(a) Firefighting equipment shall be inspected
according to the following schedules:
(1)
Fire extinguishers shall be inspected visually at least once a month to
determine that they are fully charged and operable.
(2) At least once every twelve months,
maintenance checks shall be made of mechanical parts, the amount and condition
of extinguishing agent and expellant, and the condition of the hose, nozzle,
and vessel to determine that the fire extinguishers will operate
effectively.
(3) Fire extinguishers
shall be hydrostatically tested according to Table C-1 or a schedule based on
the manufacturer's specifications to determine the integrity of extinguishing
agent vessels.
(4) Water pipes,
valves, outlets, hydrants, and hoses that are part of the mine's firefighting
system shall be visually inspected at least once every three months for damage
or deterioration and use-tested at least once every twelve months to determine
that they remain functional.
(5)
Fire suppression systems shall be inspected at least once every twelve months.
An inspection schedule based on the manufacturer's specifications or the
equivalent shall be established for individual components of a system and
followed to determine that the system remains functional. Surface fire
suppression systems are exempt from these inspection requirements if the
systems are used solely for the protection of property and no persons would be
affected by a fire.
(b)
At the completion of each inspection or test required by this standard, the
person making the inspection or test shall certify that the inspection or test
has been made and the date on which it was made. Certifications of hydrostatic
testing shall be retained until the fire extinguisher is retested or
permanently removed from service. Other certifications shall be retained for
one year.
Table C-1-Hydrostatic Test Intervals for Fire
Extinguishers
|
Extinguisher type
|
Test interval (years)
|
|
Soda Acid
|
5
|
|
Cartridge-Operated Water and/or Antifreeze
|
5
|
|
Stored-Pressure Water
and/or Antifreeze
|
5
|
|
Wetting Agent
|
5
|
|
Foam
|
5
|
|
AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam)
|
5
|
|
Loaded Stream
|
5
|
|
Dry-Chemical with Stainless Steel Shells
|
5
|
|
Carbon Dioxide
|
5
|
|
Dry-Chemical, Stored Pressure,
with Mild Steel Shells, Brazed Brass Shells, or
Aluminum Shells
|
12
|
|
Dry-Chemical, Cartridge or Cylinder
Operated, with Mild Steel Shells
|
12
|
|
Bromotrifluoromethane-Halon 1301
|
12
|
|
Bromochlorodifluoromethane-Halon 1211
|
12
|
|
Dry-Powder, Cartridge or Cylinder-Operated, with
Mild Steel Shells/1
|
12
|
1/Except for stainless steel and steel used for compressed
gas cylinders, all other steel shells are defined as "mild steel"
shells.
