VOL.13 INDUSTRY UPDATE Secondary Flame-Resistant Apparel THE LEADER IN SECONDARY FLAME-RESISTANT APPAREL Bulwark® is the leading producer of secondary flame-resistant apparel in North America. Bulwark garments provide superior flame-resistant protection, comfort, and durability to thousands of workers in electrical utilities and the chemical, oil, gas, mining and petrochemical industries. Bulwark has a 39-year heritage of technical innovation and industry leadership, always remembering that wearer safety is the primary concern. The Bulwark brand makes up the industry’s most comprehensive flame-resistant product line in www.bulwark.com the broadest range of proven thermal protective fabrics. For Further Information Contact: In the U.S. and International: Denise Statham (615) 565-5000 In Canada: Tim LeMessurier 1-800-667-0700 © 2011 VF Imagewear, Inc. » INDUSTRY UPDATE » CONTENTS Bulwark® closely follows the continually evolving INTRODUCTION TO FR APPAREL AND STANDARDS development of both domestic and foreign resources of flame-resistant and thermally protective fibers General Garment Flammability Standard ........5 and fabrics. General FR Garment Information ....................6 Recognizing Hazards in the Workplace ...........7 Industry Terms ..................................................8 Tests and Standards for FR Clothing ...............9 FR Fabric and Garment Testing .....................11 » OBJECTIVES Choosing the Right Fabric ..............................17 Fibers Used in FR Work Apparel Fabrics .......18 u Educate specifiers in the need for and function of flame-resistant protective apparel. u Provide independent evaluations of available TREATED FABRIC flame-resistant fabrics. u Update developments in the areas of fibers, Amplitude® .......................................................20 fabrics, and garments. Coated Aluminum Splash Resistant Fabrics ..21 Durable FR 100% Cotton .................................22 u Advise changes in standards and Durable FR Cotton Blends ...............................23 regulatory requirements. FR Disposables .................................................24 Limited Durability FR Treated 100% Cotton ...25 TREATED FIBERS Lenzing FR® 100% Rayon ...............................27 Valzon FR® .......................................................28 Molten Metals Industry Protective Fabrics.....29 BLENDS OF TREATED & INHERENTLY FR FIBERS NOMEX®/FR RAYON BLENDS ........................31 VINEX® FR-9B® .................................................32 INHERENTLY FR FIBERS COOL TOUCH® 2 ...............................................34 GLENGUARD® FR .............................................35 KERMEL® ..........................................................36 NOMEX® ............................................................37 P84® ..................................................................38 PBI Gold® .........................................................39 » FAST FACTS PROTERA™ ........................................................40 Quilted Lining Systems ...................................41 RAINWEAR ........................................................42 FOR QUICK REFERENCE, IN CONCLUSION... USE » FAST FACTS Bulwark® FR Product Offerings Emerging Technologies ..................................44 LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF PAGE Maintenance of FR Garments .........................45 » INTROD UCTION TO FR APPAREL AND STANDARDS The flame-resistant garment business is standards and specifications driven. A basic understanding of how flame resistance is defined and measured is very important. Included is an overall listing of common industry standards, as well as a discussionwww.bulwark.com of the requirements of standards related to specific activities, such as power generation and distribution or petroleum refining. General Garment Flammability Standard 05 General FR Garment Information 06 Recognizing Hazards in the Workplace 07 Industry Terms 08 Tests and Standards for FR Clothing 09 FR Fabric and Garment Testing 11 Choosing the Right Fabric 17 Fibers Used in FR Work Apparel Fabrics 18 INTROD AND STANDARDS AND U DO EVERYDAY WEARING APPAREL AND NORMAL WORK CLOTHES HAVE THE CTION TO FR APPAREL » INTROD UCTION TO FR APPAREL AND STANDARDS SAME FLAMMABILITY CHARACTERISTICS? All are required to meet the same federal flammability standard: 16 CFR PART 1610. The standard, administered by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, was originally adopted in 1954 as CS 191-53, the Flammable Fabrics Act. The purpose of the standard is to reduce the danger of injury and loss of life by providing, on a national basis, standard methods of testing and rating the flammability of textiles for clothing use. The standard measures two fabric attributes: ease of ignition and speed of flame spread. A specimen mounted at a 45° angle is exposed to a one second ignition. TREATED FA If the specimen ignites, the flame spread time is recorded. The Act establishes three classes of flammability based on ease of ignition and flame spread time. B WHAT ARE THE THREE CLASSES OF FABRIC FLAMMABILITY? RIC CLASS FLAME SPREAD TIME CLASS 1 Normal Flammability 4 seconds or more. May or may not ignite when exposed to the standard 1 second ignition source. CLASS 2 Intermediate Flammability 4 to 7 seconds and the base fabric ignites. (Applies to fabrics having a raised fiber surface/nap.) TREATED FI CLASS 3 Rapid, Intense Burning Less than 4 seconds. Dangerously flammable. B Unsuitable for clothing. ERS WHAT CLASS MUST GARMENTS MANUFACTURED OR SOLD IN THE U.S. MEET? All wearing apparel sold in the U.S. must be made of fabric from Class 1 or 2. No wearing apparel can be made of fabric rated Class 3. Everyday wearing apparel will ignite and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source. Normal work apparel is made INHERENTLY B from a range of fabrics similar to those offered as everyday wearing apparel. Just like everyday apparel, normal work LENDS apparel will ignite and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source. OF TREATED FR FI B ERS & & » FAST FACTS INHERENTLY u All manufactured garments are required to meet U.S. flammability standards. u The standard 16 CFR Part 1610 measures ease of ignition and FR flame spread time. All non-FR fabrics fit into one of three classes: FI B ERS CLASS 1: NormaI flammability CLASS 2: Intermediate flammability CLASS 3: Rapid/Intense burning u All wearing apparel sold in the U.S. must meet Class 1 or Class 2 category requirements. IN CONCL u Everyday wearing apparel will ignite and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source. U SION … www.bulwark.com 5 IS THERE A NEED FOR FLAME-RESISTANT WHAT TYPE UNDERGARMENTS SHOULD BE WORN? PROTECTIVE GARMENTS? National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E Standard All fabrics made of untreated natural fibers and most synthetic for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, states that non- fibers are combustible. It is normal and expected that they melting, flammable fiber undergarments may be used CTION TO FR APPAREL U AND STANDARDS AND will ignite and continue to burn when exposed to an in conjunction with FR garments. Flame-resistant t-shirts, ignition source such as flame or electric arc. Because clothing henleys and base layer garments can provide additional INTROD constructed from these normal fabrics meets flammability wearer protection. requirements established by 16 CFR Part 1610, it is generally accepted as having no unusual burning characteristics. ARE FR GARMENTS STILL EFFECTIVE IF Resistance to ignition and burning is an abnormal condition CONTAMINATED WITH FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCES? Flammable substances on FR garments will ignite and RIC of wearing apparel. When work environments or occupations B pose a risk of garment ignition and burning, flame-resistant continue to burn on the surface of the FR garment. Flame- apparel should be considered and selected. resistant garments should be immediately removed and replaced with clean FR apparel if they become fouled with TREATED FA HOW DO NORMAL FABRICS REACT TO IGNITION? flammable material. If laundering or dry cleaning cannot Normal fabrics and garments will burn away from the remove flammable contaminants, the contaminated point of ignition with an increasing rate of flame spread garments should be removed from service. and continue to burn after removal of the ignition source. Normal fabrics will continue to burn until they are IS 100% COTTON FABRIC “FLAME-RESISTANT”? extinguished or all flammable material is consumed. There is a common perception that untreated 100% cotton fabric is somehow “flame-resistant”. This is simply not ERS B HOW DO FR FABRICS REACT TO IGNITION? true. While heavyweight untreated 100% cotton fabrics Flame-resistant (FR) fabrics and garments are intended may be more difficult to ignite, they can and will ignite to resist ignition, prevent the spread of flames away from and continue to burn if exposed to an ignition source. TREATED FI the immediate area of high heat impingement, and to self-extinguish almost immediately upon removal of the ignition source. DO FR GARMENTS PREVENT BURN INJURY? FR garments will not provide significant protection from & & ERS B burn injury in the immediate area of contact with the FI ignition source. However, flame-resistant garments do FR TREATED provide protection against clothing ignition and sustained OF flame spread. LENDS B INHERENTLY » FAST FACTS ERS B FI u Flame-resistant fabrics and garments provide protection FR against clothing ignition and sustained flame spread. u FR fabrics and garments self-extinguish