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Outline

An Overview of Flame Resistant Clothing Josh Moody – Technical Manager jmoody@westexinc.com Scott Margolin – Regional Manager smargolin@westexinc.com Westex, Inc. 773-523-7000

Contents What is Flame Resistant Clothing? Standards and Performance Testing Flash Fire Hazards Electrical Arc Hazards Molten Metal Hazards How do I Use These Tools?

What is Flame Resistant Clothing? Clothing made from fabrics that self extinguish Fabrics may be natural or synthetic Designed to limit (not eliminate) burn injury Survival, extent of injury, recovery time and quality of life all depend on FRC performance

Why is FR Needed? Most severe burn injuries and fatalities are caused by non-flame resistant clothing igniting and continuing to burn. Flame resistant clothing will self-extinguish, thus limiting the injury area. Body area under clothing is often burned more severely than exposed skin About 7,000 clothing related burns/yr in U.S.

FR v. Non-FR

Burn Injury Burn treatment requires approx. 1.5 days hospitalization per % burn Average hospitalization is 19 days, at costs exceeding $6,000/day Total hospitalization cost typically ranges from $200,000 to $750,000, with many over $1,000,000

What Is a Burn? A chemical process which progressively injures skin; severity relates to depth 1st : redness, pain – not permanent 2nd: blistering – skin will regenerate 3rd: total skin depth destroyed.  Will not regenerate – requires grafting 4th : Underlying muscle damaged

What Do We Measure? Three factors: extent, severity, location Extent expressed as % body surface reaching 2nd and 3rd degree.  Closely linked to survivability Severity, location linked to quality of life

Survival Burn percentage, not severity,  predicts survival because skin is infection barrier 2nd and 3rd degree break skin, providing an infection pathway Most hospital deaths 2-4 weeks post-exposure are infection (gram-neg staph)

Survival Factors Odds of survival fall with total % burn Odds of survival fall precipitously above 50% burn Odds of survival fall as age increases

The Bottom Line Accidents happen “Street Clothing” can and does worsen injury One can’t do anything about one’s age -BUT- One can do something about one’s clothing

Primary v. Secondary Protection Primary protection – where significant exposure is likely to occur (i.e. turnout gear) Secondary protection – where intermittent exposure is possible (i.e. pants, shirts, coveralls, etc.) Secondary protection is today’s subject

Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant Flame retardants are chemicals that inhibit sustained combustion Flame resistance is the characteristic of not supporting combustion in air, as defined by ASTM D6413

Flame Resistant Fabrics Natural fibers Synthetic fibers Natural / Synthetic blends What matters is that the flame resistance be durable to laundering, wear, the environment, etc for the service life of the garment

Employer Requirements Conduct hazard assessment Select appropriate PPE Ensure fit Train on use and care Provide and maintain in reliable condition Monitor use

Proper Use FRC should be appropriate to hazard Always the outermost layer Worn correctly; zipped, buttoned, etc All natural, non-melting undergarments Clean, no flammable stains Repaired correctly and removed from service when needed

Potential Hazards Potential hazards to consider when evaluating a clothing program Flash fire Electric arc flash Molten metal

Specific Hazard Discussion Steps in creating a program Identify the hazard Use standards and tools Research relevant performance testing What are other companies doing? Choose clothing appropriate

Flash Fire Hazards Flash Fire : An unplanned exposure to flash fire (2 cal/cm2/sec) for relatively short durations, 3 seconds or less. - NFPA 2113 - CAN/CGSB 155.20

Flash Fire Potential NFPA 2113 provides guidelines for flash fire potential based on: Proximity of work to potential hazard Presence of flammable materials during operations Process operating conditions Accident history Engineering controls

ASTM F1930 Provides a test method for testing flame resistant garments for performance in flash fire Uses heat resistant manikin with over 100 sensors Produces a predicted body burn injury profile (2nd and 3rd degree)

ASTM F1930 Testing Standardized size 42 regular coverall Heat flux of 2 cal/cm2/sec Controlled duration Data collected for 60 seconds

NFPA 2112 Standard on Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire This standard was created in 2001 to prescribe minimum performance criteria for selection of flame resistant clothing Applies to industrial personnel, not fire fighting or emergency response Consensus standard

Significance of 2112 Sets a pass-fail threshold for total body burn in a severe flash fire of 3 seconds Earlier standards were ‘do no harm’ Be alert to the sometimes vast disparity in protection among 2112 compliant garments

NFPA 2112 Requirements Fabrics must : Retain flame resistance through multiple launderings Meet standards for thermal protective performance, thermal stability and heat resistance Result in less than 50% predicted body burn when tested in on a thermal manikin over underwear in a flash fire of 3 seconds

Presentation of Data Desirable test protocol should include: -Independent laboratory testing -Full compliance with ASTM F1930 -Full compliance with NFPA 2112 -Data from inception of burn to failure -Use of standardized, commercially relevant garments

Example of Burn Curve Data

Flash Fire and OSHA Silent on issue until 1991 Agreement with petroleum refinery to provide flame resistant clothing for workers Initiated requirements for entire industry

Electric Arc Flash Hazards Release of hazardous energy due to electric arc Thermal energy Acoustical energy Blast effect Presently, only thermal effects are addressed

Flash Fire vs Arc Flash Arcs are much more energetic, but much shorter in duration Arcs are more likely to be localized, not body-wide Arcs are much more quantifiable Arcs can pose more attendant hazards, such as blast, shrapnel, electrocution

Fire vs. Arc Data Arc flash fabric performance is easier to evaluate, understand and rank All ATPV data at one, independent lab ATPV is a single number, not a curve Relative performance does not change with severity of exposure Data variance very small  (generally <0.5)

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Recognize the Hazard Employees are likely wearing 65/35 cotton-poly blends in hazardous areas OSHA prohibits wearing clothing which could contribute to injury Non-FR fabrics can ignite and melt, increasing both extent and severity of burn injury

Electrical Safety Overview Electrical safety is the most overlooked work hazard -432 work-related deaths last year (Labor) -Fourth in work fatalities, most <600V -7,600 electrical injuries at work each year -Electrical is now #4 on OSHA top ten list of most-violated standards

Arc Flash Events As much as 80% of all electrical injuries are burns resulting from arc flash and ignition of flammable clothing Arc temp can reach 35,000 F Fatal burns can occur at >10 feet Over 2000 severe electrical burns/yr

Arc Energy Basics Exposure energy expressed in cal/cm2 1 cal/cm2 = hottest part of lighter in 1 sec An exposure of only 1-2 calories will cause second degree burn on human skin Typical non-FR workwear ignites @4-5cals Arcs typically release 5-30 cals, and energies of 30-60 cals are not uncommon

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.269 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution First to address electric arc flash potential Requires clothing that does not add to injury Flame resistant clothing that meets ASTM F1506 will meet OSHA requirements

ASTM F1506 Standard Specification for Flame Resistant Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards Describes minimum performance requirements for clothing intended to protect against electric arc flashes Consensus standard

ASTM F1506 Requirements Fabrics must : Retain flame resistance through multiple launderings Be tested to ASTM F1959 to determine the performance in an electric arc flash

ASTM F1959 Standard Test Method for Determining the arc Thermal Performance Value of Materials for Clothing Tests fabric panels in a single phase open air arc Results may be ATPV or EBT

ASTM F1959 8,000 amps 12 inch gap 12 inch distance Cycles (duration) varied to produce various energies Copper slug calorimeters measure temperature

ASTM F1959 Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV) : The incident energy in calories/cm2 on a fabric that results in a 50% probability of the onset of 2nd degree burn based on the Stoll curve Breakopen Threshold Energy (EBT) : An average of five results that did not breakopen and did not predict a 2nd degree burn

ATPV Generation

NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces Covers industrial personnel Does not cover vehicles, ships, railways, mining operations, communication utilities or electric utilities

NFPA 70E Created in 1979 as an aid to OSHA for safe work practices that were consistent with the National Electrical Code Updated 2000 version contains parameters for protection from electric arc flash, including clothing, gloves and other PPE Consensus Standard

What’s Significant about 70E Not just utilities, but all employees working on or near energized electrical equipment Focused on injury reduction, not ‘no harm’ Quantification of hazard Correlation of fabric performance to specific hazard

Contents of NFPA 70E Part I – Installation Safety Requirements Part II – Safety Related Work Practices Part III – Safety Related Maintenance Requirements Part IV – Safety Requirements for Special Equipment

NFPA 70E – Arc Flash Protection Part II, Chapter 3 – Personal and Other Protective Equipment The purpose of this section is to provide head to toe protection when the potential for arc flash is present. Protection scheme is based on either calculated energy levels, or simple task based matrix.

NFPA Hazard Risk Categories Categories have minimum Arc Thermal Performance Values (table 3-3.9.3) HRC 0 - ATPV = N/A HRC 1 - ATPV = 5 cal/cm2 HRC 2 - ATPV = 8 cal/cm2 HRC 3 - ATPV = 25 cal/cm2 HRC 4 - ATPV = 40 cal/cm2

Use of NFPA 70E Flash protection boundary is determined Job task/voltage determined Protection scheme is chosen from matrix in table 3-3.9.1 Table 3-3.9.3 gives minimum ATPV level needed for work within a hazard risk category

70E and OSHA 70E is currently a consensus standard OSHA issued “per se” letter Voluntary enforcement in Ohio OSHA cited 70E to New York facility for compliance in early 2003 Does enforce NEC, which cites 70E

National Electrical Code 2002 Edition references NFPA 70E Section 110.16 requires marking of equipment for potential arc flash hazards

Molten Metal Hazards Molten metal hazards can be due to : Primary metal processing Welding Grinding Torch cutting

Molten Metal Hazards Garments / fabrics for protection against molten metal splatter must: Shed molten metal ; this reduces the contact time, thus reducing the heat transfer Be flame resistant ; non flame resistant fabrics may shed metal in some cases, but if ignited can continue to burn, increasing injury

ASTM F1002 Standard Performance Specification for Clothing for Use by Workers Exposed to Specific Molten Substances and Related Thermal Hazards Provides minimum requirements for fabric properties Consensus standard

ASTM F1002 Requirements Fabrics must : Retain flame resistance through multiple launderings Meet standards for strength, shrinkage and colorfastness Be tested to ASTM 955 for metal splash performance Only subjective information used in evaluation of secondary fabrics

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132 Personal Protective Equipment – General Many specific hazards are not addressed by OSHA, but can fall under this section Required to perform a hazard assessment Required to protect against hazard When no OSHA standard exists, inspectors look to consensus standards and industry practice

Resources Places to find information Manufacturers Trade associations Web sites www.osha.gov www.nfpa.org www.astm.org www.ieee.org

Hazard Assessment Process Identify hazards present in workplace Look for appropriate standards to aid in decision making Look at relevant performance testing Evaluate what other companies with similar hazards are doing

Garments for Multiple Hazards Not all fabrics or garment styles are appropriate for all hazards Do not accept fire data for arc hazard Do not accept arc data for fire hazard Garment style also changes with hazard -Arc: no exposed metal -Molten metal: pocket flaps

Final Decision The final decision will blend these three factors Protection Comfort Value Purchase cost Wear life