Electrical and Arc Flash Safety

NASCO Rainwear

Workrite Uniforms

Ullfrotte FR Wool

Neese Industries Rainwear

Canada Training Group

Dear ArcLetter Member,

The ArcWear™ Electric Arc and Flash Fire Newsletter is a quick update on Flame Resistant Clothing issues and news from OSHA and standards committees. This newsletter is FREE and will bring you up to date on the issues that surround flame resistant clothing for flash fire hazards and the electric arc. For previous newsletters or to sign up, visit http://www.arcwear.com

We must receive one week before the test date for sample preparation or make arrangements to ship to lab. New and non US/Canadian Customers must make payment before test date.  Testing is offered on a first come/first served basis with priority for consulting customers.  New policy: $100 per material for prep/washing and cutting panels and $100 for international report shipping. No guarantee is made of when testing will occur.

Many companies have only a few electrical workers at a site and want training so e-Hazard offers class sponsorship.  The host can be a distributor or an end-user of arc rated clothing.  The host provides a place for the training to occur and sends their folks who need training.  e-Hazard will help publicize the class, pay for the day’s meal and invite outsiders to fill the class.  If the class gets >20 attendees paying the tuition, the sponsor shares in the profits with a discount.  Do you have a training room that will hold a min of 20 students?  Can outsiders come to use that training room?  Do you need arc flash or NFPA 70E training?  Contact Hugh Hoagland at 502-314-7158. There is no cost to you other than for the individuals you have trained.

Few companies are selling compliant, tested goggle/balaclava systems. Data on the goggle without a specific hood IS NOT compliant.  Check with the manufacturer of the hood to be certain it has a report WITH the specific goggle.  The goggle itself was originally tested by ArcWear.com for Paulson with a balaclava but many sellers have failed to test their balaclava’s to ASTM F2178.  The fit of the balaclava is crucial to these systems.  The NFPA 70E tables do not list goggle/balaclava’s as an option when using the tables. If calculations are done using IEEE 1584 formulas or under the NESC for utilities, these goggle/balaclava systems would be perfectly acceptable IF the system is tested.

NSA has two balaclava’s which have been rated as a system and they are one of the few who have a rating on a system.  Most of have not tested because they didn’t know they could but be aware when specifying a goggle that you specify data has been obtained on BOTH the goggle and balaclava as a system.  The report will be of ASTM F2178 and include a specific balaclava WITH the goggle.

In 2003, Salisbury by Honeywell took the lead in arc testing all their commonly used leather and rubber gloves.  Most manufacturers have waited for a standard. Some have actually actively fought the final standard even though the test method have proven very reliable in the precision and bias work.  One of the issues with the standard is a valid concern.  No known incidents have occurred in which workers have been burned in rubber gloves with leather protectors (this is probably due to the fact that most of the gloves worn up until the last few years have been Class 2 gloves which are VERY hard to ignite).  The concern of a slight majority of the committee (only utilities have historically voted on this committee) is that lower voltage gloves could ignite much easier and can inexpensively be rated so the end user can KNOW what they will do.

The two glove styles recently rated by Stauffer’s Mark English are:

Leather Work Glove K95EJ

which rated at 38 cal/cm²

Kevlar Lined Work Glove K900LEJKVF

which rated at 42.5 cal/cm²

To see receive the Stauffer Reports on leather and a Kevlar-lined leather glove click here to e-mail their utilityproductsmanager@stauffersafety.com