Australasian Mining Review

Australasian Mining Review Spring 2011

Australasian Mining Review

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114 Are your safety garments up to standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is the barrier that stands between a worker and the possibility of severe burn injury or death, in the case of an electrical arc or a flash fire. This can have devastating effects not only to the individual, but can cause huge ramifications for an organisation. fl ame resistant clothing covering their full body. This document lists standards which apply to eye protection, footwear, gloves, noise protection, helmets and safety belts and harnesses, however there is no actual standard for protective workwear. A Whilst a protective workwear standard has not yet been adopted in Australia for electrical workers and or workers exposed to possible fl ash fi re, it’s critical that you demand independent testing and certifi cation when selecting your protective clothing. The following international performance standards have been adopted overseas and they set the benchmark for the selection of protective workwear. NFPA 70E:2009 - Electrical Safety in the Workplace As described in 70E, an arc fl ash is “when an electric current passes through air between ungrounded conductors and grounded conductors, the temperatures can reach 35,0000 F (19,000 C)”. The quick and intense energy of an electric arc fl ash can burn skin and cause ignition of clothing made from non FR fabrics. The US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E states “Employees shall wear FR clothing wherever there is possible exposure to an electric arc fl ash above the threshold incident level for second degree burn, (1.2 cal/cm²). Hazard/risk categories are described by the NFPA standard 70E. The higher the electrical environment, the stronger the level of protection is required by the PPE to withstand an arc fl ash. Many organisations have decided to simplify compliance to NFPA 70E by introducing everyday uniforms using Indura UltraSoft® garments that meet the requirement of NFPA 70E Hazard Risk Categories (HRC) 2, as a single layer. This can alleviate employer concerns about leaving the diffi cult decision of determining whether a specifi c routine electrical task is HRC 0, 1 or 2, in the hands of the employee. Environments with a higher risk category HRC 3 or HRC 4, require a greater level of protection, which can consist of arc-fl ash suits and hoods in double layer combinations. S/NZS 4836:2001, Safe Working on Low-voltage Electrical Installations, recognised that electrical workers, working on or near exposed energised conductors, are required to wear NFPA 2112:2007 – Flame Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire A fl ash fi re can occur in an environment where fuel and air become mixed in adequate concentrations to combust. Flash fi re has been defi ned as a heat fl ux of approximately 84 kW/m² for relatively short periods of time, typically less than three seconds. The threat of fl ash fi re exposures necessitates the use of fl ame resistant clothing (FR). Non FR clothing can ignite in a fl ash fi re which can dramatically add to the burn injury percentage and severity, well beyond that of the initial exposure. NFPA 2112 provides minimum performance criteria and sets clear guidelines for testing on instrumental thermal mannequins. The standard calls for fl ash fi re testing to be conducted at three seconds with a pass/ fail rate of 50% maximum total body burn under ASTM F1930. When evaluating a fabric to comply with NFPA 2112, Indura UltraSoft® range of fabrics is an excellent option. Their market proven technology, guarantees fl ame resistance for the life of the garment. ISO 11612:2010 – Protective Clothing To Protect Against Heat and Flame This international standard specifi es performance requirements for garments made from fl exible materials, which are designed to protect the wearer’s body, except the hands, from heat and/or fl ame. The standard provides the minimum performance requirements for protective clothing worn in situations where users may be exposed to radiant, convective or contact heat, fl ames, arc fl ashes and molten metal splashes. This standard separates the performance of protective clothing against heat and fl ame by specifi c threats and levels A, B, C, D, E and F. A – resistance to fl ame spread, B – performance against convective heat, C – performance against radiant heat, D – performance against molten aluminum, E – performance against molten iron splash and F – performance against contact heat. [Fire Protection Fabrics and Clothing] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

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