Arc Rated, Flame Resistant Clothing Care: Arc Flash Training For REAL Electrical Safety

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Electrical workers work in some of the most challenging work conditions. From an electrician in Ft. MacMurray working in a tar sand plant to a lineman climbing poles on a Colorado mountain range arc rated flame resistant clothing must be more than protective.

In the past, electrical workers used cotton as the clothing of choice. Even though cotton alone doesn´t wick moisture well, it was believed that cotton would not increase injury because it didn´t "melt into the skin". This has been shown to have no value if cotton ignites. But the good news is that arc-rated clothing fabrics are coming on the scene faster than ever. Flame resistant and arc rated garments began proliferating after 1994 when electric utilities started using them to comply with OSHA 1910.269. In 1994, there were only about 5 fabrics used in flash fire and arc and inadequate standards to determine the best ones. Aramid products like Nomex and PBI/Kevlar were leaders, flame resistant cotton materials like Indura were second, and modacrylic/cotton blends like FireWear or were third. These materials require some specific care but new materials have entered the competition which offer more wear life for less investment and better breathing and moisture management and other materials which were dangerous if washed improperly are much less common and easier to weed out using the proper standards.

Today there are many materials like:

• BanWear by Walls and Itex

• Indura UltraSoft by Westex

• Amplitude from Milliken

• DRIFIRE

• Kermel

• PyroSafe by Antex

• Alu-Safe by A.J. Charnaud

• Protera by Dupont

• Nomex IIIA by Dupont

• Tecasafe Plus by Tencate

• Lenzing FR

• CarbonX

• Carbtex/Tecgen

• Wickers

• ITI EMC

• FireWear by Springfield

• Glen Guard by Glen Raven Mills

Cleaning each requires getting the manufacturer´s care instructions and this will be somewhat different for each material.

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Standard 70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace recognizes electrical tasks as a hazard regardless of who is performing the task and requires some level of protective clothing for many tasks. Electricians, welders, operators, linemen and other workers have been killed operating disconnects and performing other electrical tasks, so NFPA 70E requires flame resistant clothing for many tasks. FR clothing always prevents ignition and in the vast majority of the cases eliminates fatalities and often severe injuries.

Proper care of FR garments is an important part of an FR clothing program. For years end-users have successfully used both home and commercial laundering to clean their FR clothing. The most critical thing for properly cleaning FR clothing is to follow the laundry instructions on the garment. Those instructions are the most important because the material manufacturer has the most experience with the fabrics. Inspection of the garments for proper cleaning by the end user/cleaner is also critical to maintaining garment integrity.

Flame Resistant Cotton has long been a staple of basic work clothing but the FR cotton of yesterday and the lowest cost FR cottons of today may actually be dangerous especially if laundered improperly. Though they may pass a flame low level vertical flame test, if they do not meet ASTM F1506 or NFPA 2112, they are not guaranteed for the life of the garment and the FR may wash out in as little as 25 washings or less. Special care by the end user needs to be used when selecting AND using FR cottons. If they meet the standards above, they should last for more than 25 washings but a lifetime guarantee by a reputable company with a strong track record is critical. Better to choose something with compliance to 100 washings, than to be sorry. Check the garment label for an arc rating which is a good indication they are properly tested but if you have no "life of garment" statement, you don´t know how long they will last.

FR Cotton/Nylon (commonly called 88/12 blends) Five materials on the market today meet the commonly cited >100 wash test requirement for flame resistance: BanWear by Itex or WallsFR, Indura Ultrasoft by Westex, Milliken Amplitude and Mount Vernon Mills FR Cotton Materials (also sold as Excel FR by Bulwark). Many of these blends have twice the wear life for about 20% more cost. This is a real savings to the end user in the long run if you choose FR cotton/nylon blends.

Aramid Materials Nomex, Kevlar and Twaron, Conex, PBI and other aramid are great for flame resistance and arc ratings. These materials need little special care, just follow the common recommendations in the Do´s and Don´ts below or the manufacturer´s instructions for laundering and care.

Do´s and Don´ts

DON´T

• Use fabric softener on FR garments in the washer. (Acts as a fuel.)

• Use fabric softener sheets in the clothes dryer (Acts as a fuel.)

• Use bleach on FR garments. (Can destroy fabric integrity)

• Wear garments that are grossly contaminated by oils, paints, solvents, or chemicals that leave a combustible residue on the fabric.

• Apply insect repellents containing DEET to garments. (Acts as a fuel).

• Apply any chemicals directly to the FR garment, including spray starch.

DO

• Wash FR clothing separate from the home laundry, to avoid transferring contaminants or transferring non-FR fibers to the FR garment. This form of hydrocarbon loading may decrease protective value of the garment in some cases. (No documented government study is currently available, but one company´s internal anecdotal research is commonly cited as reducing protection by about 3% when laundered with non-FR cotton clothing.)

• Use warm water and any liquid or dry type detergent that does not contain bleach.

• Dry the garment on medium or low heat.

• Launder the garments when they become visibly contaminated with any grease, oil hydraulic fluid, petroleum product, paint or chemical.

• Follow manufacturer´s washing instructions printed on the garment´s label.

Aluminized clothing requires special care and can usually be cleaned with a mild detergent. Aluminized PPE is used for high splatter welding, steel mill work and other applications.

Aluminized clothing´s heat reflective ability can be reduced when the clothing is stained or soiled. Some guidelines are as follows:

1. Store clothing on hangers, with ample hanging space to prevent creasing or cracking. If folded, the folds should be loose. Do not put weight on a folded garment.

2. Sponge off soil and soot by using mild detergent and water. Dry aluminum surfaces with a clean dry cloth. Rub gently to avoid removing aluminum coating.

3. Grease stains can normally be removed with dry-cleaning solvents. (NOTE:Alcohols, perchloroethylene and some other solvents will react with the metal and may etch the aluminum surface.) After using these types of solvents, clean the clothing with water and wipe dry. Allow the garment to hang in a ventilated location at room temperature until dry.

4. Remove other contaminants by sponging the clothing clean with mild soap and water. Hang the garment to dry in the open or in a place with good circulation.

Wool and wool blends are the most common material in the Aluminum industry. A.J. Charnauld, Inc. AluSafe, Oasis from TenCate (formerly Southern Mills) and PR97 from Melba Industries are the leaders in AL clothing in the world. These materials are secondary protection for potential splash or under primary garments and may be used for special applications flame resistant especially when in the vicinity of molten aluminum. The materials are much more comfortable than the garments of old but require special care. Laundering wool garments often recommends use of soap (unlike most flame resistant garments) and drying in lower temperatures. See manufacturers´ recommendations.

The new ASTM F2757-09 Standard Guide for Home Laundering Care and Maintenance of Flame, Thermal and Arc Resistant Clothing.

Many users choose an industrial launderer for convenience, ease of use and peace of mind but this isn´t always necessary. Some folks have been concerned that flame resistant cotton fabrics flame resistance would "wash out" over time but most of the best materials don´t have this problem today. Materials like Itex BanWear, Westex Indura UltraSoft, Mount Vernon Mills Amtex FR and Milliken Amplitude have stood the test of time and extensive testing. Recently a study of one FR Fabric Itex from Walls plant in China was given one of the ultimate FR challenges. Their fabric was submitted for 3, 50, 100 and 200 washes using the NFPA 2112 laundering method and submitted for arc testing to see if the rating dropped with washing. Not only did the vertical flame performance get better the arc rating was almost unaffected.

Arc rating Study of Walls BanWear 7 oz/yd² Newtex 88% Cotton 12% Nylon Flame Resistant Twill, Navy

5 Washes

Laundered wt. 8.4 oz/yd²

Arc Rating: ATPV=10.9 cal/cm²

50 Washes

Laundered wt. 8.6 oz/yd²

Arc Rating: ATPV=11.0 cal/cm²

100 Washes,

NFPA 2112 required laundering method,

Laundered wt. 7.9 oz/yd²

Arc Rating: ATPV=10.4 cal/cm²

200 Washes,

NFPA 2112 required laundering method,

Laundered wt. 7.7 oz/yd²

Arc Rating: ATPV=9.7 cal/cm²

Westex, Milliken, Mount Vernon Mills, and (Bulwark Excel FR) regularly do 100 washings even in industrial washing conditions and easily pass the vertical flame requirements.

Milliken has published results on 100 cal arc ratings and their rating is higher at 100 washings than at 3 washings as tested by the ASTM F1506 standard requirements.

Flame Resistant or Arc Rated garments are normally guaranteed for the life of the garment and home laundering has been shown to be very effective in maintaining the integrity of the garment´s flame resistance and arc rating.

Before choosing home over industrial laundry, employers should consider National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommendations on clothing soiled with hazardous chemicals at work. Clothing exposed to certain hazardous chemicals should be laundered by the employer; or if washed at home, is recommended to launder separately from the family wash. Some companies choose industrial or on-site laundering to limit liability and some chemicals are too hazardous to ever take home. The industrial hygiene department makes this determination in most companies. But home laundering is more common than industrial so proper evaluation of the worksite soils is critical as well as employee training.

Hugh Hoagland tests clothing and PPE in the electric arc in his companies ArcWear.com and e-Hazard.com provides arc flash training and arc flash calculation studies and electrical hazard assessment services.

He may be reached at:

Hugh Hoagland

13113 Eastpoint Park Blvd.

STE E

Louisville, KY 40223

Office: 502-716-7073

Cell: 502-314-7158

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