Arc Flash & Textile Testing for PPE
In terms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), what is the difference between Flame Resistance, Flame Retardants and “Rated” materials and garments? These are words commonly seen in the industrial AR and FR market–so what do they mean, and what hazard can you expect “flame resistant” clothing to protect from? Defining the Terms Flame Resistance– “The property […]
Why do I need an expert witness for a flame-resistant product liability lawsuit? This is a question that either plaintiffs or defendants might ask. This article is intended to provide some guidelines to assist in an answer to this question. An expert witness provides insight into technical aspects of the case and may be retained […]
ArcWear staff performed a limited study to evaluate the effects of both hydrogen and chlorine bleach and fabric softener on a common cotton-nylon fabric in a controlled laboratory setting. The study was published as a Selected Technical Paper in the ASTM International Performance of Protective Clothing and Equipment: 10th Volume, Risk Reduction Through Research and […]
You hear requests for flame resistant (FR) clothing and gloves all the time…but what does that really mean? What is an end user with this request expecting from you? Have you ever been in a situation where it seems impossible, and even like a liability, to label a product as FR when there are no […]
We are commonly asked, “I want to label my gloves as flame resistant—what do I need to do?“. This can be a challenging question. To date, gloves are not thoroughly addressed by the specifications used to indicate flame resistance in the industry (like NFPA 2112 for the industrial flash fire hazard or ASTM F1506 for the […]
2016 brought a lot of activity for the technical committees that develop FR and AR industry standards. The staff at ArcWear is proud to participate on technical committees for standard development and to relay a summary of what we know to our readers. If you missed the OH&S Webinar presented by Hugh Hoagland last week, read […]
Similar but different – How do you tell the difference Between Arc Rated (AR), Flash Fire Rated (FFR), and Flame Resistant (FR)? In 2012, NFPA 70E changed the terminology referencing personal protective equipment (PPE); what was formerly referred to as FR (flame resistant) clothing is to be called Arc Rated or AR, according to the […]
ArcWear, Kinectrics, BTTG, and SEI have partnered to offer new services under FlashCert: streamlined testing and certification for flame resistant clothing and PPE in the US and EU. Services offered include testing and certification for the following hazards: electric arc, flash fire, wildland firefighting, and welding. Further, the service was designed to simplify the certification […]
We frequently get questions about different fibers for arc protection. This is to answer a common question on testing in ASTM F1959 to meet ASTM F1506 or ASTM F1891. Protex M fiber contains approximately 2x the amount of Antimony Trioxide as compared to Protex C. It is designed to be used primarily in blends with […]