Arc Flash & Electrical Safety: NFPA 70E's Clothing Requirements

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

NFPA 70E's Clothing Requirements

Today we're turning to Electrical Contracting and Engineering Magazine for an article about protective clothing that debunks myths about the NFPA 70E PPE standards. This article points out that you may be purchasing more protection than is needed... resulting in more costly and heavier protective suits. Overall the article addresses 11 myths about arc flash protective clothing and equipment. They are:

Flame resistant clothing may not contain nylon or polyester.
Flame resistant clothing should never contain rayon.
Switching Suits are very heavy and cost $1,000.
Flame Resistant(FR) labeled clothing is all I need in the electric arc.
I must use a switching suit or arc suit to meet Hazard Category 4 of NFPA 70E.
All face shields are acceptable for the electric arc.
FR rain wear equals arc resistant rain wear.
Rubber gloves are dangerous in the electric arc.
If heavy cotton is good enough for welders, it is good enough for electricians.
FR Clothing must have an ATPV/Arc Rating of over 5 before it can be used in a protective clothing system, so I can't use my 4.5 oz Nomex IIIA for electric arc.