Safety certification – such as EN 61482 for Arc Flash resistance – may be at the top of your list when selecting Arc Flash PPE, but test certification alone doesn’t guarantee your team’s safety. While it sets a helpful baseline, the environments and hazards employees encounter in the field are entirely different from one industry to the next.
Arc Flash protection also wears differently from one certified garment to another, depending on how the garment is designed and manufactured and how flame-retardance is achieved. When your team wears PPE daily, the last thing you want to worry about is declining protection levels.
So, there’s more to being protected than certification. But how do you go beyond recognised standards to provide the highest levels of protection in real-world conditions? This blog lists three things to consider when comparing certified garments, helping you make the right choice for your team.
Here’s what you should be asking when sourcing certified Arc Flash-rated PPE:
Certification indicates a garment has passed specific tests, but it doesn’t account for every variable in real-world conditions. Only you know your team’s environmental situations and what makes for comfortable PPE in their unique scenarios. They might work outside in hot, wet, or cold weather conditions or in stuffy indoor spaces. Battling hot, heavy, cumbersome kit while trying to work makes it more likely they’ll make adjustments that don’t conform with safety standards.
Certified Arc-Flash protection that’s lightweight, breathable, waterproof and warm is comfortable, more likely to be worn correctly, and safer. Complacency is the biggest killer when it comes to Arc Flash events. While they’re rare, a single event can cause severe injury or even death. So, equipping your team with comfortable certified Arc Flash PPE helps them go about daily work without overthinking the risks.
Ill-fitting Arc Flash garments not only compromise the safety of your employees by leaving body parts exposed, but they also render certification useless. Today’s Arc Flash garments should offer an individual, not universal, fit for everybody on your team. That includes women. Modern Arc Flash garment makers account for men and women of all shapes and sizes in their designs. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to safety is a thing of the past––or it should be with state-of-the-art protection.
When garments fit well, layering them correctly is straightforward. This helps regulate body temperature and allows smooth, unrestricted movements. And with the new generation of comfortable certified undergarments, there’s less temptation to wear uncertified versions – and that could be a lifesaver.
It’s a common misconception that inherent, durable Arc Flash PPE options are more expensive. Over a garment’s lifetime, the cost per wear is the same as a garment with a cheaper upfront cost because the durable garment lasts longer and needs replacing less frequently. At ProGARM, our garments last up to 70% longer and are tested through 50 wash cycles (or a year’s worth of washes). Essentially, you’re buying once and buying well. Certified Arc Flash PPE durability comes at a surprisingly low cost.
Safety is not just about certification. Of course, it’s essential, but protecting your team from a rare but potentially deadly Arc Flash event requires further consideration and a tailored approach. To recap, here’s a checklist:
The answers may not be black and white. If your male and female employees work across multiple sites throughout all seasons, you’re likely to need a combination of PPE styles and fits.
If you’d like advice, give us a call. We’re the first port of call for certified Arc Flash PPE needs for clients in various industries, and we can help you, too.
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