For over twelve years, the author has worked extensively as an integral part of the standards development community, leading and participating in committees that create the standards for flame resistant clothing in use today throughout the United States. Rob has presented to hundreds of safety leaders and countless employees at electric utilities and Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States. Taking on a consultative role to ensure the protection of workers against arc flash and flash fire hazards, worker safety is his priority. Recently recognized as a tenyear participant of the ASTM F18 Committee on Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers and named Chair of the ASTM Task Group on Home Laundering of Arc, Thermal and Flame Resistant Garments, his work continues to have a broad impact on worker safety.
While developing standards is clearly an important start to increased worker safety on the job, it is equally important to ensure that workers have a clear understanding of the benefits of FR clothing. Gaining worker acceptance on the daily use of flame resistant clothing requires that employees have a clear understanding of the inherent risk posed by work activities.
This paper provides a broad overview of statistics on employee risk of injury, illness and fatality in select industries. This statistical data provides the backdrop for standards that address the use of flame resistant apparel designed to protect workers. A concise overview of the existing standards and proposed updates gives safety leaders a guide to understanding the requirements and the steps a company must take to reduce worker risk and offer the greatest opportunity for a safe work environment to their employees.
Clothing designed to protect against arc flash or flash fire hazards is the last line of defense against worker injury. The need for protective apparel becomes apparent only when other safety measures have somehow failed. In order to protect workers against the risk posed by arc flash or flash fire hazard, it is critical that Corporate Safety takes a comprehensive view of flame resistant apparel. It all starts with education on the risk.
Every day, the risk of arc flash or flash fire is present to workers in the oil, gas, utility and electrical maintenance industries. Widely known in the FR apparel industry, and backed up by government statistics, wearing standard work apparel increases the risk of injury and death significantly when a worker is exposed to arc flash or flash fire.
The issue? Worker clothing made from synthetics – acetate, nylon and polyester – may ignite and continue to burn, melting and dripping on to the skin. This significantly increases the risk of injury sustained by the worker as compared to workers wearing flame resistant clothing.
Current statistics from the US Department of Labor demonstrate the inherent risk to workers with the highest risk of exposure to arc flash and flash fire hazards. Using the utility industry as an example, illness and injury rates are provided.
