DISCLAIMER: This document is for informational use only. All decisions as to what protective clothing must be worn should be determined by your employer or a professional safety director. Berne Apparel is not liable for any misuse of protective clothing.
FOR OVER 95 YEARS, BERNE APPAREL HAS DELIVERED RUGGED, HIGH QUALITY INSULATED WORK APPAREL AT A GREAT VALUE. STAYING WITH THIS TRADITION, WE HAVE CREATED A FLAME RESISTANT LINE OF GARMENTS TO ADD TO OUR EVER POPULAR SAFETY WORKWEAR CATEGORY. FR HOODED JACKETS FR CHORE COATS FR COVERALLS FR BIBS FR SWEATSHIRTS At BERNE, we not only have great pride in the garments we produce, but also in the reference tools we provide. Brochures like this one can explain the specific features and characteristics of unique apparel, such as FR. While BERNE cannot tell you the level of protection required on your job site, we can provide you with reference information. This information, along with the local, state and federal guidelines, can help provide comfort in your decision. Ratings & Category Levels What is meant by the term FR (Flame Resistant)? It refers to the ability of a material to self-extinguish upon the removal of an ignition source. FR is a short name for Flame Resistant Protective Apparel. Remember Flame Resistant Clothing is NOT fireproof., What is Hazard Risk Category (HRC)? Hazard Risk Category (HRC) is the level of arc flash protection clothing you must wear to protect against a minimum level of incident energy. It is measured in calories per centimeter squared. Electrical equipment, under fault conditions, can cause an electrical explosion or arc fault. This fault is also measured in calories per centimeter squared. That explosion can deliver this measured amount of heat across a certain distance potentially contacting clothing. Each level, 0-4, is rated at a certain amount of flame resistance. Each level is considered a category. ELECTRICAL SAFETY NFPA 70E HRC CHART HAZARD RISK CATEGORY FLAME RESISTANT DESCRIPTIONS FR clothing with a required minimum ATPV of 8 cal/cm 2 FR clothing with a required minimum ATPV of 25 cal/cm 2 FR clothing with a required minimum ATPV of 40 cal/cm 2 What is an ARC rating? ARC rating is the value of energy necessary to pass through any given fabric to cause a second or third degree burn with 50% probability. This value is measured in calories/cm. The necessary Arc Rating for an article of clothing is determined by a Hazard/Risk Assessment and the resulting HRC, usually measured in terms of ATPV or EBT. Simply put the ARC rating determines the protective characteristics of the fabric. The higher the ARC rating value the greater the protection. When the product is sold to protect workers from arcing faults, clothing manufacturers are required to indicate the ARC rating.
What is ATPV? EBT? ATPV stands for Arc Thermal Protective Value, which is a rating of the Arc burn protection capability of a garment. The HIGHER the ARC rating, the more protection a garment gives because it has a higher resistance to catching on fire. The ATPV is expressed in calories per cm2 and represents the thermal exposure from an electric arc that will create a second-degree burn in human tissue. If the ATPV cannot be calculated because the fabric breaks open, the energy causing the fabric to break open is expressed as the Energy of Breakopen Threshold (EBT). The higher the value, the greater the protection. How do I find the correct ARC rating that I need? The bottom line is to verify with your employer what the required HRC Level and ARC ratings are for your job. Who decides the minimum FR standards needed for my job? Only your employer can tell you what is required. It s the employer s responsibility to identify risk and hazards in the workplace with a hazard analysis and to seek out appropriate protective garments and equipment for protection of workers. How do I choose the correct Flame Resistant garments? Remember, verify with your employer the Hazard Rating Category Level and ARC ratings needed for your particular job. Any flame and thermal protective fabric must provide the wearer with the expected degree of protection for the useful life of the garment. Garments are specified based on the employer s evaluation of workplace hazards. Protective garments, which function as wearing apparel for normal work activities, must be comfortable and durable while achieving appearance that is acceptable to both the employer and the wearer. In addition to these general considerations, there may be other hazards present such as chemical or molten substance exposure. Finally, these multi-use garments must be able to withstand laundering to remove soils and flammable contaminants and be returned to service without excessive color loss, fuzzing/pilling (surface appearance change), or excessive shrinkage. What key points should I consider when choosing FR garments? Your review of garments should include thermal protection, static resistance, comfort, durability, stability, employee acceptance, appearance, ease of laundry maintenance, color availability, and relative cost. You also need to be aware of any special circumstances, such as electric arc, molten substance, or chemical hazards. Verify with your employer the Hazard Rating Category Level and ARC ratings needed for your particular job. Flame Resistant Protective Apparel Who needs FR clothing? Anyone who works with a risk of ignition in the workplace needs FR clothing. For instance, anyone who works in a foundry or refinery environment, anyone dealing with flame cutting and welding, firefighters, anyone in an aluminum casing or petrochemical industry, as well as anyone in the electrical utility, chemical, oil, and mining industries. Is there a need for Flame Resistant protective garments? When work environments or occupations pose a risk of garment ignition and burning, flame resistant apparel should be considered and selected.
Flame Resistant Protective Apparel (continued) How do normal fabrics react to ignition? Normal fabrics and garments will burn away from the point of ignition with an increasing rate of flame spread. They will continue to burn after removal of the ignition source. Normal fabrics will continue to burn until they are extinguished or all flammable material is consumed. How do FR fabrics react to ignition? Flame resistant (FR) fabrics and garments are intended to resist ignition, prevent the spread of flames away from the immediate area of high heat impingement, and self-extinguish almost immediately upon removal of the ignition source. Do FR garments prevent burn injury? FR garments will not provide significant protection from burn injury in the immediate area of contact with the ignition source. However, flame resistant garments do provide protection against clothing ignition and sustained flame spread. Remember, FR garments are NOT fireproof. What type of undergarments should be worn? National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace states that non-melting, flammable fiber undergarments may be used in conjunction with FR garments. Flame resistant t-shirts, Henleys, and base layer garments can provide additional wearer protection. Is untreated 100% cotton fabric flame resistant? No, there is a common misconception that untreated 100% cotton fabric is somehow flame resistant. This is simply not true. While heavyweight untreated 100% cotton fabrics may be more difficult to ignite, they can and will ignite and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source. Flame Resistant Fabric What is meant by the Life of the Garment? Flame resistant garments are generally made from either flame resistant materials such as those made from aramid fibers (including meta-aramids and para-aramids), melamine fibers, or those treated with flame resistant FR treatments such as ammonia or heat cure. FR treatments can wash out over time, shortening the life of the garment. Because many garments are often laundered under industrial wash conditions, they must be capable of withstanding a number of such industrial launderings in order to have an acceptable useful life. It is generally considered by the purchasers of these garments that the garments must last through a minimum of 125 industrial launderings. What is the best FR fiber or fabric? There is no perfect flame resistant garment system that meets all needs. Each FR fiber or treated fabric has certain properties that, depending on end use requirements, has either benefits or shortcomings. Blending different fibers attempts to balance these properties for maximum fabric performance. It is important to be aware of these properties so garments may be selected to meet the specific requirements of a given application.
Laundry & Repair How important is it to clean FR garments? Proper cleaning and maintenance of any flame resistant garment is essential in order to remove potentially hazardous soils and to avoid a build up of materials that could mask performance. This includes flammable soils and greases, as well as other contaminants such as a build up of hard water ions that can coat fibers with flammable material. ASTM Standard F1449 Guide for Care and Maintenance of Flame, Thermal, and Arc Resistant Clothing is a good general reference for care and maintenance of flame resistant and thermal protective clothing. Always follow garment manufacturer s care label recommendations and other published instructions or recommendations. Can Bleach be used when laundering FR garments? No. bleach should not be used when washing FR garments and fabrics because repeated chlorine bleach launderings will destroy the flame resistant finish. It is best to replace bleach with detergents containing bleach alternatives. Industrial laundry detergents containing hydrogen peroxide must NOT be used either. What if our cleaning procedures are different from the manufacturer s recommendation? To ensure continued flame resistant performance, it is necessary to follow the manufacturer s recommendations for textile maintenance processing of each type of flame resistant garment. Whenever deviations from manufacturer s recommendations are necessitated by local conditions, testing must be conducted to ensure that the protective properties are maintained through the expected service life of the garment. Are FR garments still effective if contaminated with flammable substances? Flammable substances on FR garments will ignite and continue to burn on the surface of the FR garment. Flame resistant garments should be immediately removed and replaced with clean FR apparel if they become fouled with flammable material. If laundering or dry cleaning cannot remove flammable contaminants, the contaminated garments should be removed from service. What is the best way to repair FR garments? Minor repairs that do not affect the integrity of the garment should be made with like materials by sewing on patches or darning small holes. To provide continued flame resistance, garments must be repaired with materials that have at least the same FR performance characteristics as the original fabric and sewing threads. Embroidery Can emblems and embroidery be added to FR garments? The question of garment identification and personalization is always difficult to answer. The only comment of the consensus standards writing organizations, such as NFPA and ASTM International, is that nothing on an article of clothing may increase the extent of wearer injury in case of garment ignition. No OSHA or military standards address this area. SFI, the race car driver s association, has not addressed this issue.
FR Standards ASTM-F1506: This is the governing ASTM standard performance specification for textile materials for wearing apparel for use by electrical workers exposed to momentary electric ARC and related thermal hazards. (www.astm.org) OSHA-1910.269: This section of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration s (OSHA) 29 CFR 1910.269 covers the operation and maintenance of electric power generation, control, transformation, transmission, and distribution lines and equipment. (www.osha.gov) NESC: Published exclusively by the IEEE, National Electrical Safety Code (NESC ) sets the ground rules for practical safeguarding of persons during the installation, operation, or maintenance of electric supply and communication lines and associated equipment. The NESC contains the basic provisions that are considered necessary for the safety of employees and the public under the specified conditions. Effective January 1, 2009, the NESC enacted a regulation that states the employer shall ensure that an assessment is performed to determine potential exposure to an electric arc for employees who work on or near energized parts or equipment. If the assessment determines a potential employee exposure greater than 2 cal/cm2 exists, the employer shall require the employee to wear clothing or a clothing system that has an effective rating at least equal to the anticipated level of arc energy. (www.ieee.org) NFPA-70E: The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has served as an authority in the U.S. on fire, electricity, and building safety since 1896. In 1979, the NFPA published NFPA 70E, a Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. NFPA 70E is a comprehensive national consensus standard for electrical safety issues covering work practices, installation, maintenance, and special equipment. Over the years, several editions of NFPA 70E have been published. The 2000 edition was the first to include electric arc flash hazard, and it required flame resistant clothing to protect workers against it. The most recent edition approved on February 11, 2004, added sections on personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA recognizes NFPA 70E as an industry practice and has referenced it in citations. (www.nfpa.org) NFPA 2112: STANDARD ON Flame resistant GARMENTS FOR PROTECTION OF INDUSTRIAL PERSONNEL AGAINST FLASH FIRE. This standard shall specify the minimum performance requirements and test methods for flame resistant fabrics and components as well as the design and certification requirements for garments for use in areas at risk from flash fires. (www.nfpa.org) NFPA 2113: STANDARD ON SELECTION, CARE, USE, AND MAINTENANCE OF Flame resistant GARMENTS FOR PROTECTION OF INDUSTRIAL PERSONNEL AGAINST FLASH FIRE. This standard shall specify the minimum selection, care, use, and maintenance requirements for flame resistant garments for use in areas at risk from flash fires by industrial personnel that are compliant with NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire. 1.1.2*. (www.nfpa.org) ASTM-1930: Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Flame Resistant Clothing for Protection Against Flash Fire Simulations Using an Instrumented Manikin. This test method covers quantitative measurements and subjective observations that characterize the performance of single layer garments or protective clothing ensembles in a simulated flash fire environment having controlled heat flux, flame distribution, and duration. This test method is extremely complex and requires a high degree of technical expertise in both the test setup and operation. (www.astm.org)
Terminology ANSI: The American National Standards Institute is a membership organization founded in 1918 that coordinates the development of U.S. voluntary national standards in both the private and public sectors. It is the U.S. member body to SO and IEC. Arc flash: A voltage breakdown of the resistance of air resulting in an arc which can occur where there is sufficient voltage in an electrical system and a path to ground or lower voltage. Arc rating: Values that indicate the arc performance of a material or system of materials expressed in calories per centimeter squared. ATPV: A rating assigned to FRC indicating the level of protection provided; Higher fabric weights typically have higher ATPVs and provide increased protection as does the layering of flame resistant clothing. ATPV is measured in calories per centimeter squared (cal/cm2). ASTM: Formerly The American Society for Testing and Materials, ATSM International is a not-for-profit standards organization focused on developing voluntary codes and regulations for technical materials, products, systems, and services. Established in 1898 to set standards for railroad steel, the organization also works in such areas as petroleum, medical devices, consumer products, and environmental assessment. Breakopen: The formation of holes in the fabric due to arc rating testing; This deterioration of a flame resistant fabric, caused by breakopen, would allow heat or flames to pass through. This cal/cm2 rating is expressed as EBT, rather than ATPV. EBT: Energy Break-Open Threshold (EBT) is reported when ATPV cannot be measured due to FR fabric breakopen. Flame resistant: A material that burns slowly or is self-extinguishing after removal of an external source of ignition. Flame retardant: Used to describe something that is hard to ignite or that does not support or convey flame. High Visibility: Has highly reflective properties or a color that is easily discernible from any background. HRC: Hazard Risk Category (HRC) is a rating range directly related to ATPV. There are 5 HRCs ranging from 0 to 4, with a hazard risk of 0 presenting the least risk and a hazard risk of 4 presenting the greatest risk. See table on the inside front cover. Inherent flame resistance: The flame resistance derived from the properties of the fiber from which the textile is made as applied to textiles. NFPA: The National Fire Protection Association is a voluntary membership organization whose aims are to promote and improve fire protection and prevention. NFPA has published several volumes of codes known as the National Fire Codes. See them at www.nfpa.org. PPE: Personal protective equipment is specialized protective gear (not standard issue clothing or equipment) worn by an employee for protection against a hazard. Visible Light Transmission: The amount of light viewable through a face shield or goggle; As a face shield or goggle achieves higher arc ratings, the amount of visible light transmitted is reduced.
DISCLAIMER: This document is for informational use only. All decisions as to what protective clothing must be worn should be determined by your employer or a professional safety director. Berne Apparel is not liable for any misuse of protective clothing.