Fire Extinguisher Training

OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration prohibits employees from using fire extinguishers unless they possess the necessary training. That means that your employees have to undergo a fire extinguisher training program in order to not only be capable of correctly using fire extinguishers, but also to be legally allowed to do so

The Occupational Safety and Health Act states that if the employer provides portable fire extinguishers at the workplace, they also have to provide an educational program that will familiarize all employees with the operating principles of a fire extinguisher. Your workers have to be trained in:

• Recognizing the situations in which to employ portable fire extinguishers.
• Adequately operating fire extinguishers if the need arises.

There are only two exemptions to this legal requirement of employees having to undergo fire extinguisher training:

• If there is a written fire-safety protocol that includes fire-prevention and emergency-action plan per OSHA’s requirements and that proscribes immediate evacuation of all employees when the fire alarm sounds.
• If the company follows an emergency-action plan that designates only certain employees to handle portable fire extinguishers while other workers are instructed to evacuate the area.