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Posted By alan2603
Can one of you experts tell me why fire extinguishers have to be off the ground? Where does it state this in reg etc? What difference does it make? We have the little hook things but why???
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Posted By Descarte
I may be wrong but my understanding is that they need to be prominently displayed, or signage as such displaying their location. If they are positioned up on a wall at a visible height this reduces the requirement for signage (and also reduces manual handling if needs arise). I think they can be kept on the floor but then signage would be required above at height.
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Posted By Ron Hunter
Fixing extinguishers to the wall ensures:
(a) some thought is applied to the actual position in the building,
(b) the extinguisher is at a 'grabable' height,
(c) it is less likely to be obscured or moved, and
(d) you're more likely to notice it is missing!
That said, there may also be a BS/EN stipulating same.
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Posted By Ron Hunter
p.s. in external locations, extinguisher bases are likely to corrode over time.
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Posted By J Knight
'Fire Safety - An Employer's Guide' says 'Where practicable, fire extinguishers should be securely hung on wall brackets. Where this is impracticable, extinguishers should be placed on a suitable baseplate (not on the floor). To assist in lifting, the carrying handle of larger, heavier extinguishers should be about 1 metre from the floor but smaller, lighter extinguishers may be mounted at a higher level.' This is guidance rather than law, but it is authoritative, and an employer would have to have good reason to ignore it,
John
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Posted By Helen Horton
My understanding is that grabbable height is one factor but also if stood on a floor that is wet mopped the bases can be subject to rust and weakening. Also they can actually be knocked over quite easily if stood on the floor and could be damaged that way too. If floor standing is the only option then there are stands that you can fit them into to keep the bases clean and prevent them being knocked over.
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Posted By shaun mckeever
J Knight's reply is spot on. The reason for placing on a base plate or hanging on a wall is to help prevent it from being knocked over as well as helping to make it more identifiable.
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Posted By PaulA
If you were to keep for instance dry powder extinguishers on the floor you may find that if in damp conditions ie loading bays etc... it may causes the powder to harden via moisture/corrosion etc
PaulA
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Posted By Peter Tughan
My understanding is that they should be kept on the brackets they are allocated to in order to ensure they are not moved. They then remain in the most suitable areas of the building e.g. escape routes or closer to higher risk areas.
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Posted By Mac
Fire extinguishers left on the floor present a trip hazard and are also commonly used to prop open fire doors which should be kept closed. It is also a bad idea to put them on the floor as this will clutter your emergency escape routes.
Dont know about specific legislation but it is reasonably practicable to mount extinguishers in order that you avoid these risks. Especially as you already have the brackets on the walls!
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Posted By alan2603
never expected this level of response cheeeeeerrs guys
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Posted By Danny Swygart
They can also be placed in plastic stands on the floor where brackets can not be fixed to the wall.
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Posted By dave burrage
Also consider Manual Handling issues with lifting extinguishers from floor, reference to guidance weights charts in MH ACOP.
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