ProtecWork Catalogue 1
What protection do I need? To understand what pro
tection you need, you have to know what risks you face. The best way to do this is to make risk analyses in which you investigate, assess and document the risks of a specific work environment. In work areas that already have been analysed systematically, make sure you know the risk level before you enter that specific risk environment, and wear appropriate clothing. How do I know the protection level of my outfit? First of all, you must choose clothing with the appropriate CE mark for the specific risk environment. CE-marked protective clothing provides different types of protection, such as against heat, flames and chemicals, as well as things like high visibility and anti-static properties. However, when working in environments that involve a risk of electric arcing, you must also ensure your clothing offers a level of protection that corresponds to the risk level of the work environment. You do this by adding up the total number of calories of all the layers of your outfit. Note that high-risk environments require that ALL garments you wear, including underwear and base layers, to offer protection against heat and flames. What sort of risks do I face? Working in high-risk environments involves, as the name implies, high risk levels. Arcs due to electrical faults can cause severe injuries and damage. Consequences include thermal injury, serious burns, electric shock, noise, UV emissions, pressure and shrapnel, as well as toxic exposure and the impact of physical and mental shock. HOW DOES IT WORK? EBT50 Energy Break Open Threshold (EBT50 ) defines the energy level at which the material ruptures, i.e. at what point a physical hole or opening appears in the material. If there is a 50% chance that a one-inch crack in the material will appear at an energy level below the ATPV, then the EBT50 must be reported as the arc rating. ATPV The Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV) of a material or a multilayer system of materials is the incident energy required to create a 50% chance of sufficient heat being transferred through the item under test to cause the onset of a seconddegree skin burn without rupturing. Neither is better EBT50 fabrics are typically more insulating than they are strong, and ATPV materials are stronger than they are insulating. In addition, EBT50 usually indicates that the garment is woven, and therefore more comfortable, but in effect no less protective to the user. Never make a decision about protective clothing based on whether the garment received an ATPV or EBT50 rating. They are functional equivalents. 9