How often to inspect each asset in your plant.

Extinguishers, fire pumps, detectors and electrical installations: what the standard in Mexico requires and recommends, what the NFPA standards your plant adopts add, and how each frequency fits into the asset's routine.

Published on July 30, 2026. Updated on November 9, 2026. By VULKRON.

Who decides how often an asset is inspected?

In Mexico the baseline is set by two STPS standards: NOM-002-STPS-2010, on fire prevention and protection, and NOM-029-STPS-2011, on maintenance of electrical installations. The STPS enforces compliance.

On top of that baseline, your plant adds the NFPA standards it adopts and whatever your corporate office or insurer requires. That gives you your criteria, which state what is checked on each asset and how often. Fire Protection explains those layers.

NOM-002 and NOM-029The baseline in Mexico

The NFPA standardsThose your plant adopts

Your corporate office or insurerWhat they set or require

Each asset's routine

Extinguisher EXT-014InspectionEvery month

Approved by your plant

Illustrative example, with demo data.

How often are extinguishers inspected?

Every month. NOM-002-STPS-2010 requires an annual program with a monthly inspection of each extinguisher, and a record of each inspection showing who did it and what was found; maintenance and recharging are separate. If your plant adopts NFPA 10, it also requires a monthly inspection and maintenance at least once a year, as detailed in Fire Protection.

Extinguishers under NOM-002-STPS-2010
What is done	How often	Source
Check that it is in place, visible and unobstructed, with the seal intact, the gauge in the green zone and no damage	Every month	Clause 7.2
Record the date, who inspected, the results, any anomalies and their follow-up	At every inspection	Clause 7.3
Maintenance in accordance with NOM-154-SCFI-2005	At least once a year	Clause 7.18
Recharge	After each use	Clause 7.19

How often is the fire pump tested?

Every week it is run without discharge, every month it is inspected, and every year it undergoes a pressure-versus-flow test. These are the maximum intervals recommended by Reference Guide VI of NOM-002, a guide that the standard itself states is not mandatory. In high fire-risk areas, NOM-002 also requires an annual inspection and testing program for detection and fixed fire protection systems. The NFPA 25 rows apply only if your plant adopts it, and its frequencies for sprinklers, hydrants and tanks are in Fire Protection.

The fire pump and the fire water system
What is done	How often	Source
Fire pump
Check for damage, the pressure on its gauges and that the valves are open	Every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Run it without discharge (diesel pumps for 30 minutes)	Every week	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Pressure-versus-flow test	Every year	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
No-flow test and flow test	No-flow weekly or monthly, depending on the pump type; flow annually	NFPA 25, if your plant adopts it
System valves and hydrants
Open and close the control valves	Every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Inspect the hydrant hose cabinets	Every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)

How often are smoke detectors inspected?

The physical condition of smoke and heat detectors is inspected every month and their operation is tested every year. That is what NOM-002 Guide VI recommends; it is not mandatory and adds tasks per shift, per week and every six months. NOM-002 requires the annual inspection and testing program for detection only in high fire-risk areas. Under NFPA 72, if your plant adopts it, the frequency depends on the type of device.

Fire detection and alarm
What is done	How often	Source
Confirm that the control panel indicates normal operation	Every day, on every shift	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Inspect the physical condition of the detectors	Every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Activate a detector or pull station in a different area each month	Every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Test the operation of smoke and heat detectors	Every year	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Test the operation of each flame detector	Every six months	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Inspect the manual pull stations and activate all of them	Inspection every week; activation at least every month	NOM-002 Guide VI (recommendation)
Inspection and testing of each type of device	As applicable to each type	NFPA 72, if your plant adopts it

How often is the electrical installation maintained?

Under NOM-029-STPS-2011 a work plan is required for each electrical maintenance activity, and one interval is set: the grounding test, at least once a year. NOM-002 adds the annual inspection program for the installation. The remaining frequencies are defined by your plant's criteria, and thermography comes in if your criteria include it, as explained in Electrical Safety.

Electrical installation under NOM-002 and NOM-029
What is done	How often	Source
Inspect switchboards, conductors, raceways, boxes, outlets, switches, luminaires, protective devices and grounding, with emphasis on high fire-risk areas	Annual program	NOM-002, clause 7.5
Look for hot spots, loose or burnt connections, overloads and makeshift installations	Within the annual program	NOM-002, clause 7.5.2
Test the ground resistance and the continuity of the grounding system, and record the values	At least once a year	NOM-029, clause 9.4 l)
Have a work plan for the activity	For each maintenance activity	NOM-029, clause 7.1
Record the person responsible, the activities, their results and the dates, and keep the record	With every maintenance job; kept for at least one year	NOM-029, clauses 5.19 and 16.5

What makes that frequency enforceable within your plant?

That it is written into each asset's routine and that every execution leaves a record. VULKRON Engineers propose the routines and their frequency, and your plant approves or adjusts them, as explained in Fire Protection. Then each work order goes on the calendar and is signed at the point of execution, as shown in How it works.

VULKRON does not replace the employer's obligations: appointing the safety officer, training staff, hiring accredited service providers or obtaining the verification reports the authorities or your insurer require.

Choose an asset to see it on the calendar.

Extinguishers Sprinklers Pump Hydrants Detection and alarm Electrical

North PlantRoutine calendar

ExtinguishersMonthly inspection; maintenance in March.NOM-002, clauses 7.2 and 7.18

Sprinkler systemValves monthly; system inspection in June.Valves per NOM-002 Guide VI; the system per NFPA 25, if adopted

Fire pumpWeekly no-discharge run, monthly inspection and pressure-versus-flow test in April.NOM-002 Guide VI; NFPA 25 if adopted

Hydrants and hosesCabinets monthly; flow test in September.Cabinets per NOM-002 Guide VI; flow per NFPA 25, if adopted

Detection and alarmMonthly inspection; smoke and heat test in October.NOM-002 Guide VI; NFPA 72 if adopted

Electrical installationInspection in February; ground test in August.NOM-002, 7.5; NOM-029, 9.4 l)

Illustrative example, with North Plant demo data. Your plant sets the months when it approves each routine.

Sources

NOM-002-STPS-2010, Safety conditions, fire prevention and protection in workplaces. Diario Oficial de la Federación. Clauses 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.5.2, 7.18, 7.19 and 14.1; clause 13.2 of the conformity assessment procedure, which requires the annual inspection and testing program for detection and fixed systems only in high fire-risk areas; and Reference Guide VI, Table VI.1, which the standard presents as a non-mandatory supplement.
NOM-029-STPS-2011, Maintenance of electrical installations in workplaces, safety conditions. Diario Oficial de la Federación, December 29, 2011. Clauses 5.19, 7.1, 9.4 l), 16.5 and 17.
NFPA 10, NFPA 25 and NFPA 72, as cited by Fire Protection. They apply when your plant adopts them.

Both Mexican standards were consulted in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on November 9, 2026.