If you have ever walked the stairs of a highrise building or the halls of a large hotel you have seen a “Standpipe System”.
Many industrial facilities have these systems in place as well. In fact some state fire and building codes REQUIRE these systems be “installed”. Notice I emphasised “installed”, as most were installed, but have not been maintained, which sort of defeats the purpose of their installation. And this is what I want to cover in this article.
Most industrial facilities that have these systems will fall under 1910.158, but even some standpipe systems are exempted from 1910.158. Lets start with a breakdown of the three different types of standpipe systems.
Class I – A Class I standpipe system will have a 2.5″ hose connection for use by trained personnel. This class has NO hose attached. The fire department will usually carry a high-rise packs to the floor level, typically a stairwell, where they will start their operations and connect to the standpipe system. These connections MUST match the hose thread utilized by the fire department.
Class II – A Class II standpipe system will have 1.5″ inch hose stations to supply water for use by trained personnel. These are typically found in cabinets with 100’ of hose.
Class III – A Class III standpipe system will have 1.5″ inch hose stations to supply water for use by trained personnel AND a 2.5″ inch hose connection to supply a larger volume of water for use by fire departments and those trained in heavy fire streams. Many times these connections will provide a 2.5″ reducer to a 1-1/2 hose connection.
An important note to start with is that Class I standpipe systems are NOT covered by 1910.158. This does NOT mean we should ignore Class I systems.
Here are our requirements for managing our standpipe systems, per OSHA’s 1910.158 standard:
Protection of standpipes – standpipe systems need to be located or protected against mechanical damage (e.g. forklifts!!!). Damaged standpipes MUST be repaired promptly. I will not even try and define promptly, but I can say that if an OSHA CSHO finds a damaged hose rack because a forklift hit it or ripped it down and management was not even aware of this damage, you may be at risk for a citation.
Reels and cabinets – Where reels or cabinets are provided to contain fire hose, we must be designed to facilitate prompt use of the hose valves, the hose, and other equipment at the time of an emergency (e.g. NO locks on the cabinet door). We have to conspicuously identify hose reels or cabinets. This can be done by painting the beam they are hung the color RED or using signs so that they can be EASILY LOCATED. Another requirement is that the reels and cabinet be used ONLY for fire equipment. Take a walk around your facility and see what you can find in your cabinets!!!! Take a photo and when you have five, send them to me for your FREE MEMBERSHIP to SAFTENG.net.
Hose outlets and connections – Hose outlets and connections MUST be located high enough above the floor to avoid being obstructed and not so high that they are not accessible to those who need to use them. Standardize screw threads or provide appropriate adapters throughout the system and assure that the hose connections are compatible with those used on the supporting fire equipment. CHECK with your LOCAL FD to make sure everyone is using the SAME HOSE THREADS!!!!
Hose – every 1.5″ or smaller hose outlet has to have a hose connected and ready for use. In extremely cold climates where such installation may result in damaged equipment, the hose may be stored in another location provided it is readily available and can be connected when needed. Standpipe systems installed after January 1, 1981, for use by employees, must be equipped with LINED hose. Unlined hose may remain in use on existing systems. However when unlined hose becomes unserviceable (fails annual pressure test or inspection) it must be replaced with LINED hose. Our systems have to provide hose of such length that friction loss will NOT decrease the pressure at the nozzle below 30 psi (210 kPa). The dynamic pressure at the nozzle must be within the range of 30 psi (210 kPa) to 125 psi (860 kPa). How many of us have used a PTO guage to measure pressure at our nozzles?
Nozzles – standpipe hose MUST BE equipped with SHUT-OFF type nozzles. And may I add that those cheap plastic nozzles meet this requirement, but do you really want this kind of !@#$ on the end of the hose you are using to fight a 50′ high wall of fire!!!!
Water supply – The MINIMUM water supply for standpipe and hose systems, which are provided for the use of employees, shall be sufficient to provide 100 gallons per minute for a period of at least 30 minutes.
Tests and Maintenance –
PIPING -Piping of Class II and Class III systems installed after January 1, 1981 is REQUIRED to be hydrostatically tested for a period of at least 2 hours at not less than 200 psi (1380 kPa), or at least 50 psi (340 kPa) in excess of normal pressure when such pressure is greater than 150 psi (1030 kPa). Now lets not play games and make an argument that since my system was installed in 1945 (i.e. prior to 1981) that I do not have to do any tests or maintenance!!
HOSE – Hose installed after January 1, 1981, MUST be hydrostatically tested with couplings in place, at a pressure of not less than 200 psi (1380 kPa), before it is placed in service. This pressure shall be maintained for at least 15 seconds and not more than one minute during which time the hose shall not leak nor shall any jacket thread break during the test. Hose systems MUST be inspected at least ANNUALLY and after EACH USE to assure that all of the equipment and hose are in place, available for use, and in serviceable condition. Hemp or linen hose on existing systems MUST be unracked, physically inspected for deterioration, and reracked using a DIFFERENT FOLD PATTERN at least ANNUALY. Defective hose MUST BE replaced. ONLY trained persons are allowed to conduct all of these inspections!
WATER SUPPLY – Water supply tanks MUST be kept filled to the proper level except during repairs. When pressure tanks are used, the employer shall assure that proper pressure is maintained at all times except during repairs. Valves in the main piping connections to the automatic sources of water supply MUST be kept FULLY open at ALL times except during repair.
Most facilities will need some type of written management system to ensure that management knows all the requirements of these systems. My advice is to contact your property insurer and ask for their management program for standpipes. Often times they can provide a written program that can be easily revised to meet a specific facility’s needs. Also, keep in mind that if the employees will NOT be using these systems to fight fires AND your insurer allows you to remove the hoses from service, then you can eliminate all the hose and nozzle inspections and testing. HOWEVER, the piping inspections and testing REMAIN an annual REQUIREMENT.
Lastly, although OSHA does not have a monthly inspection requirement, it is ADVISED that these drop stations and hose racks be added to your Fire Extinguisher monthly inspections so that any blockage or damage can be addressed promptly. If no one is inspecting these stations on some frequency how we will know of any issues. EVEN if the employees will NOT be using these systems, any blockage of these systems MUST BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. We have all been through facilities where we see the red beams surrounded by pallets and you could not even see the standpipe hose/connections. Also, if your pallets contain flammable or combustible liquids, we have to maintain a 3′ buffer between the beams and storage (1910.106(d)(5)(vi)(e)