Contrary to popular thought, gum does not take seven years to digest, bulls do not hate the color red, Einstein did not fail math — and standard blue jeans do not provide adequate protection against arc flash. The world is full of misconceptions, and the notion that denim pants are appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) for environments with arc-flash hazards is one of them.
Until OSHA recently changed its standards for electric power generation, transmission and distribution work (29 CFR 1910.269), heavy denim was often the apparel of choice for workers who faced the risk of arc-flash exposure. It was thought that jeans of a high enough fabric weight offered sufficient protection. However, experts knew, and testing has shown, that denim that isn’t flame resistant (FR) can ignite and continue to burn in the event of an arc flash.