General Industry (29 CFR 1910)

Portable Fire Extinguishers

Verified vs OSHA sources · 2026-10-05

29 CFR 1910.157

29 CFR 1910.157 governs portable fire extinguishers provided for employee use: they must be the right type for the hazard, mounted and accessible, visually inspected monthly, and maintained annually. Crucially, the moment an employer provides extinguishers for employees to use, it must train those employees on their use and on the hazards of early-stage firefighting.

29 CFR 1910.157 at a glance

What it requires: Provide, mount, maintain, and (where employees will use them) train on portable fire extinguishers
Travel distance: ≤ 75 ft to a Class A extinguisher; ≤ 50 ft to a Class B extinguisher
Inspection & maintenance: Visual check monthly; documented maintenance at least annually
Training: If employees may use extinguishers: train at initial assignment and at least annually
Max penalty (2026): $16,550 per serious violation; $165,514 per willful
The #1 confusion: Providing extinguishers for employee use triggers a training duty: the two go together

What 29 CFR 1910.157 requires (plain English)

29 CFR 1910.157 governs portable fire extinguishers in general industry: their selection, placement, maintenance, and the training of employees expected to use them. Extinguishers are a first line of defense against an incipient-stage fire (a fire in its earliest stage that a person can safely approach with a portable extinguisher), and the standard exists to make sure the right extinguisher is present, reachable, working, and used only by people who know how.

When an employer provides portable extinguishers for employee use, it must mount, locate, and identify them so they are readily accessible without exposing employees to injury, and distribute them by fire-hazard class within maximum travel distances: no more than 75 feet to a Class A extinguisher and no more than 50 feet to a Class B extinguisher. Extinguishers must be selected for the hazards present (Class A ordinary combustibles, Class B flammable liquids, Class C energized electrical, Class D combustible metals, Class K cooking media). They must be kept fully charged and in their designated places.

Maintenance and training complete the standard. Extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly and given a documented maintenance check at least annually (with hydrostatic testing at longer intervals depending on type). Crucially, if the employer expects or permits employees to use extinguishers, it must provide an educational program on the general principles of extinguisher use and the hazards of incipient-stage firefighting, at initial assignment and at least annually thereafter. An employer that instead requires total evacuation (no employee firefighting) has correspondingly reduced obligations, but must then have an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan.

The regulatory text

“The employer shall provide portable fire extinguishers and shall mount, locate and identify them so that they are readily accessible to employees without subjecting the employees to possible injury.”

29 CFR 1910.157(c)(1)

Key facts about 29 CFR 1910.157

Extinguishers must be mounted, located, and identified so they are readily accessible without risk of injury (1910.157(c)(1)).
Maximum travel distance: 75 feet to a Class A extinguisher; 50 feet to a Class B extinguisher.
Extinguishers are selected by fire class: A (ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids), C (energized electrical), D (metals), K (cooking media).
Visual inspection monthly; a documented maintenance check at least annually (1910.157(e)).
If employees may use extinguishers, training is required at initial assignment and at least annually (1910.157(g)).
Extinguishers must be kept fully charged and in their designated locations.
An employer requiring total evacuation instead needs an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan.

Scope: who 29 CFR 1910.157 applies to

Regulatory framework: General Industry (29 CFR 1910)
Citation reference: 29 CFR 1910.157
Enforcement status: In force and enforced
Jurisdiction: Federal OSHA (29 State-Plan jurisdictions may be stricter)

State-Plan states (e.g. California, Washington, Michigan) operate OSHA-approved programs that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA and frequently impose higher penalties or additional requirements. Confirm the rule as adopted in your state.

Key requirements of 29 CFR 1910.157

#	Employer obligation
1	Mount extinguishers within 75 feet travel distance for Class A hazards
2	Mount within 50 feet for Class B hazards
3	Inspect monthly and maintain annually
4	Hydrostatically test per NFPA schedule
5	Train employees on proper use if expected to use extinguishers

Summarized from the text of 29 CFR 1910.157. Always read the full regulation for the binding language.

Common Fire Extinguishers violations

Deficiencies OSHA cites under 29 CFR 1910.157 include the ones below, in no particular order. Distinct deficiencies can be cited as separate items, and each serious item carries up to $16,550 (2026). Broader per-instance stacking exists but is a discretionary, case-by-case OSHA enforcement policy, not an automatic multiplier.

Extinguishers provided for use but employees not trained (initial + annual): 1910.157(g).
Extinguishers not readily accessible, blocked, or not mounted/identified (1910.157(c)(1)).
Travel distance to an extinguisher exceeding the class maximum (75 ft Class A / 50 ft Class B): 1910.157(d).
No monthly visual inspection or no documented annual maintenance (1910.157(e)).
Wrong extinguisher class for the hazard, or extinguishers not fully charged (1910.157(d)/(c)).

Providing extinguishers triggers a training duty

Employers often mount extinguishers on the wall and stop there, but under 1910.157(g), if you provide portable fire extinguishers for employee use (or expect employees to use them), you must also provide a training/educational program on the general principles of extinguisher use and the hazards of fighting an incipient-stage fire, at initial assignment and at least annually. The extinguishers and the training go together. The alternative is a policy of total evacuation, no employee firefighting, which reduces the extinguisher obligations, but then requires an emergency action plan (1910.38) and a fire prevention plan (1910.39). What you cannot do is provide extinguishers for use without the training.

What OSHA inspectors look for

A compliance officer checks that extinguishers are the correct class for the hazard, mounted and unobstructed, tagged with monthly inspections and annual maintenance, and that employees expected to use them were trained. The training duty triggered simply by providing extinguishers is the point employers most often overlook.

Example: how a violation is cited

A plant mounts ABC extinguishers throughout the building but never trains employees or documents the monthly checks. After a worker is burned attempting to fight a growing fire, OSHA cites 1910.157(g) for the missing training and (e) for the inspection lapse: a reminder that providing extinguishers creates a training obligation, with penalties from $16,550.

Illustrative example, not a specific OSHA case.

Fire Extinguishers compliance checklist

Use this to evaluate your compliance with 29 CFR 1910.157. Each item is a key requirement OSHA may verify during an inspection.

Select extinguishers matched to the fire classes present (A, B, C, D, K).
Mount, locate, and identify extinguishers so they are readily accessible without risk of injury.
Keep travel distance within 75 ft (Class A) and 50 ft (Class B) of every work area.
Visually inspect extinguishers monthly and perform a documented maintenance check at least annually.
If employees may use extinguishers, train them at initial assignment and at least annually.
If the policy is total evacuation instead, maintain an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan.

2026 penalties for 29 CFR 1910.157

Maximums set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d). 2026 amounts unchanged from 2025 (no CPI adjustment; OMB M-26-11). Not an increase. The 2025 OSHA penalty levels remain in effect for 2026; OSHA made no inflation adjustment for 2026. 29 CFR 1903.15 identifies January 15, 2025 as the effective reference for these amounts, while OSHA's public penalties page currently references penalties assessed after Jan. 15, 2026.

Violation type	Minimum	Maximum	When it applies
Serious	$1,085	$16,550	Substantial probability of death or serious physical harm.
Other-Than-Serious	$0	$16,550	Relates to safety/health but unlikely to cause death or serious harm.
Willful	$11,823	$165,514	Intentional, knowing, or voluntary disregard of the requirement.
Repeated	$4,256	$165,514	A substantially similar violation cited within the last 5 years.
Failure to Abate	None	$16,550/day	up to $16,550 per day; total capped at 30x the daily amount (FOM Ch.6)

Fire-extinguisher citations often surface during general inspections and after a fire. Serious violations reach $16,550 and willful or repeat violations $165,514; the missed training obligation and lapsed monthly inspections are the items most often cited.

Maximums and the willful minimum are set by 29 CFR 1903.15(d); the serious and repeated minimums are OSHA policy floors from its annual penalty adjustment memo. OSHA applies gravity-based and size, good-faith and history reductions (FOM CPL 02-00-164 Ch.6). Estimates only, not legal advice.

The business case for Fire Extinguishers compliance

A portable extinguisher only helps if it is present, charged, and used by someone trained to judge whether to fight or flee. Untrained employees who attempt to fight a spreading fire can be trapped or badly burned, which is why OSHA ties a training duty to the mere act of providing extinguishers for employee use.

Free compliance tools for 29 CFR 1910.157

Emergency Action Plan Builder

Fire Extinguishers penalties by state

Penalties and enforcement vary by state. State-Plan states may impose higher penalties and additional requirements beyond federal 29 CFR 1910.157.

Alabama Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia

View all 50 states + DC →

Frequently asked questions about 29 CFR 1910.157

How far can a fire extinguisher be from a work area?

The maximum travel distance depends on the fire class. For Class A hazards (ordinary combustibles), an extinguisher must be within 75 feet of the employee. For Class B hazards (flammable liquids), the maximum travel distance is 50 feet. Extinguishers must also be mounted, located, and identified so they are readily accessible without exposing employees to injury (1910.157(c)(1) and (d)).

Does providing fire extinguishers require training?

Yes. Under 1910.157(g), if an employer provides portable fire extinguishers for employee use, it must also provide an educational program covering the general principles of extinguisher use and the hazards of incipient-stage firefighting. This training must be given at initial assignment and at least annually. The only way to avoid the training duty is to have a policy of total evacuation, no employee firefighting, which then requires an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan instead.

How often must fire extinguishers be inspected?

Portable fire extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly to confirm they are in their designated place, accessible, and charged. In addition, a maintenance check must be performed at least annually and documented, and hydrostatic testing must be conducted at longer intervals depending on the extinguisher type (for example, every 5 or 12 years). Extinguishers must be kept fully charged and operable at all times.

What do the fire extinguisher class letters mean?

Extinguishers are rated by the type of fire they can safely put out: Class A for ordinary combustibles (wood, paper, cloth), Class B for flammable liquids and gases, Class C for fires in energized electrical equipment, Class D for combustible metals, and Class K for cooking oils and fats in commercial kitchens. Employers must select and distribute extinguishers matched to the fire hazards actually present in each area.

Regulatory history of 29 CFR 1910.157

1910.157 is part of OSHA's Subpart L (Fire Protection) general-industry standards. It works alongside the emergency action plan (1910.38) and fire prevention plan (1910.39) requirements: an employer's choice about whether employees will fight incipient fires or evacuate determines which combination of extinguisher, training, and plan obligations applies.

Related glossary terms

Key terms that appear in 29 CFR 1910.157, each with a full plain-English explainer.

Fire Prevention Plan Emergency Action Plan Flammable Liquid Flash Point

Related guides & articles

OSHA Top 10 Most-Cited Violations 2026

Related OSHA standards

29 CFR 1910.39

Fire Prevention Plans

29 CFR 1910.155

Fire Protection Scope

29 CFR 1910.160

Fixed Suppression Systems

29 CFR 1926.150

Fire Protection (Construction)

Primary sources

OSHA figures on this page are imported from HazComFast's verified regulatory module (verified 2026-10-05 against eCFR, OSHA.gov, and the Federal Register).

This page is an educational summary, not legal advice. OSHA standards and penalty amounts change; confirm requirements against the current regulation and your applicable State-Plan before acting.

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