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29 CFR 1910.165: Employee alarm systems

Subpart L—Fire Protection

320citations since 2015
267employers cited
71%serious, willful or repeat
$0median penalty per item

OSHA has cited 29 CFR 1910.165 320 times since 2015, against 267 employers. Penalties on these items add up to $761,571 at their current amounts.

Citations per year

The parts of the rule cited most

1910.165(e) · 103 citations

(e) Manual operation. The employer shall assure that manually operated actuation devices for use in conjunction with employee alarms are unobstructed, conspicuous and readily accessible.

1910.165(d)(1) · 62 citations

(d) Maintenance and testing. (1) The employer shall assure that all employee alarm systems are maintained in operating condition except when undergoing repairs or maintenance.

1910.165(b)(2) · 46 citations

(2) The employee alarm shall be capable of being perceived above ambient noise or light levels by all employees in the affected portions of the workplace. Tactile devices may be used to alert those employees who would not otherwise be able to recognize the audible or visual alarm.

1910.165(b)(1) · 34 citations

(b) General requirements. (1) The employee alarm system shall provide warning for necessary emergency action as called for in the emergency action plan, or for reaction time for safe escape of employees from the workplace or the immediate work area, or both.

1910.165(b)(5) · 15 citations

(5) The employer shall establish procedures for sounding emergency alarms in the workplace. For those employers with 10 or fewer employees in a particular workplace, direct voice communication is an acceptable procedure for sounding the alarm provided all employees can hear the alarm. Such workplaces need not have a back-up system.

1910.165(d)(2) · 12 citations

(2) The employer shall assure that a test of the reliability and adequacy of non-supervised employee alarm systems is made every two months. A different actuation device shall be used in each test of a multi-actuation device system so that no individual device is used for two consecutive tests.

1910.165(b)(3) · 11 citations

(3) The employee alarm shall be distinctive and recognizable as a signal to evacuate the work area or to perform actions designated under the emergency action plan.

1910.165(b)(4) · 11 citations

(4) The employer shall explain to each employee the preferred means of reporting emergencies, such as manual pull box alarms, public address systems, radio or telephones. The employer shall post emergency telephone numbers near telephones, or employee notice boards, and other conspicuous locations when telephones serve as a means of reporting emergencies. Where a communication system also serves as the employee alarm system, all emergency messages shall have priority over all non-emergency messages.

Industries cited most

  • Manufacturing 116
  • Public Administration 48
  • Retail Trade 32
  • Transportation and Warehousing 28
  • Other Services (except Public Administration) 14
  • Wholesale Trade 13

States cited most

Recently cited employers