishers are kept fully charged, in operable condition, and left in their designated places	WAC 296-800-30015
Inspect and test all portable fire extinguishers	WAC 296-800-30020
Train your employees to use portable fire extinguishers	WAC 296-800-30025

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.

Note:

The introduction has important information about building, electrical and fire codes that may apply to you in addition to WISHA rules. See "How do the WISHA rules relate to building, fire and electrical codes" in the introduction section of this book.

PDFWAC 296-800-300

Summary—Portable fire extinguishers.