Free Fire Extinguisher Inspection Log (Fillable PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the fire extinguisher inspection log

ID and location

Number every extinguisher and record where it hangs. Inspections are logged against the ID, and a missing unit is spotted because its line is empty.

Type and size

ABC dry chemical, CO2, Class K (kitchen), water, foam, clean agent, with the weight or rating. The type decides the hydrostatic test interval.

The seven monthly checks

Accessible and visible; gauge in the green; pin in and tamper seal intact; hose and nozzle clear; no corrosion, dents or leaks; full by weight or heft; tag and sign present. These come straight from OSHA 1910.157 and NFPA 10.

Pass, action, date, initials

The result and what was done about a failure. A failed check with no action recorded is worse than no inspection.

Annual maintenance, 6-year, hydrostatic test

Dates of the professional service work and the certificate number. Monthly checks are yours; these are done by a licensed contractor.

Inspector and reviewer signatures

Who did the round and who checked the sheet. Two names on each month's log is what inspectors look for.

What the regulations require

In the US, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157(e) requires employers to visually inspect portable extinguishers monthly, to have them subjected to annual maintenance checks, and to record the annual maintenance date and keep that record for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less. NFPA 10 (the standard OSHA points to, and the one fire marshals enforce) sets out the monthly inspection items, requires the inspection to be recorded on a tag or in a file with the date and the inspector's initials, and sets the service intervals: annual maintenance, a 6-year internal examination for stored-pressure dry chemical units, and hydrostatic testing every 12 years for most dry chemical units and every 5 years for CO2, water, foam and wet chemical.

Most states and cities adopt NFPA 10 through the fire code, so a fire marshal's inspection will ask for the monthly records and the service tags. Insurers ask for the same thing after a fire. In the UK, the equivalent is BS 5306-3 with monthly visual checks by the responsible person and annual service by a competent person; in Canada, provincial fire codes adopt NFPA 10 or ULC-S508. The three sheets here cover all of these; change the interval note on the register if your jurisdiction differs.

Which sheet to use

• Monthly log: the inspector walks the building with one sheet and ticks every unit. Fourteen units per page; use more pages for larger sites.
• Tag sheet: one per extinguisher, twelve months on one page, kept in a binder by ID or in a sleeve next to the unit. Backs up the hanging tag.
• Maintenance register: the site-wide list of service dates and test due dates. Updated when the contractor visits; the first thing to show the fire marshal.

How to do the monthly inspection

1. Walk a fixed route so no unit is missed; the log lists them in route order.
2. At each unit: is it where the sign says, visible and reachable? Gauge needle in the green? Pin in and seal unbroken? Hose and nozzle free of cracks and blockages? Shell free of dents, rust and leaks? Lift it: does it feel full? Tag and location sign present?
3. Tick each check. If anything fails, tick fail, write the action, and take the unit out of service with a spare in its place.
4. Initial and date the line, and initial the hanging tag on the unit.
5. Sign the sheet, have the safety officer review it, and file it with the previous months.

Mistakes that fail a fire inspection

• Logs filled in from the desk. Inspectors check the tag on the unit against the sheet.
• Units blocked by stock, furniture or deliveries. "Accessible" is the most common failure in warehouses and stockrooms.
• Annual service overdue because nobody tracked the dates. The register has a "next due" column for this reason.
• Failed units left in place without a spare.
• No record of what was done about a failure.
• Extinguishers past their hydrostatic test date still hanging on the wall.

Monthly inspection vs annual maintenance

The monthly inspection is a visual check anyone trained can do in a minute per unit. Annual maintenance is a thorough examination by a trained, usually licensed, technician who checks the mechanical parts, the extinguishing agent and the expelling means, and attaches a service tag. The 6-year internal examination and the hydrostatic test are deeper still and are done by the service company. Your monthly log and the contractor's tags together are the complete record. Pair this log with the fire drill checklist and the first aid inspection checklist for a full monthly safety round.

Editing the Word and Excel versions

In Excel, keep the monthly log as one sheet per month in a workbook per year, and keep the register as a single sheet you update after each contractor visit; sort by "next annual" to see what is due. The tag sheet can be duplicated per unit in one workbook. The monthly log and the register are landscape in all formats. In Word, the check columns are plain boxes, so the sheets can be printed and ticked on the walk.

Questions

How often must fire extinguishers be inspected?

Visually every month (OSHA 1910.157 and NFPA 10), with a professional maintenance check every year, a 6-year internal examination for stored-pressure dry chemical units, and a hydrostatic test every 12 years (5 years for CO2, water, foam and wet chemical).

Who can do the monthly inspection?

Anyone the employer designates who knows the seven checks. It doesn't need a licensed technician. Annual maintenance and testing do.

How long should I keep the inspection records?

OSHA requires the annual maintenance record to be kept for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less. Most businesses keep monthly logs for at least three years because fire marshals and insurers ask for history.

What do I do if an extinguisher fails?

Take it out of service, put a spare in its place, tag it, and send it for service or replacement. Record the failure and the action on the log.

Does the PDF calculate anything?

No. These are tick-and-initial records; the PDF is fillable so the sheet can be completed on a tablet during the walk and saved each month.