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718 Fire Prevention Plans
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Alarm Device Requirements

The employee alarm system must 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.

Fire Alarm
An employee alarm system can be any piece of equipment designed to inform employees an emergency exists.

It must 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.

An employee alarm system can be any piece of equipment and/or device designed to inform employees an emergency exists or to signal the presence of a hazard requiring urgent attention.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72, National Fire Alarm Code, requires a fire alarm signal to be a distinctive and recognizable sound from other signals and can not be used for any other purpose.

Tactile devices may be used to alert those employees who would not otherwise be able to recognize the audible or visual alarm.

The two most common types of alarms are audible and visual devices.

Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.

4-2. Which of the following devices must be used to alert employees who can not otherwise hear or see an alarm?