Maritime and offshore work
maintenance or repair where sparks or small flames are possible
(EN ISO 14116)
What is EN ISO 14116?
EN ISO 14116 is the standard covering limited flame spread materials, material assemblies, and protective clothing — the entry-level tier of flame protection, designed for occasional, brief contact with small flames in environments where there's no significant radiant, convective, or contact heat hazard. It's the standard used when a garment simply needs to not catch fire and keep burning if it brushes against a spark or small flame, rather than provide sustained thermal protection.
The current version is EN ISO 14116:2015, which replaced EN ISO 14116:2008 and tightened several requirements around garment design and trims (detailed below). It's also the direct successor to the older EN 533 standard, so legacy documentation may still reference that name.
(EN ISO 14116)
Scope: what it's for, and what it isn't
EN ISO 14116 is deliberately a lighter-duty standard than EN ISO 11612. It covers protection against small, incidental flame contact only — not radiant heat, convective heat, contact heat, or molten metal splash, all of which fall under EN ISO 11612 instead. Typical environments where it's specified include:
The current version is EN ISO 14116:2015, which replaced EN ISO 14116:2008 and tightened several requirements around garment design and trims (detailed below). It's also the direct successor to the older EN 533 standard, so legacy documentation may still reference that name.
Scope
Where there's a genuine ongoing heat hazard — not just occasional small-flame contact — EN ISO 11612 is the correct standard to specify instead, not EN ISO 14116.
Petrochemical sites
Ignition risk during inspections or routine operations
Construction
occasional flame exposure from cutting, grinding, or small torch use
General logistics and maintenance roles
where flame risk is low but not zero