Knowledge about Flame Retardant Clothing

In the hazardous chemicals industry, high-temperature thermal hazards are the most harmful to people, and the situations that are prone to high-temperature thermal hazards are far more common than we imagine.

• Arc

A discharge that occurs in the air between conductors or in the air from a conductor to the ground. Possible injuries from arcs: Exposed skin can be burned by the hot arc; clothing can catch fire, melt, and cause burns.

• Deflagration

A fire that occurs through the rapid spread of fuels such as dust and gas. The exposure time varies, but is usually 3 seconds or less. Possible injuries: Flash fire can cause second- or third-degree burns to unprotected skin; clothing can catch fire, melt, and cause burns.

• Combustible Dust

When granular combustible solids flyor are suspended in air or other oxygen-containing media, and exceed a certain concentration range, there will be a fire risk regardless of the size or shape of the particles.

• Molten Metal Splash

Molten metal splash can ignite clothing that is not flame retardant. How can you best protect yourself against the risk of burns in an accident caused by a hot flame? The key is: the material of work clothes. In fact, in fires, the most serious or fatal burns are often caused by the victim’s clothing catching fire and continuing to burn, rather than the initial source of fire.

Therefore, the importance of flame-retardant protective clothing and arc-proof clothing is self-evident. Flame retardant, as the name suggests, is the ability to prevent the clothes themselves from being ignited. Flame-retardant protective clothing and arc-proof clothing are garments made of self-extinguishing flame-retardant fabrics and arc-proof fabrics, which are used to protect the torso and limbs of personnel who may be exposed to flash fire/deflagration or arc-related hazards. They are intended to reduce the severity of burns. That is to say, workers’ personal safety, burn severity, recovery time and quality of life all depend on the performance of flame-retardant protective clothing and arc-proof clothing.

In a fire, body parts covered by non-flame-retardant clothing are usually more severely burned than body parts not covered by clothing. If the fabric is sticky after being heated, it will cause further damage to the skin and make subsequent treatment difficult.

Flame-retardant protective clothing (FR) and arc-proof clothing (AR) can prevent the clothing itself from being ignited. Wearing appropriate flame-retardant protective clothing (FR) and arc-proof clothing (AR) can effectively reduce or avoid burns and death of workers.

Of course, when choosing protective clothing, you also need to choose appropriate products according to different types of work. Especially workers in the hazardous chemicals industry should wear labor protection equipment to protect themselves from injury in work situations. Daily protection is very important, because flame-retardant protective clothing is the last line of defense in the event of an accident. If worn properly, it can reduce burns by self-extinguishing when the heat source is removed, and provide insulation to reduce the chance of second or third degree burns.