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Below is a summary of good practice and the key points of the parts of BS EN 671-3:2009 relating to the Maintenance of hose reels with semi-rigid hose and hose systems with lay-flat hose. Readers are referred to the British Standard itself for full details and reminded that this is a summary only.

This document is broken down into the following sections:

• Definition of “Responsible Person”
• Definition of “Competent Person”
• Maintenance Overview
• Routine check by the Responsible Person
• Basic inspection and maintenance by Competent Person
• Extended inspection and maintenance by Competent Person

Throughout, references to the pertinent parts of the British Standards and/or other legislation have been included as footnotes.

Definition of “Responsible Person”

The Standard defines¹ the responsible person as being the “person responsible for or having effective control over fire safety provisions adopted in or appropriate to the premises or the building”.

Please see the corresponding notes on ‘Responsible Person’ on our Fire Safety Order and Fire (Scotland) Act pages.

Most commonly, the responsible person will be the employer, landlord, etc.

Please note that that the term ‘person’ is a legal term in this context and, in addition to referring to an individual, it may equally refer to an incorporated company, a partnership, etc.

Definition of “Competent Person”

The Standard comprehensively defines² the necessary elements of competency to undertake the maintenance of fire extinguishers. The definition refers to “the necessary training and experience with access to the relevant tools, equipment and information, manuals and knowledge of any special procedures recommended by the manufacturer”.

Under the standard, and under current legislation, it is the duty of the responsible person to ensure the competency of those undertaking maintenance.

Maintenance Overview

Hose reels coming under the scope of this standard should be maintained as it sets out. This consists of the following key stages:

• Routine check by the responsible person, conducted “regularly”, and subject to risk assessment³.
• Basic inspection and maintenance by Competent Person, conducted on an annual basis⁴.
• Extended inspection and maintenance by Competent Person, conducted every five years⁵.
• Replacement, which should be performed as required.

The Responsible Person’s Routine Check

The standard notes that the responsible person (or their nominated representative) should regularly undertake a check of the hose reels on a frequency essentially determined by risk assessment³. This should check that each hose reel is³:

• located in the designated place;
• unobstructed, visible and has legible operating instructions; and
• not obviously defective, corroded or leaking.

The responsible person should immediately arrange any corrective action required³.

Basic Inspection & Maintenance by Competent Person

The basic inspection and maintenance by the Competent Person, should be conducted annually⁴.

The specifics of the basic inspection and maintenance are not listed here (the reader is referred to the British Standard for full details), but they include⁴ the full running out of the hose and checks that:

• certain parts are checked for correct operation;
• check of steady and sufficient water;
• check of entire length of hose;
• check of supply pipe (particularly were this is of the flexible type)

Extended Inspection & Maintenance by Competent Person

In addition to the above basic inspection and maintenance, hose reels should, every five years, undergo extended maintenance⁵. During this extended inspection and maintenance, the hose reels are brought to maximum working pressure according to EN 671-1 and/or EN 671-2.

Due to practical difficulties, it is normally more cost-effective for hoses to be simply replaced anew, rather than undergo this testing process.

The British Standards are covered by copyright and are not available freely. However, these can be purchased at British Standard Online or alternatively, some libraries may carry copies of the more common standards.

1. As per BS EN 671-3:2009, clause 3.3.
2. As per BS EN 671-3:2009, clause 3.1.
3. As per BS EN 671-3:2009, clause 4.
4. As per BS EN 671-3:2009, clause 6.1.
5. As per BS EN 671-3:2009, clause 6.2.