As a business owner, the responsibility of ensuring fire safety in the workplace falls on you. There are many factors to take into consideration, but one of the most frequent concerns you’ll have to think about is regular fire extinguisher testing.
Fire extinguisher testing is ideally carried out by trained professionals. However, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have an important role to play. To help simplify the entire process, we’ve broken down everything you need to keep in mind in one convenient checklist.
Fire Extinguisher Testing Checklist for Business Owners
Having a checklist on hand helps ensure that you don’t miss any important steps. Note that this list does not include tasks that are typically carried out by the inspector. Instead, it outlines your responsibilities as a business owner for ensuring proper management of regular fire extinguisher inspection.
☐ Appoint a member of staff as your OHS manager
Appointing a dedicated OHS (Operational Health and Safety) manager is important because it ensures accountability in your fire safety practices. They’ll be in charge of planning, managing, and coordinating safety systems in your organisation. They’ll also serve as your business representative in matters relating to OHS.
As such, make sure you give the role to someone who is well-versed in OHS guidelines and requirements since there are many technical considerations involved. Ideally, the person you choose should also possess strong initiative and attention to detail, as workplace safety regulations can evolve over time, and taking a proactive approach is the best way to stay compliant.
Take note that this step is typically a one-time occurrence. Once you have appointed an OHS manager, they can remain in that position for every inspection moving forward. If, for any reason, they cannot continue to be the OHS manager in the future, make sure to find a suitable replacement right away.
☐ Contact fire extinguisher inspection professionals
Contacting the appropriate fire extinguisher inspection professionals is your responsibility. It can also be assigned to your OHS manager, but make sure it gets done according to schedule. For your reference, the NZS 4503:2005 standard for hand-operated fire-fighting equipment dictates that fire extinguishers need to be tested at least once every year, but more frequent testing can be necessary depending on the type of equipment you have and the conditions of your workplace.
Some service providers, such as ours, provide a reminder service so that you don’t forget to schedule on time, but it’s ultimately your responsibility to make sure.
Also, remember to contact only certified professionals to guarantee accurate test results. This will help ensure fire safety and preparedness in your business, giving you peace of mind as the owner.
☐ Map out where your extinguishers are located in the workplace
Much like the previous step (and the following steps), this task can be handed off to your OHS manager. However, it helps to familiarise yourself with the location of each fire extinguisher you own so that you know where they are in case of an emergency.
Mapping out individual locations also helps the inspection process go more smoothly. This will give the technicians a clear idea of the number of extinguishers they need to test, and it will help them properly locate each one so they can complete the job more efficiently.
☐ Help facilitate the inspection procedure
You can take a hands-off approach for this step, but another way you can facilitate the inspection process is to cooperate with the technician by providing them with essential information pertaining to the job.
This can include records of previous inspections, their results, and any other pertinent details that might be important. You can also inform the technician of the dates you purchased your extinguishers so that they have a better idea of how reliable your equipment is.
☐ Receive, review, and file the inspection report and results
After the test, make sure you ask for detailed reports of the results and check to see if every extinguisher has been properly tagged. These documents will serve two functions: a) You can refer to them to stay updated on the status of your equipment, and b) You need to file them for proof of compliance.
Remember to also crosscheck the report, results, invoices, and tags to identify any anomalies. If you find any, ask the technician to double-check everything and reconcile any differences.
☐ Book an appointment for the next inspection
Lastly, remember to book the next inspection date to ensure long-term compliance and workplace safety. You may have to schedule multiple dates for all your equipment since different extinguisher types require different testing frequencies.
Ask the technician for clarification on this matter. They’ll be able to provide you with a specific schedule that you can refer to in the future.
Also, as we mentioned earlier, some service providers offer a free reminder service to make sure you don’t forget. Our team at Jim’s Fire Safety will be happy to provide this for you, helping protect your peace of mind and your business as a whole.
Fire Extinguisher Testing Services from Jim’s Fire Safety
Are you looking for dependable fire extinguisher inspection professionals who can make this entire process quick, easy, and hassle-free? Our team serves most major cities and regional towns in New Zealand, and we are ready to serve!
Contact Jim’s Fire Safety today via our online form for a free quote on safety testing and inspection services.
