509OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdmin.,Labor§1910.165installedforthepurposeofactuatingfireextinguishmentorsuppressionsys-temsshallbedesignedtooperateintimetocontrolorextinguishafire.(2)Theemployershallassurethatfiredetectionsystemsinstalledforthepurposeofemployeealarmandevacu-ationbedesignedandinstalledtopro-videawarningforemergencyactionandsafeescapeofemployees.(3)Theemployershallnotdelayalarmsordevicesinitiatedbyfirede-tectoractuationformorethan30sec-ondsunlesssuchdelayisnecessaryfortheimmediatesafetyofemployees.Whensuchdelayisnecessary,itshallbeaddressedinanemergencyactionplanmeetingtherequirementsof§1910.38.(f)Number,locationandspacingofde-tectingdevices.Theemployershallas-surethatthenumber,spacingandlo-cationoffiredetectorsisbasedupondesigndataobtainedfromfieldexperi-ence,ortests,engineeringsurveys,themanufacturer’srecommendations,orarecognizedtestinglaboratorylisting.[45FR60713,Sept.12,1980]§1910.165Employeealarmsystems.(a)Scopeandapplication.(1)Thissec-tionappliestoallemergencyemployeealarmsinstalledtomeetaparticularOSHAstandard.Thissectiondoesnotapplytothosedischargeorsupervisoryalarmsrequiredonvariousfixedextin-guishingsystemsortosupervisoryalarmsonfiresuppression,alarmordetectionsystemsunlesstheyarein-tendedtobeemployeealarmsystems.(2)Therequirementsinthissectionthatpertaintomaintenance,testingandinspectionshallapplytoalllocalfirealarmsignalingsystemsusedforalertingemployeesregardlessoftheotherfunctionsofthesystem.(3)Allpre-dischargeemployeealarmsinstalledtomeetaparticularOSHAstandardshallmeettherequirementsofparagraphs(b)(1)through(4),(c),and(d)(1)ofthissection.(b)Generalrequirements.(1)Theem-ployeealarmsystemshallprovidewarningfornecessaryemergencyac-tionascalledforintheemergencyac-tionplan,orforreactiontimeforsafeescapeofemployeesfromthework-placeortheimmediateworkarea,orboth.(2)Theemployeealarmshallbecapa-bleofbeingperceivedaboveambientnoiseorlightlevelsbyallemployeesintheaffectedportionsofthework-place.Tactiledevicesmaybeusedtoalertthoseemployeeswhowouldnototherwisebeabletorecognizetheaudibileorvisualalarm.(3)Theemployeealarmshallbedis-tinctiveandrecognizableasasignaltoevacuatetheworkareaortoperformactionsdesignatedundertheemer-gencyactionplan.(4)Theemployershallexplaintoeachemployeethepreferredmeansofreportingemergencies,suchasmanualpullboxalarms,publicaddresssys-tems,radioortelephones.Theem-ployershallpostemergencytelephonenumbersneartelephones,oremployeenoticeboards,andotherconspicuouslocationswhentelephonesserveasameansofreportingemergencies.Whereacommunicationsystemalsoservesastheemployeealarmsystem,allemer-gencymessagesshallhavepriorityoverallnon-emergencymessages.(5)Theemployershallestablishpro-ceduresforsoundingemergencyalarmsintheworkplace.Forthoseemployerswith10orfeweremployeesinapar-ticularworkplace,directvoicecommu-nicationisanacceptableprocedureforsoundingthealarmprovidedallem-ployeescanhearthealarm.Suchwork-placesneednothaveaback-upsystem.(c)Installationandrestoration.(1)Theemployershallassurethatalldevices,components,combinationsofdevicesorsystemsconstructedandinstalledtocomplywiththisstandardareap-proved.Steamwhistles,airhorns,strobelightsorsimilarlightingde-vices,ortactiledevicesmeetingthere-quirementsofthissectionareconsid-eredtomeetthisrequirementforap-proval.(2)Theemployershallassurethatallemployeealarmsystemsarerestoredtonormalopera...
