The monthly fire extinguisher inspection checklist
The monthly check has five points: the pressure gauge, the pin and tamper seal, access, damage and corrosion, and the inspection tag. OSHA requires portable extinguishers to be visually inspected every month (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2)).
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| 1. Pressure gauge reads in the green zone | On stored-pressure extinguishers, the needle sits in the green operable range. |
| 2. Pin and tamper seal intact | The pull pin is in place and the tamper seal isn’t broken or missing. |
| 3. Accessible and unobstructed | The extinguisher is in its place, mounted and visible, with nothing in front of it. |
| 4. No visible damage or corrosion | No dents, rust, cracks, leaks or blockages, and the label is legible and facing out. |
| 5. Inspection tag updated | The tag is initialed and dated for this month. |
The monthly check is a visual one that any trained employee can do. Annual maintenance and hydrostatic tests are different jobs, usually done by a fire equipment service company. The fire extinguisher inspection requirements guide covers all three.
The fire extinguisher inspection log
Page 2 is a 12-month log for a single extinguisher: a row per month for the date, a tick for each check that passes, initials and notes, under its type, size and maintenance dates.
OSHA requires the date of each annual maintenance to be recorded and kept for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less (1910.157(e)(3)). The log keeps that date beside the monthly checks, so one sheet shows the extinguisher’s whole year. To keep the record on the extinguisher itself, print our fire extinguisher inspection tag.
How to use the checklist and log
Walk the site once a month with page 1, mark each extinguisher pass or fail, initial its tag, and act on any failure right away.
- Print page 1 for each site each month, and page 2 for each extinguisher you want a year’s history of.
- Walk to each extinguisher and write its number, location, type and size.
- Check the gauge, the pin and tamper seal, the access, and the shell, hose and label.
- Mark each check P for pass or F for fail, then initial and date the extinguisher’s own tag.
- If a check fails, take the extinguisher out of service, put an equivalent one in its place, and call your fire equipment service company.
- File the sheets, and keep the annual maintenance records your service company gives you.
OSHA requires alternate protection while an extinguisher is away for service (1910.157(e)(5)), so replace a failed one before you take it away.
Track fire extinguisher inspections automatically instead
AED Log tracks fire extinguishers alongside your AEDs: scan each one’s QR label, answer the five checks on a phone, and let the app track service and hydrostatic test dates.
- Monthly inspections scheduled and reminded for every extinguisher.
- Annual service and hydrostatic test dates tracked, with warnings before they’re due.
- A failed check alerts the people responsible.
- Fire extinguishers are an add-on at $6 per extinguisher per year.