ANSI/ISEA 203-2018 Secondary Single-Use Flame Resistant Protective Clothing for Use Over Primary Flame Resistant Protective Clothing has been published. The document is a self-declaration standard for secondary, disposable apparel intended to be worn over compliant flame resistant primary clothing. Clothing appropriate for this standard may be used in industrial settings and the methods are intended to ensure that the secondary items will not detriment the primary protection underneath in a flame exposure; it can be useful in many applications, like refineries, utilities, and welding.
Previously, NFPA 2112 included disposable garments, but the requirement for third-party certification created an imbalance of cost versus product practicality. The new edition of CGSB 155.20 does address compliance for limited-use garments, but this standard is intended for products used specifically for hydrocarbon flash fires. The ANSI/ISEA 203-2018 will help to fill a gap in the industry and provide manufacturers with a straightforward means to call a product with a wide range of uses “FR” after testing to a specified set of requirements.
For compliance, a large-scale manikin test of the secondary apparel over primary apparel and vertical flame testing are performed.
A copy of the new ANSI/ISEA 203-2018 standard can be purchasedon the ISEA website.
ArcWear is an accredited, third-party testing lab. For testing to the new ANSI/ISEA 203-2018 standard, contact us.
