Portable Fire Extinguishers Inspection
Portable fire extinguishers are required Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and The Management of Health and Safety
at Work Regulations 1999 to be inspected by a competent person at least every 12months. Almost all insurance companies have
within their schedule, a clause stating that regular fire extinguisher maintenance is required for them to maintain
cover. The standard to which fire extinguishers are maintained to is BS5306 pt3:2009. Remember that you are required
to do your own visual inspection of the extinguishers at least monthly (more often in severe environments).
The purpose
of the inspection is to ensure that not only the extinguisher will work correctly if required, but also to ensure it will work safely.
Contact us for a free no obligation quotation dale@lhcfp.co.uk
Engineers Covering
Need a Site Survey? Fire Extinguisher
Training
Why Do I have to Have This Inspection?
Who is a Competent Person And What Does the Inspection Involve?
The competent person is someone has been trained, had on the job experience and completed both a written and practical examination
on fire extinguisher maintenance. To maintain their competent person status they must attend and passed a refresher
course at least every three years It is good business practice to ask to view these documents.
The fire extinguisher
inspection will involve a degree of disassembly, this will vary depending on the types and manufacturers. The inspection
has anything from 15 to 25 stages and will include (not necessarily on all extinguishers) the following
-
Assess the suitability of the extinguisher for the local risks
-
Operating pressure within acceptable tolerances.
-
Evidence of corrosion that may impair use or integrity of the extinguisher.
-
Discharge assembly condition.
-
The functionality of pressure indictors.
-
Condition of internal lining.
-
Check mass of extinguisher against stamped and previous recorded weights.
-
Ensure that wall brackets are secure and of correct type.
-
Replacement of any seals and tamper indictors.
-
Extended service date.
At the end of the inspection a label will be fixed to the extinguisher. This label will indicate the date that the inspection was completed, the present condition of the extinguisher, the recorded weight of the fire extinguisher as well as the date that the next the next inspection is required. The label will also indicate the inspecting engineer, inspecting company and its contact details (Address & Telephone Numbers).
Once all your fire extinguishers and blankets have been inspected you will be issued a two part certificate. The first part being a service inspection report, highlighting and parts used and any recommendations we may make, the second part is the certificate itself. The certificate not only lists items that have passed inspection but those which have not. This report/certificate is inline with BS5306 pt3:2009 and there is no additional charge for the certificate.
What Is Extended Service?
The term extended service adopted in 2003 and it basically means the extinguisher (except Co2 type) are discharged under controlled
conditions by a competent person into a container and not into the environment) to ensure that it performs correctly, it
is then stripped down and thoroughly inspected inside and out. With the majority of modern extinguishers being the stored pressure
type, it is only at this point that the internal condition of he extinguisher be verified. If the extinguisher is in usable
condition, any faulty or worn parts are replaced, it is re charged and placed back into service. Extended service intervals
for Water, Powder, Foam and Wet Chemical extinguishers is 5 years.
Co2 extinguishers at ten years old are due a hydrostatic testing and complete overhaul of the extinguisher body. Certified testing stations can only carry out this process.
For Customer Information - Have you heard this?
We have seen a very big rise in the way our competitors try to convince you the customer it is cheaper to buy a new extinguisher than refill your old one, and then want to charge you extra to dispose of your old extinguisher! This is completely false and in most cases means that they either lack the knowledge required to carry out a extended service or do not process the tools to carry out the task. London And Home Counties Fire strongly believe that re using and not just recycling your old extinguishers is kinder to your pocket and the environment. We are amazed on how most of our competitors are sales motivated.
Plastic heads and various other amendments of the servicing guidelines have affected certain fire extinguishers. If in doubt get a second opinion we are only a phone call or email away. We ask the customer to send a photo either by sms or email to one of our technicians who can normally identify extinguishers that are beyond economical repair.
The customer's monthly inspection should include the following checks
-
Is located in the designated place;
-
It is the correct extinguisher as detailed in the fire log book.
-
Is unobstructed, visible and ideally its operating instructions face outwards.
-
Has operating instructions which are clean and legible.
-
Is not obviously damaged or missing any parts.
-
The pressure gauge needle is in the operable range or position (normally in the green).
-
Shows no signs or being discharged or leaking.
- Tamper indicators are not broken or missing.
Customer's Monthly Checks
Contact us for a free no obligation quotation dale@lhcfp.co.uk
