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Not All FR Is Created EqualSM

DESIGN & STYLING

Safety FeaturesBreakaway zippers in coveralls and outerwear allow garments to be removed quickly in case of an accident. There is no exposed metal on the interior of any garment. All garment components—thread, buttons, pocketing—are FR.

Functionality FeaturesOur oversized pockets allow for increased tool storage. The roomier pant legs fit easily over work boots. Wider belt loops on pants make it easier to slide a utility belt through.

Comfort FeaturesExtra-long shirt tails help keep the shirt tucked in when reaching over head, and the wider waistband on pants prevents rollover.

Flame-resistant (FR) garments are unique in that they need to be practical for daily wear, but also provide protection for workplace hazards like arc flash and flash fire. At Workrite, we do more than “cut and sew” apparel. We only design FR work wear. This focus has resulted in an understanding and expertise that is reflected in the styling of our garments. Comfortable and functional FR clothing leads to greater compliance and increased safety, providing protection that workers are more willing to accept and wear every day. Here are just some of the ways in which Workrite builds a more comfortable flame-resistant garment.

Workrite designs their flame-resistant garments for safety, function, style and comfort.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace has

been around since 1979. It has been widely adopted by many manufacturing companies serviced by industrial laundries, since the addition of sections related to electric arc were introduced back in 2000. NFPA 70E is an important standard for protecting industrial electrical workers from the very dangerous effects of electric shock and arc flash, and being able to respond to basic questions about the standard is important. A new edition of the standard (2012 Edition) was introduced late last year. There have been many revisions, additions and improvements related to arc flash safety over the years and the 2012 Edition is no exception. The 2012 Edition includes a number of changes to both better clarify the intent of various sections and to provide additional protection measures. However, even changes to help clarify can often cause initial confusion simply because they are a change. This article will review a few of the changes that have raised questions by users and may need a bit of explanation. The first change of note, and potentially the most confusing, was the replacement of the terms Flame-Resistant and FR with the term Arc-Rated (AR). As you will see, the simple change from an “F” to an “A” does make a difference, but not necessarily to garments you currently handle. The purpose of this change was to eliminate the use of garment fabric labeled

as flame-resistant/FR that has not been arc tested and, therefore, an arc rating has not been established. There are standards for flame-resistant textiles that have nothing to do with arc flash protection but have occasionally found their way into the market just because they use the term FR. An example of a section where FR was changed to Arc-Rated is in section 130.7(C)(6), which previously read “Body Protection. Employees shall wear FR clothing wherever there is a possible exposure to an electric arc flash …” The revised section 130.7(C)(6) in the 2012 edition reads “Employees shall wear Arc-Rated clothing wherever there is a possible exposure to an electric arc flash…” This change forces the fabric and garment to have been arc tested and have an Arc Rating established. The confusion comes in when users see FR on the garment but do not see the word Arc-Rated or AR on the garment. In the end, an FR fabric/garment that has an established arc rating shown on the garment meets the new requirement, which is highly likely for the garments you are already using. The standard does not require the use of the term Arc-Rated or AR, it simply requires there be an arc rating for the product. This is a pretty straightforward change, but if someone is reading it for the first time they could naturally look for the words Arc-Rated on a label, which is not likely to be found. Another significant change you should know about was the combining of Hazard Risk Category (HRC) 2 and 2*. The deleted HRC 2* was a little-discussed category that had a subtle but major difference from HRC 2. That difference is the requirement to have full head protection by using either a flash suit hood or a combination of an arc-rated face shield and arc-rated balaclava. By combining these two categories, all HRC 2 tasks will now require full head protection. Since HRC 2 is the most common category of arc flash clothing being worn by industrial electricians and maintenance workers, there will be a need for each of these wearers to have access to an arc-rated balaclava and face shield. There are a number of other changes related to the arc flash boundary, retraining and auditing, equipment labeling, non-FR layers not counting toward the arc rating, and non-FR zipper tape and findings not being acceptable. It’s difficult to know everything about NFPA 70E but knowing these changes and being able to answer basic questions about them, particularly the first two, should give your customers more confidence that you know what’s happening in the FR market as it relates to NFPA 70E.

2012 Edition Goes From an “F” to an “A”NFPA 70E Standard

Contributed By: Mark SanerMark Saner is the Technical Manager for Workrite Uniform Company. He has more than 30 years of experience in the

fire and safety industry and serves on several committees with ASTM International. He works closely with major fabric

manufacturers to have a good working knowledge of various fabric options and the hazards for which they are best suited.

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