National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of ISO 23616:2024. It supersedes BS 8617:2019 and BS ISO 23616:2022, which are withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee PH/14, Firefighters' personal protective equipment.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 31 August 2024.

Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 94, Personal safety — Personal protective equipment, Subcommittee SC 14, Firefighters' personal equipment.

This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 23616:2022), which has been technically revised.

The main changes are as follows:

editorial changes throughout the document.

Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to provide the requirements, guidance, and recommendations, and establish criteria regarding the cleaning, inspection, and repair of firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE). This document has been developed in response to growing concerns about contaminated PPE and potential health hazards for firefighters. Fire and rescue services, and the manufacturers of PPE, want to provide instructions and guidance to effectively minimize and manage this risk.

Following the designation by the World Health Organization of firefighting as an at risk occupation from cancer, the intent of this document is to consider all technologies for decontaminating and cleaning firefighters PPE, including all new technologies, i.e LC0₂ processes.

It is the responsibility of the firefighter (initially and ongoing) to undertake regular inspections of their PPE, and there should also be a reliable system/mechanism, (including training), to ensure that this can be achieved effectively.

This document also provides instruction and guidance to fire and rescue services regarding more advanced cleaning, inspection and repair.

1 Scope

This document provides requirements, guidance and recommendations for the cleaning, inspection, and repair of PPE for use by firefighters.

This document is intended to be used by those responsible for the cleaning, inspections, and repair of firefighters PPE, however, it will also provide vital guidance to those who are responsible for establishing such a program including fire and rescue services.

This document does not cover the following at this time:

chemical protective clothing;
PPE required for protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials.

The selection and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighters are covered by ISO/TR 21808.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 General information

4.1 General

4.2 Innocuousness

4.3 Management system

5 Inspection

5.1 Routine inspection

5.2 Advanced inspection

6 Cleaning and decontamination

6.1 General

6.2 Management systems

6.3 Contamination

6.4 Cleaning procedures

7 Repair

8 Records

8.1 General

8.2 Reporting PPE health and safety concerns

9 Garment

9.1 Inspection

9.2 Cleaning

9.3 Drying

9.4 Repair

10 Glove

10.1 Inspection

10.2 Cleaning

10.3 Drying

10.4 Repair

11 Helmet

11.1 Inspection

11.2 Cleaning

11.3 Drying

11.4 Repair

12 Footwear

12.1 Inspection

12.2 Cleaning

12.3 Drying

12.4 Repair

13 Fire hood

13.1 Inspection

13.2 Cleaning

13.3 Drying

13.4 Repair

14 Respiratory protective devices (RPD)

14.1 General

14.2 Inspection

14.3 Cleaning

14.4 Drying

14.5 Repair

Bibliography

BS ISO 23616:2024

Cleaning, inspection and repair of firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE)

Current

Published:

31 Aug 2024