The fire extinguisher inspection tag
The tag hangs on the extinguisher and holds a year of monthly inspections: a row for each month with the date, the inspector’s initials and whether everything passed.
OSHA’s rule for portable fire extinguishers, 29 CFR 1910.157, requires a visual inspection every month. A dated, initialed tag on the extinguisher is the simplest way to show each one was done, and anyone walking past can see when it was last checked. This tag is for the owner’s monthly checks. It doesn’t replace the tag a fire equipment service company attaches at the annual maintenance.
Each tag lists the monthly checks as a reminder. They are the same checks AED Log uses for its monthly fire extinguisher inspection:
- Pressure gauge reads in the green zone
- Pin and tamper seal intact
- Accessible and unobstructed
- No visible damage or corrosion
- Inspection tag updated
What to record on the tag
Record who checked the extinguisher, when, and whether it passed, plus the details that identify the unit and its next service dates.
- The extinguisher: its number or tag number, its location, and its type and size (for example ABC, 10 lb).
- Each monthly check: the date, your initials, and Yes if every check passed or No if one failed.
- Annual service: the date of the last annual maintenance. OSHA requires the annual maintenance date to be recorded and kept for one year after the last entry, or for the life of the shell if that’s shorter.
- Next hydrostatic test: when the shell is next due for its pressure test. OSHA sets 5 or 12 years depending on the extinguisher type, and a certification record of each test, with the date, the tester’s signature and the serial number, must be kept.
OSHA’s rule requires the monthly inspection but doesn’t say how to record it. Local fire codes, most of them based on NFPA 10, may ask for a monthly record too, so check with your fire marshal or insurer for the record your area expects. A tag, a monthly checklist and log or an electronic record all show the inspection was done.
How to use the tag
Print the tags, hang one on each extinguisher, fill in its details, and initial the month’s row after every monthly check.
- Print the PDF, ideally on card stock, and cut along the dashed line: each page makes two tags.
- Punch out the circle and hang one tag on each extinguisher with a zip tie or string, where it won’t cover the extinguisher’s label or instructions.
- Fill in the extinguisher number, location, type and size, the date of the last annual service, the next hydrostatic test date and the year.
- Each month, check that the gauge reads in the green, the pin and tamper seal are intact, the extinguisher is easy to reach, and it isn’t damaged or corroded.
- Write the date and your initials in that month’s row, and tick Yes if every check passed or No if one failed.
- If a check fails, take the extinguisher out of service, put a working one in its place and have it serviced or replaced.
- At the end of the year, start a new tag and keep the old one with your fire safety records.
For what each check means and how to do it, see our guide to fire extinguisher inspection requirements.
Monthly inspection tags vs annual maintenance tags
A monthly inspection tag records the quick visual check anyone trained can do. An annual maintenance tag is attached by the fire equipment service company that does the yearly maintenance, the 6-year maintenance and hydrostatic tests.
OSHA splits the work in two. The monthly inspection, under 1910.157(e)(2), is a visual check that the extinguisher is in place, charged and ready. The annual maintenance check, under (e)(3), goes further, and OSHA requires the employer to record its date. On top of that, stored-pressure dry chemical extinguishers that need a 12-year hydrostatic test must be emptied and maintained every 6 years, and every extinguisher is pressure-tested every 5 or 12 years depending on its type.
The annual, 6-year and hydrostatic work is usually done by a fire equipment service company, which hangs its own tag with its name and the date. Keep both: the service tag shows the yearly work, and this tag shows the monthly checks in between.
Track fire extinguisher inspections automatically instead
AED Log schedules each extinguisher’s monthly check, records who did it and when, and warns you before the annual service and the hydrostatic test come due.
- The same monthly checks on any phone, started from the extinguisher’s QR label.
- Each unit’s class, capacity, tag number, last service, next service due and hydrostatic test due date.
- Reminders before each check is due, and alerts when one is overdue or fails.
- Fire extinguishers are an add-on at $6 per extinguisher per year.
See fire extinguisher inspection software, or keep using the tag alongside it: the digital record backs up what’s written on the tag.