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 […]
ASTM F1506-18 Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Electric Arc Rated Protective Clothing Worn by Workers Exposed to Flames and Electric Arcs has been published with substantial changes to small-scale testing as summarized below: Testing for dimensional change and colorfastness may be performed and documented per the garment manufacturer instructions. If testing at a […]
ASTM F1506-17a published with changes to title, scope, and use: New title: “Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Electric Arc Rated Protective Clothing Worn by Workers Exposed to Flames and Electric Arcs“ The scope now specifically excludes hand protection, which is appropriately tested to arc flash using the ASTM F2675 standard References to ASTM […]
ASTM F1506-17 published with new information on garment repairs: Repairs to critical seams must be made with inherently FR thread Patches to repair rips smaller than 0.5″² must be FR fabric, and patches to repair rips larger than 0.5″² must be AR fabric with an arc rating equal to or greater than the fabric used […]
Q: What are the retest requirements for arc flash PPE? A: This is a question we get a lot, and we hear it from both manufacturers and end users. Read on to learn when arc testing should be repeated. MANUFACTURERS Garments In the U.S., there is currently no requirement to retest for arc ratings in ASTM […]
I’m too busy to read this. Please summarize the ANSI-ISEA 107-15 update. The standard was revised to merge ANSI/ISEA 107 and ANSI/ISEA 207 to include all high-visibility safety products, including vests and accessories, under one new umbrella known as “HVSA”. Garment types were added to ease selection for type of use (Types: Off-road, Roadway, and Public safety). To […]
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 […]