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OSHA does not require employers to provide portable fire extinguishers. However, your insurance company or local fire department might require them. If you provide extinguishers but do not expect employees to use them, you need only maintain them according to the maintenance, inspection, and testing requirements of 1910.157. Conversely, if you expect any employees to fight incipient stage fires, you must establish an educational program to familiarize those workers with the general principles of fire extinguisher use, provide hands-on training in using this equipment, and deliver annual refresher training.