The Federal law requires a portable fire extinguisher at each location where welding, cutting, or soldering is done with an arc or open flame.

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Sometimes
• D. Not sure

Answer: (A)

Welding, cutting, or soldering with an arc or open flame creates sparks and intense heat that can ignite flammable materials nearby. Because of this fire risk, federal law requires a portable fire extinguisher to be readily accessible at every location where hot work is performed. This ensures a quick, initial response to suppress small fires before they grow. The extinguisher should be appropriate for the hazards you face—typically a multipurpose ABC extinguisher that can handle ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, and energized electrical equipment—and it must be maintained, unobstructed, and within easy reach. In practice, this safety measure sits alongside other hot-work controls, such as fire watches when required, but the core idea is having a portable extinguisher available at the hot-work site.