FR clothing… all the way or not at all!
You'd have to be living somewhere in upper Mongolia in a cave for the past decade not to know about the new standards and safety measures concerning Flame Retardant clothing that have been enacted and which are still in the works.
Being aware of the changes and standards is one thing, understanding them properly is quite another. I'm referring specifically to the issue of FR underclothing.
Many people don't realize that, when dealing with arc flash, it isn't enough to wear FR outerwear only. In case of the type of electrical power involved in an arc flash, your underclothing is just as much an issue as your outerwear. The outerwear may not catch fire and/or continue burning but the energy will go through to the underclothing. If you are wearing cotton or polyester under the outerwear, especially right up against the skin, these garments can ignite and/or melt and cause serious burns.
For this reason, it is important to dress appropriately if you are dressing to protect against arc flash.
Fortunately, there are FR underclothing options. Clothing such as the 5 cal flame retardant 2nd Skin by Benchmark is a great, comfortable solution to the problem.
There are also FR bras available online for the ladies.
With FR clothing, its about protection all the way down, through all the layers, not just the outerwear.
Comment
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Comment by Safetyguy08 on February 2, 2010 at 1:18pm -
I am not an expert on Arc Flash but I think that the issue has to do with the potential strength of the arc flash. If, for example you need to wear 40 cal garments, than I would seriously consider looking at something like the benchmark 2nd skin that I mention in the blog.
If the amount of energy has the potential to reach the underwear, then the under garments need to be FR as well.
Anyone else have input on this?
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Comment by Sheryl Feldhans on February 2, 2010 at 12:50pm - I understood that the requirement was cotton undergarments. Do I have to buy FR undergarments fro my guys too?
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