Transportation risk of horizontally mounted fire extinguishers on plant and equipment

The purpose of this Safety Alert is to highlight the risk of horizontally mounted fire extinguishers detaching during transportation and causing a hazard to other road users.

Background

A vehicle travelling along Kirkland Road in Palmerston was badly damaged by a fire extinguisher after the extinguisher dislodged from its mounting bracket that was installed horizontally on a Genset that was being transported from a construction site.

The extinguisher bounced off the road and impacted the passenger side windscreen of an oncoming vehicle. The sole occupant of the vehicle was not injured and was able to stop safely.

Contributing factors

• The bracket mounted horizontally on top of the Genset was not engineered to prevent horizontal movement of the extinguisher.
• The bracket was not fit for purpose as  the rubber grommets were hardened, cracking and disintegrating.

Action required

• All fire extinguisher mounts on mobile plant and equipment should be checked and maintained to be fit for purpose.
• Mounting brackets that are installed horizontally but not engineered to prevent horizontal movement of the fire extinguisher should be reinstalled vertically.
• Consider removing all fire extinguishers from mounting brackets and storing them in a secure compartment before transporting the mobile plant or equipment.

Further information

Code of practice

• How to manage work health and safety risks