Make Sure Your Fire Extinguishers Remain Ready For The Job
As a business owner, disaster prevention should be at the forefront of your mind at all times. All it takes is one bad fire or flood and your business could be in serious trouble. To that end, one thing you should start doing on a regular basis is paying closer attention to your fire extinguishers and other fire prevention systems. Here's what you need to do to make sure your fire extinguishers are always ready for the job.
Start Conducting a Monthly Inspection
If your business is small, you might only have one fire extinguisher and you might be able to visually inspect it each and every day. But if you run a larger building, there might be extinguishers on other floors that you sometimes forget about. Get into the habit of visually inspecting each one of these devices on a monthly basis. You'll want to make sure the extinguisher is where it should be, that the safety seal is still intact, and that the hose is free of any obstructions or blockages and is ready to spray.
Get a Professional to Take a Closer Look Once a Year
Your monthly inspection should be sufficient for the most part, but it can't hurt to have a professional stop by your place of business at least once year. This professional will conduct basic fire extinguisher maintenance and make sure that everything looks good and ready to go. A fire extinguisher professional may be able to notice internal problems that you won't easily notice just by glancing at it on the outside. Having a functioning fire extinguisher on every floor or in every heavily-trafficked room of your building will give you and your employees greater peace of mind as you go about your day.
Replenish or Replace
While fire extinguishers technically should remain in good condition and ready to operate for many years, most experts suggest either replenishing or replacing your extinguishers every five to seven years. This could include having a professional empty out the insides and replace the substances in order to freshly pressurize the device. Alternatively, you could just replace your extinguishers with brand-new ones if they are really getting up there in years.
Regular fire extinguisher maintenance is important to ensuring a safe work environment for you and your employees. Stock up on fire extingushers today and then contact a local contractor in order to form a long-term relationship