Although many employees typically provide some or all of their own work attire, it is the employer who will be issued a citation if a worker who is exposed to electric arc or flame hazards is not wearing flame-resistant (FR) clothing.
For safety managers in the oil & gas industry, flame resistant personal protective equipment is an indispensable tool to help mitigate daily flash fire hazards. Given the variety of FR PPE options, it can be hard to understand the needs of your specific job site.
While arc flash is an increasingly well-known phenomena, workers are still suffering injuries on a regular basis. In June 2019, OSHA cited a metal smelting company for electrical hazards after an arc flash caused three workers to suffer severe burns at the ASARCO facility in Hayden, Arizona.
Whether you’re working around dangerous chemicals, electrical systems, or fire-prone areas, you need to make sure you’re wearing the right flame-resistant (FR) clothing. If a fire occurs, FR clothing will minimize the severity of the burns, improving your chances of survival.
In creating an AR/FR PPE program, you should dedicate a fair amount of time researching, selecting and sourcing quality garments to protect your employees. Time is spent on the front end to make sure that the proper garment is designed in order to comply with industry standards and provide acceptable wearer comfort.
Combustible dust is present in a variety of industries and is the precursor to a serious hazard. This hazard's often-destructive nature makes it vitally important to understand. When accounting for the hazard, several questions arise, highlighting the true complexities of combustible dust.
NFPA-70E®-2018 Standard for Electrical Safety for Employee Workplaces®
January 3, 2019
NFPA 70E® Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® provides requirements for establishing a workplace that is safe from unacceptable risks associated with using electricity while working. Safety processes, policies, procedures and program controls reduce the risks associated with using electricity to an acceptable level.
While protecting against a hazard is your first and most obvious concern when choosing protective clothing, it might be just as important to consider the environment. If workers are uncomfortable, they can be tempted to cut corners on safety.
Producing flame-resistant (FR) fabrics dates back to around 450 B.C. when textiles made from asbestos, which was known to have fire-resistant properties, were used to wrap the bodies of the deceased before they were placed on funeral pyres.
Petroleum refineries are laden with various thermal and chemical hazards. Adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) is instrumental in providing a safe work environment for employees to complete the task at hand.