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Standards

Arc Flash Protective Clothing Standards

NFPA 70E is the most widely adopted standard, which provides the guidelines on Hazard Category Ratings (HRC ratings) that protective clothing should meet. Protective clothing should then be independently tested to one of two standards:

Arc Flash Hoods and Faceshields

ASTM F2178-08 standard test method for determining the arc rating and standard specification for eye or face protective products.

Arc Flash Garments and Apparel

ASTM F2621-06 standard test method for determining response characteristics and design integrity of arc rated finished products in an electric arc exposure.

Australian Standards

ENA NENS 09-2006 Guidelines

ENA NENS 09-2006 Guidelines: National Guidelines (Australia) for the selection, use and maintenance of personal protective equipment for electrical hazards) around Arc Flash protective clothing.

AS/NZS 4836:2011 Safe working on or near low-voltage electrical installations and equipment International Standards

AS/NZS 4836:2011 has specific requirements for PPE including Flame-Retardant clothing.

International Standards

There are two key international standards (in USA - NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace and in Europe ENV 50354: Electrical Arc Protection).

Elliotts have selected NFPA 70E as the minimum performance standard for our range until a standard is formalised in Australia.

NFPA70E

NFPA70E: The National Fire Protection Agency's (NFPA) 70E is the Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces. NFPA70E requires employees to wear flame resistant protective clothing wherever there is a possible exposure to electric arc flash. NFPA70E is widely accepted throughout general manufacturing as well as the electrical industries.

NFPA 70E has a Two Category, FR Clothing Approach

The use of the following table is suggested as a simplified approach to assure adequate PPE for electrical workers within facilities with large and diverse electrical systems.

Clothing Applicable Tasks

• Everyday Work Clothing ATPV > 8

Includes Shirts, trousers and coveralls. All Hazard/ Risk Category 1 and 2 tasks listed in Table 130.7 (C) (10).

On systems operating at less than 1,000 volts, these tasks include work on all equipment, except insertion/ removal of low voltage motor starter buckets; insertion/ removal of power circuit breakers from switchgear cubicles or removal of bolted covers from switch gear.

On systems operating at 1,000 volts or greater, tasks that include the operation of switching devices with equipment enclosure doors closed.

• Electrical Switching Clothing ATPV > 40

Includes switching coats, hoods and leggings. All Hazard/ Risk Category 3 and 4 tasks listed in Table 130.7 (C) (10).

On systems operating at 1,000 volts or greater, these tasks include work on exposed live parts of all equipment.

On systems of less than 1,000 volts, tasks include insertion/ removal of low-voltage motor starter MCC buckets, insertion/ removal of power circuit breakers and removal of bolted covers from switch gear.

IMPORTANT: The information regarding NFPA 70E contained here is condensed for brevity. Users should consult NFPA 70E for complete information and conduct their own risk assessment. NFPA 70E is available from the National Fire Protection Association.

ASTM F1506

ASTM F1506: Standard Performance Specification for Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Arc and Related Thermal Hazards. The Standard was developed to give minimum performance specifications for Protective clothing. The major two requirement of this specification was that the fabric is flame resistant, determined by using the standard vertical flame test (ASTM D6413) and have received an Electric Arc Rating or ATPV.

ENV 50354

ENV 50354: Electrical Arc Protection: This standard specifies Electrical arc test methods for material and garments, for use by workers at risk from exposure to an electrical arc.

NFPA 2112

NFPA 2112 is tyhe standard for Flame Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire. The standard is targeted towards workers who are at risk of flash fires, primarily in the petrochemical industries. NFPA 212 is a voluntary consensus standard not a law. The standard is published by National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).