R 408.41841 Employer responsibility.

Rule 1841. (1) An employer shall be responsible for the development of a fire protection program to be followed throughout all phases of the construction and demolition work, and the employer shall provide the firefighting equipment as specified in these rules. As fire hazards occur, there shall be no delay in providing the necessary equipment. (2) The fire protection portion of the program shall include all of the following: (a) Establishing and maintaining a means of egress from all areas of the building occupied by employees to provide free and unobstructed egress from all parts of the building or structure at all times when the building or structure is occupied. A lock or fastening that prevents free escape from the inside of any building shall not be installed, except in mental, penal, or corrective institutions where supervisory personnel is continually on duty and effective provisions are made to remove occupants in case of fire or other emergency. (b) Posting fire rules or, by other means, informing the employees of the evacuation signal, escape routes, and emergency phone numbers. Exits shall be marked by a readily visible sign. Access to exits shall be marked by readily visible signs in all cases where the exit or way to reach the exit is not immediately visible to the occupants. (c) A requirement that means of egress shall be continually maintained free of all obstructions or impediments to full instant use in the case of fire or other emergency. (3) The fire prevention portion of the program shall include both of the following: (a) A housekeeping policy designed to keep a means of egress free from the accumulation of stored materials and debris and to reduce the likelihood of fire. (b) A policy for the storage of combustible and flammable liquids and materials and for the use of proper heating equipment as prescribed in this part. (4) The employer shall provide fire fighting equipment and meet all of the applicable requirements of this part as to location, accessibility, inspection, testing, and maintenance. The employer shall immediately replace defective equipment. (5) As warranted by the project, the employer shall provide a trained and equipped firefighting organization, Fire Brigade, to assure adequate protection to life. (6) Fire walls and exit stairways, required for the completed buildings, shall be given construction priority. Fire doors, with automatic closing devices, shall be hung on openings as soon as practicable. (7) Fire cutoffs shall be retained in buildings undergoing alterations or demolition until operations necessitate their removal.