Applicability of Emergency Action Plans and Fire Extinguisher Use
Posted on Tue, Aug 10, 2010
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), almost every business is required to have either a written or verbally communicated Emergency Action Plan (EAP). As stated by OSHA, if fire extinguishers are required or provided in your place of business, and if anyone will be evacuating during a fire or other emergency, then OSHA's 29 CFR 1910.157 requires you to have an EAP.
“The only exemption to this is if you have an in-house fire brigade in which every employee is trained and equipped to fight fires, and consequently, no one evacuates”, as stated by OSHA.
29 CFR 1910.157(g)(1) requires the employer provide an educational program for employees to familiarize them with fire extinguishers and the hazards involved with the incipient stage of fire fighting. Employers must train the designated employee(s) upon initial assignment of the task and thereafter, on an annual basis n the use of the specific on-site fire equipment.
A well-trained employee with an on-site fire extinguisher can put out small, non-hazardous fires effectively. However, to do this safely, the employee must have knowledge of equipment and portable fire extinguisher limitations, in addition to the hazards associated with fighting fires. There may be situations where employee firefighting is warranted to give other workers time to escape, or to prevent danger to others by spread of a fire.
OSHA provides the following Risk Assessment:
The following chart is a sample of OSHA’s fire extinguisher education.
If professional firefighting services are available in your area, immediate evacuation may be the best policy if responders can be at the site quickly.
If a hazardous substance emergency could occur at your facility and you plan to have any of your employees participate in the emergency response, you are required to have an Emergency Response Plan in writing and available for inspection consistent with 29 CFR 1910.120(q) (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response).
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