Overview
Fire extinguishers are not present
In general, a 20-B fire extinguisher must be located within 50 feet of a laboratory using flammable liquids. That distance is reduced to 30 feet if the extinguisher is only a 10-B capacity. You can identify a 10-B capacity fire extinguisher in one of two ways:
- There is a label on the extinguisher that gives its rating;
- A 10-B can also be identified by its size - the canister is approximately 4-1/2” in diameter and 14” high.
Sometimes extinguishers are located within laboratories, sometimes they are located in the hallway outside of laboratories. EHS is not responsible to determine the proper number or location; that is the job of the UNL Building Code Authority. But, if you are unable to locate an extinguisher within the distance cited above, then this checklist item will usually be cited.
This item will also be cited when an extinguisher that was obviously intended to be present is missing. If you notice a fire extinguisher cabinet that is empty or a bracket on the wall that should have a fire extinguisher on it (see sample images), ask the lab personnel if they know where the extinguisher may have been moved to.
If there are no cabinets or brackets for fire extinguishers in the lab proper, check the hallway outside the lab and verify that it is within 50 feet of the laboratory. If you think that you’ve encountered a situation where this checklist item is triggered, consult with a Senior Specialist. It is likely that the situation will need to be reviewed by the UNL Building Code Authority. The Senior Specialist will be responsible for this follow-up.
If it is a situation of an empty storage location and the extinguisher is not located by consulting with laboratory personnel or if the situation is such that you are unable to locate an extinguisher within 50 feet of the lab, or if it appears that there were never provisions for a fire extinguisher (e.g., no cabinet, bracket, etc.), and flammable materials are in use, then cite deficiency as appropriate.