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Fire Safety Articles
Where To Place Your Fire ExtinguishersSaturday, January 1, 2011 | Printer Friendly
Like all essential fire safety equipment, fire extinguishers need to be on hand when you need them most. Your Fire Risk Assessment of your business premises will indicate which fire extinguisher types should be available in certain areas, but where should you actually site your extinguishers for maximum accessibility? Fire Extinguisher Positioning: Easy AccessThe key to positioning fire extinguishers is to ensure that they are easily accessible. Yes, we know that sounds obvious, but this means ensuring your staff have a clear path to the extinguishers, and don't have to dodge around awkward desk angles or complex machinery to get at the extinguishers in a hurry. The general rule of thumb is, if you can see the whole extinguisher from top to bottom, you probably have good access to it. So, think of placing your fire extinguishers in areas with more open space, such as near doors or exits, but before you go any further, open the door. If the open door hides the extinguisher, think again! Fire Extinguisher Location: Wall Mounted ExtinguishersIn business premises, fire extinguishers should ideally be in one location consistently, not moved about. The best way to ensure that fire extinguishers remain in their optimum location is to mount them on the wall. Wall mounting keeps your fire extinguisher clear of any dust or liquids on a factory floor, for example, and in an office keeps them clear of knocks and chips due to over-enthusiastic hoovering. When considering wall mounting a fire extinguisher, remember that fire extinguishers are heavy objects. Ensure your chosen wall is sound, and preferably made of brick or masonry, and use appropriate, heavy-duty fixings to attach the fire extinguisher mounts to your wall. Modern office walls are often not suitable for wall mounted extinguishers, since the cavity structure of partition walls is not strong enough. In this case, you should use fire extinguisher stands. Fire Extinguisher Placement: Floor StandsIf you just stand fire extinguishers on a floor, with no base or stand, they are vulnerable to being accidentally knocked, over, which can seriously damage their lever and valve mechanisms. Fire extinguisher stands are designed to firmly hold your fire extinguishers in place, and also raises them from the floor to keep them clear of spillages, dirt and carpet fluff. Robust plastic fire extinguisher stands are the ideal solution, ranging from small circular base stands for single extinguishers to double extinguisher stands with a back portion designed to take fire safety information signs. Metal hanging stands are also available, which are usually used with stainless steel (chrome) finished fire extinguisher, for a 'designer' look. Fire Extinguisher SignsProbably the most vital part of positioning your fire extinguishers in any business premises is choosing and placing the appropriate fire safety information signs. Every fire extinguisher location needs a fire safety sign that indicates which fire extinguishers are available, and in some cases, details of the fire classes on which they can be used. (This information is also printed on the extinguisher body as well.) Again, the rule of thumb with fire safety signs is that you need to be able to see them from anywhere within the at risk area. In office premises, this will include fixing signs above the fire extinguisher stand, so they can be seen from a distance. In manufacturing situations, signs may need to be larger to be read from further away. In every business premises, consider purchasing the latest generation of photoluminescent signs, which glow in the dark. (We'll take you through the correct use of fire safety signs in a future article here at Essential Fire Safety.) You can buy a wide range fire extinguisher stands and fire safety signs here at Essential Fire Safety, at discount prices, and with our 100% satisfaction guarantee.
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