GENERAL FACTS ABOUT FR

Q. WHY IS FLAME RESISTANT ARC RATED GARMENTS NECESSARY?

A. The best reason to invest in FR/ARC rated garmentsIS IT SAVES LIVES. For those working in industries that put themselves at risk of their workwear igniting, FR/ARC rated clothing is a critical component in there protection.

Q. IS 100% COTTON GOOD ENOUGH TO PROTECT WORKERS?

A. 100% cotton is flammable?– it will ignite and continue to burn after being exposed to an ignition source. Most people understand the burning and melting hazard of fibres such as nylon and polyester; however, cotton burns just as readily, if not even more quickly. Therefore, 100% cotton (with non-FR treatment) should not be used in industries that require or recommend FR.

Q. What Is Flame Resistant Fabric/Garments?

A. Commonly called fire retardant or flame resistant. These fabrics are engineered to make them more resistant to fires or flames. The words fire resistant or fire retardant does not mean fire proof.

These fabrics may have slow burning rates, but they will still burn or get damaged when exposed to fire or high temperature for long periods of time. The fabric can reduce the spread of fire but not prevent it totally. This is accomplished by the charring affect that takes place after the fabric has self-extinguish the flame

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Q. WHAT IS FLASH FIRE?

A. Flash Fire is a rapidly moving flame front, which can be a combustion explosion. Flash fire may occur in an environment where fuel and air become mixed adequate concentrations to combust. Flash fire has a heat flux of 84kW/m2 for relatively short periods of time, typically less than three seconds.

Q. What Is Arc Flash?

A. Arc flash is when an electric current pass through air between ungrounded conductors and grounded conductors, the temperatures can reach 19,000C. Exposure to these extreme temperatures both burns the skin directly and causes ignition of clothing, which adds to the burn injury. The majority of hospital admissions due to electrical accidents are from arc-flash burns, not from shock. Arc flash can kill at a distance of 3 METERS

Q.IS ARC RATED FABRIC/GARMENTS THE SAME AS FLAME RESISTANT FABRIC/GARMENTS?

A.No they are not, the most important thing to remember when dealing with arc-rated (the official ARC Rated Standard of Testing is ASTMF1959) vs flame resistant terminology is that all arc-rated clothing is flame resistant but not all flame resistant clothing is allarc-rated. To confirm the garment is arc rated you should check the label on the garment as this should be clearly indicated or contact your garment supplier.

Q.What Is ATPV ? (Arc Thermal Protection Value)

A. Refers to the maximum incident energy (in calories per centimetre squared) that protective equipment can be exposed to and prevent to onset of a second-degree burn. Ratings are based upon test method ASTMF-1959. In Australia, the recognized minimum ATPV rating required is 4 CAL, PPE 1.

NEW Arc Flash Protection Categories

NFPA 70E 2015 version, eliminates the commonly used term HRC (Hazard/Risk categories), which described the level of PPE(Personal Protective Equipment), needed for specific tasks in the PPE tables. Instead, the new NFPA 70E use the term “arc rated PPE category,” or simply “PPE level.”

HRCs have become common on clothing, and the levels are still there but will be called PPE categories or PPE levels. The categories remain essentially the same. For example, the current HRC 2, encompassing the range of 8 to 24 cal/cm2, will be PPE level 2, etc.(see tables below).“Hazard/risk category 0″has been removed from the table. Hazards/risk category will now be referred to as “PPE category”. Hazard/risk category 0 was deleted because of the new PPE table only species PPE for work within the arc ash boundary. If there is no arc ash hazard, then no arc flash PPE is required and it is therefore not necessary on the table devoted to PPE.

For Further information and assistance please feel free to contact the team at Tuffa Tuffa@tuffa.com.au