The extinguisher has a service label, so it is compliant—until somebody moves it behind stock, breaks the tamper seal or introduces a cooking-oil, flammable-liquid or battery hazard that it was never selected to tackle. Portable extinguishers are one part of the fire-safety system. Their type, location, condition, maintenance and expected use must all follow from the premises-specific fire risk assessment.
Start with the fire risk assessment, not a supplier's standard bundle
Article 13 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires appropriate fire-fighting equipment where it is necessary to safeguard relevant persons. The responsible person must decide what is appropriate from the fire risk assessment: the fuels present, likely ignition sources, people at risk, layout, escape routes and other measures already in place.
That is not a blanket rule that every workplace needs the same number or type. Government guidance gives typical provision for ordinary Class A risks, but it also says additional classes require the appropriate type, number and size. A small office, commercial kitchen, engineering workshop and warehouse containing flammable liquids do not present the same fire problem.
Record the reasoning. A purchase invoice or annual service sticker does not demonstrate that the current provision matches current hazards. In multi-occupied buildings, responsible persons need to co-operate and co-ordinate across shared areas.
Fire Safety Order 2005, article 13 ↗ · Related guide: fire evacuation plans →
Match the extinguisher to the fuel and the safe approach
Identify what could burn before choosing an extinguisher. Government guidance separates ordinary solids such as paper, wood and textiles; flammable liquids; gases; metals; and cooking oils. Electrical equipment and specialist risks also affect selection. Using the wrong medium can spread burning liquid, create electrical danger or expose the user to an escalating fire.
Place general-risk extinguishers on escape routes, close to room, floor or final exits. Equipment for a specific hazard should be near enough to be found quickly but positioned so a person can reach it without moving towards the fire or losing their escape route. Mounting height, visibility, signs, security and access all need to work in the real premises, including when doors are open and stock or vehicles are present.
BS 5306-8 and BS 5306-3 are recognised technical benchmarks for selection, installation and maintenance. They are not legislation, a certificate of legal compliance or a substitute for the statutory assessment. The Home Office guide expressly says standards are guidance and the necessary safety level must be dictated by the risk-assessment findings.
Home Office: fire-safety risk assessment for offices and shops ↗ · Related guide: workplace safety signs →
Carry out a brief condition check between services
Government guidance says brief checks should reflect local conditions such as vandalism and the environment. In normal conditions, a monthly check should be enough. Increase the frequency where equipment is exposed to damage, contamination, public interference, vehicle movement or other conditions that could make it unavailable between checks.
Confirm that each extinguisher is in its designated position, accessible and visible; its instructions remain legible; the pin and tamper seal are intact; the pressure indicator, where fitted, is in range; and there is no leakage, corrosion, denting, blocked nozzle or other damage. Check the planned maintenance date has not passed.
Record the date, location, equipment identifier, condition and action taken. A tick without an asset reference or defect note is difficult to follow up. The check is not a technical strip-down and should not involve discharging the extinguisher.
Check the equipment against the premises as it operates today.
HR + SAFETY can help North East SMEs review fire hazards, extinguisher provision, inspection records and defect action as part of a practical fire-safety management system.
Discuss a fire-extinguisher reviewUse competent maintenance and act on defects immediately
Article 17 requires fire-safety equipment to be covered by a suitable system of maintenance and kept in an efficient state, efficient working order and good repair. The Home Office guide recommends annual maintenance by a competent person, alongside the routine condition checks. More demanding conditions, manufacturer instructions or risk-assessment findings may require additional action.
Competence means having sufficient training, experience, knowledge and other qualities for the task. Check the contractor's scope, technician competence, asset identification, findings and evidence of completed work. An annual visit does not transfer the responsible person's duty.
If an extinguisher has been discharged, damaged, lost, tampered with, contaminated or found outside its operating condition, mark it clearly, prevent mistaken reliance on it and arrange prompt competent attention or replacement. Consider whether temporary cover is needed and whether the defect exposes a wider failure in supervision, housekeeping, contractor control or the fire-safety management system.
Set clear limits on who should use an extinguisher
Extinguishers support safe escape and may control a small fire in its earliest stage; they are not an instruction for everyone to fight a fire. The alarm should be raised, the fire and rescue service contacted under the emergency plan, and evacuation must remain the priority. Nobody should attempt to use equipment if the fire is developing, smoke affects the route, the correct extinguisher is uncertain or a safe exit is not behind them.
If the emergency plan expects particular staff or fire marshals to use extinguishers, give them appropriate practical instruction and keep enough trained people available for the times and activities covered. Other employees need to know the alarm, evacuation and reporting arrangements, even if they are not expected to operate equipment.
Do not make a vulnerable occupant's safety depend on their ability to lift or operate an extinguisher. Disabled people, young workers, people unfamiliar with the premises and those with language or sensory needs may require additional information, assisted-escape arrangements or individual planning. In sleeping accommodation, care settings, high-occupancy spaces or premises with dangerous substances, the consequences of an inadequate system may be greater and specialist competence may be needed.
Review the assessment when the hazard or premises changes
A new commercial kitchen, flammable product, hot-work activity, battery-charging area, machine, partition, tenant or storage layout can change both the fire and the safe approach to it. Article 9 requires the statutory fire risk assessment to be reviewed regularly and when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or a significant change occurs. Update it where the review identifies new or changed findings.
If the main FRA does not contain enough detail to justify extinguisher selection, siting, inspection and expected use, commission a linked topic-specific assessment of portable fire-fighting equipment. Incorporate its findings into the main FRA, emergency plan, staff instruction, inspection schedule, defect controls and contractor brief. A separate report left in a service folder is not an integrated control.
Fire Safety Order 2005, article 9 ↗ · Related guide: workplace fire-alarm testing →
Workplace fire-extinguisher checklist
Legal duties and official guidance were checked on 10 October 2026. The annual and normal monthly intervals above come from the Home Office's risk-assessment guidance; the statutory duties are risk-based and do not make a service sticker proof of compliance.
- Confirm the provision follows the current fire risk assessment and actual fuels present.
- Check every unit has an identifiable location and is accessible, visible and correctly signed.
- Inspect the pin, tamper seal, gauge, hose or nozzle, body, instructions and service label.
- Record each check against an equipment identifier and close defects promptly.
- Arrange competent maintenance, normally annually under the Home Office guidance.
- Replace or obtain competent attention for used, damaged, missing or suspect equipment.
- Train only those expected to use extinguishers and keep evacuation as the priority.
- Consider vulnerable occupants and higher-consequence premises in the emergency arrangements.
- Review and update the FRA after significant changes, incidents, defects or new hazards.
- Integrate any specialist extinguisher assessment into the main FRA and management system.
Treat extinguishers as working safety equipment, not red furniture. Select them from the fire risk assessment, keep them accessible, complete proportionate routine checks, use competent maintenance and act quickly when a unit or the underlying hazard changes.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.