Flame-Resistant Clothing Terms - Quick Reference

by LAPCO FR August 11, 2016 0 comments

Common FR Clothing terms, acronyms, and what they mean.

PPE: (Personal Protective Equipment) is equipment worn to minimize exposure to a variety of hazards.
Primary Protective Clothing: Clothing designed for activities where significant exposure to molten substance splash, radiant heat, or flame is likely to occur.
Secondary Protective Clothing: Protective clothing designed for continuous wear in designated locations where intermittent exposure is possible.

Flame Resistant: The characteristic of a fabric to resist ignition and to self-extinguish if ignited.
Flame Retardant: A chemical substance used to impart flame resistance.
Treated FR Fabrics: the flame-resistant characteristic is achieved through special treatments applied to the fiber or fabric.
Inherently FR Fabrics: Flame resistance is a built-in characteristic of the fiber, no treatment is needed. Inherent definition.

NFPA: acronym for the National Fire Protection Association.
OSHA: acronym for the 0ccupational Safety and Health Administration,of the US Department of Labor.
ANSI: acronym for the American National Standards Institute.
ISEA: International Safety Equipment Association.
CGSB: acronym for the Canadian General Standards Board.
ASTM: shortened from ASTM International, formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials.
IEEE-SA: (IEEE Standards Association) IEEE, pronounced "Eye-triple-E," stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

ATPV: (Arc Thermal Performance Value) is expressed in cal/cm2
and represents the thermal exposure from an electric arc on a material that is predicted to cause a second-degree burn in human tissue.
HRC or CAT: (Hazard/Risk Category) is the level of risk exposure of a specific job or task.
EBT: (Energy Breakopen Threshold) is the incident energy on a material that results in a 50% probability of breakopen.
NESC: National Electric Safety Code
NFPA 70E: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace.
NFPA 2112: Standard on Flame-Resistant Clothing for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Short-Duration Thermal Exposures from Fire.
NFPA 2113: Standard on Selection, Care, Use, and Maintenance of Flame-Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire.
CAN/CGSB 155.20-2017: Standard on Workwear for Protection Against Hydrocarbon Flash Fire.
ASTM F1506: Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Arc Rated Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards.
ANSI/ISEA 107-2020: American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel and Accessories.

Arc Blast: is a explosive release of molten material from equipment caused by high-amperage arcs.
Arc Flash Hazard: is a dangerous condition associated with the possible release of energy caused by an electric arc.
Flash Fire
A flash fire is defined by CGSB 155.20-2000 and NFPA 2113 as:

“A rapidly moving flame front which can be a combustion explosion. Flash fire may occur in an environment where fuel and air become mixed in adequate concentrations to combust...flash fire has a heat flux of approximately 84 kW/m2 for relatively short periods of time, typically less than 3 seconds.”
Low Visibility
Visibility means

1. the state or fact of being visible.
2. the relative ability to be seen under given conditions of distance, light,atmosphere, etc.: low visibility due to fog.

Therefore, low visibility hazards can be any situation that lowers or impedes visibility or any environment where visibility is reduced.