Safety Wear Plus Blog

Who wears ANSI compliant clothing?

safetywear — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:39:25 +0000

ANSI/ISEA 107-2004 Appendix B gives the following suggested guidelines for the appropriate apparel class:

Class 1:

Workers directing vehicle operators to parking/service locations
Workers retrieving shopping carts from parking areas
Those exposed to the hazards of warehouse equipment traffic
Roadside “right-of-way” or sidewalk maintenance workers
Delivery vehicle drivers

Class 2:

Roadway construction workers
Utility workers
Survey crews
Railway workers
Forestry Workers
School Crossing Guards
Parking and/or toll gate personnel
Emergency response personnel
Airport baggage handlers/ground crew
Law enforcement personnel
Accident site investigators

Class 3:

Roadway construction personnel
Utility workers
Survey crews
Emergency response personnel
Flagging crews

Hazard / Risk Category Chart

safetywear — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:56:52 +0000

Hazard Risk Category	Common FR clothing at this level	Minimum ATPV (Cal/cm^2)
HRC 1	FR shirt and FR pants; Or FR coveralls; Single base layer of FR protection	4
HRC 2	FR under garments (undershirt, underwear), FR shirt, and FR pants; FR under garments, FR coveralls; 2 or more layers of FR protection	8
HRC 3	FR under garments (undershirt, underwear), FR shirt, FR jacket, FR pants, and FR coveralls; 2-3 or more layers of FR protection;	25
HRC 4	FR under garments (undershirt, underwear), FR shirt, FR jacket/coat, FR pants, and FR coveralls; FR under garments (undershirt, underwear), FR shirt, FR pants, multi-layer flash suit; 3-4 or more layers of FR protection;	40

Bulwark Guarantee

safetywear — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:50:31 +0000

Bulwark is the North American market leader in durable flame resistant protective garments. We are part of VF Corporation, the world’s largest publicly traded apparel company. In our position as market leader we offer a variety of options in flame resistant protection and always seek to place our customers first in everything we do.

The warranty of Bulwark Protective Apparel is stated in our conditions of sale. We will ship the goods ordered and they will be free of fabric or manufacturing defects. Bulwark will repair or replace any garment that has a manufacturing defect. No other warranty is made, either expressed or implied, including no guarantee of fitness for a particular use or purpose.

The responsibility of Bulwark is that flame resistant apparel carrying our label will meet the performance requirements of the specifications and standards as stated on the garment labels and in our product literature. As long as our laundry instructions are followed, the flame resistance of Bulwark garments is guaranteed for the life of the garment.

Bulwark garments are designed for continuous wear. They meet the requirements specified in ASTM International Standard F2302-08 for labeling protective clothing as heat and flame resistant. They also meet the performance requirements of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 70E, Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces, 2009 Edition, ASTM Standard F1506-02a, Flame Resistant Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards. Because these fabrics are flame resistant, they are acceptable under the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Final Rule 1910.269, Final Rule on Electrical Protective Equipment.

Where appropriate, Bulwark garments have been certified by Underwriters laboratories to the requirements of NFPA 2112, Standard on Flame Resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire and Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) Standard 155.20, Workwear for protection against Hydrocarbon Flash Fire.

Bulwark is proud of the flame resistant protective apparel we offer and of the leadership we provide to the market. Please advise if you have any questions or need additional information.

Construction employees working on highway/road construction work zones often risk being struck by traffic. Do the OSHA standards require high-visibility apparel for these construction workers?

safetywear — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:35:00 +0000

Road and construction traffic poses an obvious and well-recognized hazard to highway/road construction work zone employees. OSHA standards require such employees to wear high visibility garments in two specific circumstances: when they work as flaggers ¹ and when they are exposed to public vehicular traffic in the vicinity of excavations ². However, other construction workers in highway/road construction work zones are also exposed to the danger of being struck by the vehicles operating near them. for such workers, section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, 29 U.S.C. §654(a)(1), also known as the General Duty Clause, requires similar protection ³.

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) recent issuance of a final rule (Worker Visibility, 23 CFR Part 634)⁴ demonstrates the need for all workers who are exposed either to public traffic or to construction vehicles and equipment to wear high-visibility apparel ⁵. Section 634.3 of the Worker Visibility Rule states:

All workers within the right-of-way of a Federal-aid highway who are exposed either to traffic (vehicles using the highway for purposes of travel) or to construction equipment within the work area shall wear high-visibility safety apparel.

The purpose of this requirement, as stated in section 634.1, is “to decrease the likelihood of worker fatalities or injuries caused by motor vehicles and construction vehicles and equipment….” In the preamble to the Worker Visibility rule (Volume 71 of the Federal Register, page 67792), the FHWA stated:

High visibility is one of the most prominent needs for workers who must perfonn tasks near moving vehicles or equipment. The need to be seen by those who drive or operate vehicles or equipment is recognized as a critical issue for worker safety. The sooner a worker in or near the path of travel is seen, the more time the operator has to avoid an accident. The FHWA recognized this fact and included language in the 2000 Edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to address this issue.

The FHWA’s rationale underlying the rule well illustrates that the industry recognizes that construction workers in highway/road construction work zones need protection against the hazard posed by moving traffic. The FHWA’s recent mandatory standard for workers on federal-aid highways shows that struck-by hazards in highway/road construction work zones are well recognized by the construction industry. Furthermore, the standard indicates that a feasible means of addressing that hazard is the wearing of high-visibility apparel. Accordingly, high-visibility apparel is required under the General Duty Clause to protect employees exposed to the danger of being struck by public and construction traffic while working in highway/road construction work zones. Typically, workers in a highway/road work zone are exposed to that hazard most of the time.

What is NFPA70E?

safetywear — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:04:22 +0000

The National Fire Protection Agency’s (NFPA) 70E is the Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces. NFPA70E requires employees to wear flame resistant protective clothing wherever there is a possible exposure to electric arc flash. Although it is a voluntary standard, NFPA70E is considered a “generally accepted industry standard” and thus OSHA will fine companies under the general duty clause, which requires employers to take the appropriate steps to protect workers. NFPA70E is widely accepted throughout general manufacturing as well as the electrical industries.

NFPA 70E requires employers to perform a flash hazard analysis to determine the flash protection boundary distance. The standard is designed to protect employees working inside these flash protection boundaries by requiring protective clothing for the corresponding Hazard/Risk Category (HRC) that has an arc thermal performance value (ATPV) of a least the value listed in the “Protective Clothing Characteristics” section of the standard.

Can flame-resistant chemicals be washed out?

safetywear — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:57:57 +0000

No. Flame-resistant clothing is guaranteed to be flame-resistant for the useful life of the garment; regardless of the number of washings (servicings) in either the home or industrial laundering, provided the garment care instructions are followed.

The 3 classes of ANSI/ISEA Garments.

safetywear — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:45:14 +0000

Class 1 Garments

Conditions permit workers full and undivided attention to approaching traffic
Pedestrian workers are separated from traffic
Backgrounds are not complex
Typically speed is less than 25 mph

Class 2 Garments

Superior level of visibility for higher risk occupations and conditions
Work backgrounds are complex and/or there are inclement weather conditions
Workers’ attention is diverted from approaching vehicle traffic
Typically speed is greater than 25 mph

Class 3 Garments

Workers are at high risk due to limited sight distances and/or extreme weather conditions
Traffic speeds are significantly higher
Wearer must be conspicuous through the full range of body motions at a minimum of 1,280 feet
Wearer must be identifiable as a person

When Should Reflective Safety Clothing Apparel Be Replaced?

safetywear — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:01:21 +0000

High-visibility safety clothing should be replaced when it becomes faded, torn, dirty, soiled, worn, or defaced, or if it is not visible at 1,000 feet day or night. The typical useful service life of high-visibility safety apparel depends on the type of work an individual performs while wearing the apparel. Apparel that is worn on a daily basis has a service life expectancy of approximately 6 months, although apparel that is not worn on a daily basis may have a useful service life of up to 3 years.

Bulwark Clothing

safetywear — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:05:32 +0000

Bulwark Protective Clothing
When it comes to worker safety there can be no mistakes or ommissions. One of the very best manufacturers of safety clothing is Bulwark clothing. Providing high visibility flame retardant clothing like vests and flame resistant coveralls and shirts.

For over 30 years Bulwark has provided consistent quality and has a heritage of demonstrating the latest advances in producing flame-resistant an retardant clothing. They use computer controlled and monitored systems to ensure each article of safety apparel.

The unique Excel-FR™ conforms to all required flame resistant standards and specs. Bulwark clothing uses certified laboratories for testing to ensure the comfort, quality and performance of each product.

Directly from Bulwark we see the following results showing that the fabric for Excel-FR™ garments meet and often exceed the FR standards and specs.

Characteristics
Standards
Test Method
Excel-FR

Flame Resistance :
ASTM F2303-03
ASTM D6413/FTM 5903.1
yes

Electric Arc Protection:
ASTM F1506, NFPA 70E, 29 CFR 1910.269
ASTM 1959, ASTM 1959, ASTM 1959
yes, yes, yes

Flash Fire Protection:
NFPA 2112, CAN/CGSB 155.20
ASTM 1930, CAN/CGSB – 4.2 No. 27.10, ASTM D 4108
yes, yes, yes

Visit our Bulwark section to see the full line of Bulwark protective apparel.

Safety Wear Plus

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:14:51 +0000

Through our postings we would like to tell you about the protective clothing and apparel we sell, their manufactures, the matterials they are made of and applications for their use. In addition, we hope to hear some interesting stories related to fire safety and how, what you were wearing helped you or even saved your life. We would appreciate some feedback if you wear the protective safety clothing we sell, and will post any thoughtful reply.