The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 sets out the regulations governing the use of fire extinguishers in commercial buildings across England and Wales.
Pretty much every commercial business premises, with very few exceptions, must adhere to these regulations.
Overview of fire extinguisher regulations
Here’s a simple overview of fire extinguisher regulations across the commercial sector.
How many fire extinguishers does a business need to have?
Class A extinguishers are extinguishers that are used for wood, paper, and textiles fires
According to BS 5306 part 8, the owner of a commercial premises should install at least two ‘Class A’ fire extinguishers as a minimum on every floor of their building. However, as a rough guide, a 13a-rated extinguisher usually covers 200 sqm of space.
The larger the space provided, the more extinguishers required. Class A extinguishers are extinguishers that are used for wood, paper, and textiles fires and include sizes of 3, 6, or 9 liters of water or foam extinguishers.
What other types of fire extinguishers should be installed in commercial premises?
The types of fire extinguishers they will need to install in a commercial building will depend on what the building is used for and the risks present within. And the number and type of extinguisher is determined by BS 5306.
All business premises with electrical equipment will need to have a CO2 and foam/water extinguisher in place to be legally compliant. The minimum size recommended for a small electrical appliance or mains board would be a 2 Kg CO2. The greater the risk, i.e., 450 Volts, plant equipment or machinery, then a 5 Kg CO2 would be required.
The other types of extinguishers a business may need include:
- Wet chemical extinguishers for use in kitchens where there are deep fat fryers are being used.
- Dry powder extinguishers for use in a gas risk; however, dry powders are only mitigated for indoor use by a health and safety or risk assessment.
- Class D powders are specialist extinguishers provided for the risk of flammable metals.
- Foam extinguishers can also be provided to tackle flammable liquid fires and can be very effective with re-ignition.
Fire extinguishers in commercial buildings: where should they be located?
The foam and CO2 fire extinguishers should be found by fire alarm points and close to final exits to the building
The foam and CO2 fire extinguishers should be located by fire alarm points and close to final exits to the building. They may find that the building has more fire alarm points or exits than the required number of extinguishers, in which case, they would apply the 30 meter rule for class A extinguishers as determined by BS 5306 part 8.
The rule states that no person should be more than 30 meters away from a class A fire extinguisher on any floor of the building. The requirement for an electrical risk (CO2) travel distance is 10 m. Ideally, the CO2 extinguishers should be placed within 10 m of the risk present.
For more specialist extinguishers, like powder or wet chemical ones, they should be located within easy reach of the potential hazard (like a deep fat fryer in the kitchen).
How often do fire extinguishers need to be serviced/maintained?
Fire extinguishers in commercial buildings must be serviced every 12 months with what’s known as a “basic service.” These fire extinguisher checks must be done in accordance with BS 5036-6 part 3, and they should always get the service carried out by a competent fire extinguisher technician, with the correct tools, training, and experience.
CO2 fire extinguishers should be replaced or pressure tested every 10 years. All water or powder-based types of fire extinguishers require a ‘discharge test’ every 5 years. In recent years, it has become more popular to provide a service exchange during this period. This means the extinguisher is swapped for an in-date extinguisher, which provides a faster service time, and extinguishers can be covered under warranties for a prolonged period.
If an extinguisher is damaged, discharged, or not in good working order, then it may need to be replaced immediately.
