Portable Fire Extinguishers (29 CFR 1910.157) is the OSHA standard for the placement, use, maintenance and testing of portable fire extinguishers that employers provide for employees. It protects workers by making sure extinguishers are the right type, within reach, working when needed and used only by people who know how and when to use them.
Most general industry workplaces have extinguishers on the wall, and the standard applies as soon as an employer provides them for employee use. Its inspection, maintenance and training duties are recurring, which makes them easy to let slip without a tracking system.
What Is the Portable Fire Extinguisher Standard?
29 CFR 1910.157 is part of Subpart L, Fire Protection, in OSHA's general industry standards. It covers selection and distribution, inspection, maintenance, hydrostatic testing, and employee training and education. Distribution rules in 1910.157(d) do not apply to extinguishers provided for use outside workplace buildings or structures.
Extinguishers are rated by the class of fire they are designed to fight:
- Class A: ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth and many plastics
- Class B: flammable liquids and gases
- Class C: fires involving energized electrical equipment
- Class D: combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium and sodium
Only approved portable fire extinguishers may be used. Carbon tetrachloride and chlorobromomethane extinguishers are prohibited, and soldered or riveted shell inverting-type extinguishers, such as old soda acid and foam units, must be removed from service.
Who Must Comply?
The standard applies to general industry employers that provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use. The level of compliance depends on the employer's fire response policy:
- Employees are expected to use extinguishers. All of 1910.157 applies, including distribution and annual training.
- Only designated employees fight fires. Under 1910.157(b)(2), if an emergency action plan designates certain employees to use extinguishers and requires everyone else to evacuate, the employer is exempt from the distribution requirements in 1910.157(d). Inspection, maintenance, testing and training still apply.
- Extinguishers are present but not for employee use. If the employer has an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan meeting 1910.38 and 1910.39, only the inspection, maintenance and testing paragraphs, 1910.157(e) and (f), apply.
- Total evacuation and no extinguishers. Under 1910.157(b)(1), an employer with a written policy requiring immediate and total evacuation when the fire alarm sounds, a compliant emergency action plan and fire prevention plan, and no portable extinguishers in the workplace is exempt from 1910.157, unless another OSHA standard specifically requires extinguishers.
Local fire codes, fire marshals and insurers often require extinguishers regardless of OSHA's exemptions. State Plan states may also have stricter requirements.
Key Requirements
Placement and condition, 1910.157(c)
Extinguishers must be provided, mounted, located and identified so they are readily accessible to employees without exposing them to possible injury. They must be kept fully charged and operable, and kept in their designated places at all times except during use.
Selection and distribution, 1910.157(d)
Extinguishers must be selected and distributed based on the classes of anticipated fires and the size and degree of the hazard. Maximum travel distances are:
- Class A: 75 feet or less to an extinguisher. Uniformly spaced standpipe systems or hose stations connected to a sprinkler system may substitute for Class A extinguishers if they meet 1910.158 or 1910.159, provide total coverage and employees are trained at least annually in their use.
- Class B: 50 feet or less from the hazard area.
- Class C: distributed on the basis of the appropriate pattern for the existing Class A or Class B hazards.
- Class D: 75 feet or less from the combustible metal working area. Class D extinguishers are required where combustible metal powders, flakes, shavings or similarly sized products are generated at least once every two weeks.
Inspection, Maintenance and Testing
Monthly visual inspection, 1910.157(e)(2)
Portable extinguishers, or hoses used in place of them, must be visually inspected monthly. A typical monthly check confirms the unit is in its place, visible and unobstructed, the pressure gauge reads in the operable range, the pin and tamper seal are intact, and there is no obvious damage, corrosion or leakage.
Annual maintenance check, 1910.157(e)(3)
The employer must make sure each extinguisher gets a maintenance check at least once a year. Stored pressure extinguishers do not need an internal examination. The employer must record the annual maintenance date and keep that record for one year after the last entry or for the life of the shell, whichever is less.
Six-year maintenance, 1910.157(e)(4)
Stored pressure dry chemical extinguishers that require a 12-year hydrostatic test must be emptied and given applicable maintenance every 6 years. The 6-year clock restarts when the extinguisher is recharged or hydrostatically tested. Non-refillable disposable units are exempt. When an extinguisher is removed for maintenance or recharging, the employer must provide alternate equivalent protection.
Hydrostatic testing, 1910.157(f)
Hydrostatic testing must be done by trained persons with suitable equipment, at the intervals in Table L-1. Examples:
- Every 5 years: stored pressure water, AFFF, carbon dioxide, and dry chemical units with stainless steel shells
- Every 12 years: stored pressure dry chemical units with mild steel, brazed brass or aluminum shells, and Halon 1211 and 1301 units
An extinguisher must also be tested whenever it shows new evidence of corrosion or mechanical injury. Units that fail, or cannot be tested because of corrosion or damage, must be removed from service. The employer must keep evidence of each test, showing the test date, the signature of the person who performed it and the extinguisher's serial number or other identifier, until the next test or until the unit is taken out of service, whichever comes first.
Training and Education, 1910.157(g)
Where extinguishers are provided for employee use, the employer must provide an education program covering the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards of fighting incipient stage fires. This education is required upon initial employment and at least annually after that.
Employees designated in an emergency action plan to use firefighting equipment must be trained in the use of that equipment upon initial assignment and at least annually after that. Training records are not specifically mandated, but they are the simplest way to prove annual training took place.
Common Violations and Penalties
- Missing monthly inspections, or tags with gaps of several months.
- No annual maintenance record, or records discarded too soon.
- Blocked or hidden extinguishers behind stock, equipment or doors.
- Wrong extinguisher type, such as no Class B unit near flammable liquids or no Class D unit where metal fines are produced.
- Discharged or low-pressure units left on the wall after use.
- No annual training for employees who are expected to use extinguishers.
As of 2026, OSHA's maximum penalties are $16,550 per serious or other-than-serious violation and $165,514 per willful or repeated violation. State Plan amounts may differ.
How to Comply: Step by Step
- Decide your fire response policy. Choose whether employees will fight incipient fires, only designated employees will, or everyone evacuates. Document it in your emergency action plan.
- Assess fire hazards. Identify Class A, B, C and D hazards in each area, including hot work areas and flammable liquid storage.
- Place extinguishers. Meet the 75-foot and 50-foot travel distances, mount units visibly and keep access clear.
- Build an inventory. Give each extinguisher an ID, location, type, manufacture date and hydrostatic test due date.
- Inspect monthly. Use a checklist and record each inspection.
- Schedule annual maintenance, 6-year maintenance and hydrostatic testing with a qualified service provider, and keep the records for the required periods.
- Train annually. Educate employees at hire and every year, and give designated responders hands-on training.
- Fix findings fast. Replace discharged or damaged units right away and provide equivalent protection while units are out for service.
How SMS360 Helps
SMS360's Audits & Inspections module turns monthly extinguisher checks into a digital checklist that inspectors complete on a mobile device. Each inspection is recorded with the date and inspector, and missing, blocked, low-pressure or damaged units become corrective actions assigned to an owner with a due date.
Scheduled inspections and reminders help keep monthly and annual checks from slipping, and dashboards show overdue inspections and open findings by location. Stored records make it easier to show inspection history during an audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do fire extinguishers need to be inspected under OSHA?
OSHA requires a visual inspection of portable fire extinguishers every month and a maintenance check at least once a year. Stored pressure dry chemical units that need a 12-year hydrostatic test must also be emptied and maintained every 6 years. Hydrostatic testing intervals of 5 or 12 years depend on the extinguisher type.
How far apart should fire extinguishers be placed?
Under 1910.157(d), travel distance to a Class A extinguisher must be 75 feet or less, and travel distance from a Class B hazard area to an extinguisher must be 50 feet or less. Class D extinguishers must be within 75 feet of combustible metal work areas. Class C units follow the pattern of the existing Class A or B hazards.
How long must fire extinguisher inspection records be kept?
The annual maintenance record must be kept for one year after the last entry or for the life of the shell, whichever is less. Hydrostatic test records must be kept until the next test or until the extinguisher is taken out of service, whichever comes first. Many employers keep monthly inspection records too, even though the standard does not set a retention period for them.
Is annual fire extinguisher training required?
Yes, when an employer provides extinguishers for employee use. Employees must be educated on the general principles of extinguisher use and the hazards of fighting incipient fires when hired and at least annually after that. Employees designated to use firefighting equipment need training on that equipment at initial assignment and annually.
