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Flame Retardant Clothing.
Carhartt Flame-Resistant clothing helps protect workers from burns caused by electric arcs or flash fires. It's also treated with flame-retardant chemicals so it self-extinguishes as soon as any source of ignition is removed. Our flame-resistant clothing meets NFPA-70E, ASTM and OSHA standards, and delivers the durability, comfort and practicality that America's workers have come to expect from Carhartt.
Carhartt's line of high-visibility workwear was created for workers in occupations and work environments that require high-visibility clothing. Designed in conjunction with safety experts, the line features 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material and complies with ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 garment class requirements and reflective material specifications.
The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) has served as an authority in the U.S. on fire, electricity and building safety since 1896. In 1979, the NFPA published NFPA 70E, a Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace. NFPA 70E is a comprehensive national consensus standard for electrical safety issues covering work practices, installation, maintenance and special equipment.
Over the years several editions of NFPA 70E have been published. The 2000 edition was the first to include electric arc flash hazard and required flame resistant clothing to protect workers against it. The most recent edition approved on February 11, 2004, added sections on personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA recognizes NFPA 70E as an industry practice and has referenced it in citations.
Flame resistant clothing is addressed in Chapter 1 of the standard, Safety-Related Work Practices. It states that all equipment must be de-energized before being worked on unless the employer can demonstrate that de-energizing introduces additional or increased hazards or is infeasible due to equipment design or operational limitations. If de-energizing the equipment is not feasible, the employer must establish a "flash protection boundary" which is the minimum distance from an arc source where a person could receive a "curable" or second degree burn if an arc flash occurred. An employer must determine the appropriate PPE including FRC required for all employees who cross the flash protection boundary. A hazard risk assessment to determine arc hazard level must be completed. NFPA 70E provides several options for determining arc hazard level and it is defined by "calories per square centimeter" or cal/cm2.
After arc hazard levels have been assigned for job tasks, required protective clothing may be determined. The table above, adapted from NFPA 70E-2004 (Table 130.7(C)(11)) gives the five hazard risk categories, corresponding required minimum arc rating of PPE and the Carhartt HRC color codes. Layering flame-resistant clothing increases thermal protection and should be considered when evaluating required PPE.
For more information or to purchase a copy of the NFPA 70E standard visit the NFPA web site.
