OSHA General Industry Standards (29 CFR Part 1910) 1910.164: 1910.164 Fire detection systems

Applies to all automatic fire detection systems installed to meet a particular OSHA standard. All devices and equipment must be approved for their intended purpose. After each test or alarm, systems and components must be restored to normal operating condition as promptly as possible, and spare detection devices and components that are destroyed in detecting fires must be available on the premises or from a local supplier in sufficient quantities and locations for prompt restoration. Systems must be maintained operable except during repairs or maintenance; detectors and systems tested and adjusted as often as needed to keep them reliable, although factory calibrated detectors need not be adjusted after installation; pneumatic and hydraulic detection systems installed after January 1, 1981 must be supervised; servicing, maintenance and testing, including cleaning and sensitivity adjustment, must be done by a trained person knowledgeable in the system; and detectors that need cleaning of dirt, dust or particulates must be cleaned at regular periodic intervals. Detectors outdoors or in corrosive atmospheres must be protected from corrosion, with canopies, hoods or other weather protection where needed; detection equipment must be located or protected against mechanical or physical impact; and detectors must be supported independently of their wiring or tubing. Systems that actuate extinguishing or suppression systems must operate in time to control or extinguish a fire, and systems used for employee alarm and evacuation must give warning for emergency action and safe escape. Alarms or devices initiated by detector actuation may not be delayed more than 30 seconds unless needed for employee safety, in which case the delay must be addressed in a 1910.38 emergency action plan. The number, spacing and location of detectors must be based on field experience or tests, engineering surveys, manufacturer recommendations or a recognized testing laboratory listing.