Fire extinguishers carry three separate clocks, and they belong to different people: the employee's training, the monthly walk-around, and the annual service.
Training. Where the employer has provided portable fire extinguishers for employee use in the workplace, the employer must also provide an educational program to familiarize employees with the general principles of fire extinguisher use and the hazards involved with incipient stage fire fighting (29 CFR 1910.157(g)(1)), upon initial employment and at least annually thereafter (29 CFR 1910.157(g)(2)). Employees designated to use firefighting equipment as part of an emergency action plan must be trained in its use, also on hire and annually (29 CFR 1910.157(g)(3)–(4)). An employer that does not want employees fighting fires at all can avoid the training by evacuating under a written emergency action plan and fire prevention plan (29 CFR 1910.157(b)(1)).
Monthly. Portable extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(2)). The standard does not require the monthly inspection to be documented, though nearly everyone initials the tag because it is the only practical proof.
Annually. Extinguishers must receive an annual maintenance check; stored-pressure units do not need an internal examination; the employer records the annual maintenance date and retains the record for one year after the last entry or the life of the shell, whichever is less (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3)). Hydrostatic testing follows Table L-1 — five years for most water and carbon dioxide units, twelve for most dry chemical (29 CFR 1910.157(f)).
The annual training and the annual maintenance fall due in different months for most employers. Putting them on the same calendar page is the simplest compliance improvement available.