FrontLine FR® offers superior protection and meets the following requirements:
Arc flash
An arc flash, according to OSHA, is “a phenomenon where a flashover of electric current leaves its intended path and travels through the air from one conductor to another, or to ground. The results are often violent and when a human is in close proximity to the arc flash, serious injury and even death can occur.” With temperatures potentially reaching and exceeding 35,000°F, it’s no wonder that electrical events like this can severely injure — and even kill — workers. Along with understanding an arc flash’s potential hazards and calculating risk, using proper FR (flame resistant) apparel is critical. FR clothing can significantly reduce burn injury resulting from flash fire exposure. This occurs first by minimizing or avoiding clothing ignition, and second by creating a thermal barrier, which reduces the exposure energy reaching the worker’s skin.
FrontLine FR uses FireZero™ materials that meet and exceed the standard requirements.
Arc flash standards
NAPA (National Fire Protection Association)
The mission of the international nonprofit NFPA is to reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training, and education. NFPA membership totals more than 81,000 individuals from around the world and more than 80 national trade and professional organizations.
Established in 1896, NFPA serves as the world’s leading advocate of fire prevention and is an authoritative source on public safety. In fact, NFPA’s 300 codes and standards influence every building, process, service, design, and installation in the United States, as well as many of those used in other countries. NFPA’s focus on true consensus has helped the association’s code-development process earn accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
UL (Underwriter Laboratories)
UL is a global independent safety science company offering expertise across five key strategic businesses: Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, Knowledge Services and Verification Services. Our breadth, established objectivity and proven history mean we are a symbol of trust and enable us to help provide peace of mind to all.
EN (European Standards)
EN represents the European Standards group and is maintained by CEN the European Committee for Standardization.
USTM (American Society For Testing And Materials) International
ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.
ASTM 1506, Standard Performance Specification for Flame Resistant and Electric Arc Rated Protective Clothing Worn by Workers Exposed to Flames and Electric Arcs, is the governing ASTM standard for flame resistant clothing for protection from arc flash.
CGSB (Canadian General Standards Board)
The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) is a federal government organization that offers client-centred, comprehensive standards development and conformity assessment services in support of the economic, regulatory, procurement, health, safety and environmental interests of our stakeholders government, industry and consumers.
Canadian General Standards Board states the minimum requirements and test methods for performance of protective workwear worn for protection against unplanned exposure to hydrocarbon flash fire.
CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
The Canadian Standards Association is a not-for-profit membership-based association serving business, industry, government and consumers in Canada and the global marketplace.
As a solutions-oriented organization, the CSA works in Canada and around the world to develop standards that address real needs, such as enhancing public safety and health. Advancing the quality of life. Helping to preserve the environment. Facilitating trade.
The CSA helps people understand standards through education and information products and services. Each year, thousands of people benefit from the training materials, workshops and seminars offered by the CSA Learning Centre.
USA Occupational Health and Safety Association (OHSA)
The US Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency that regulates workplace health and safety.
International Organization of Standardization
International Organization of Standardization sets forth minimum basic safety requirements and test methods for protective clothing that are to be worn during welding and allied processes with comparable risk. They have set standards that specify the performance requirements for the limited flame spread properties of all materials, all material assemblies, and protective clothing in order to reduce the possibility of the clothing burning when in occasional and brief contact with small flames and thereby constituting a hazard. Additional requirements for clothing are also specified, including design requirements, mechanical requirements, marking, and information supplied by the manufacturer.
Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV)
Arc thermal performance value (ATPV) is a measurement of a fabric’s ability to protect an individual from a burn due to exposure to incident energy resulting from an arc flash.
Specifically, the ATPV of a fabric refers to the amount of incident energy necessary for there to be a 50% probability that an individual wearing that fabric would suffer a second-degree burn if exposed to an arc flash at the point of the worn fabric.
The ATPV is one of the two values used to determine the arc rating of a piece of personal protective equipment (PPE). The other value is energy break-open threshold (EBT). The ATPV and EBT of a fabric must be tested as part of its arc-rating process. The lowest value of the two (the ATPV or EBT) is used as the arc rating of the PPE under consideration, as this value reflects the point at which the clothing’s protective capacity is likely to fail.
To ensure that PPE meets an employer’s legal requirement to provide employees with appropriate PPE in situations requiring arc-rated PPE, the PPE used must have been tested in compliance with standards put forth by either ASTM International or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). ASTM standards are used to test PPE for use in the United States, while IEC standards are used for the same purpose in Europe. The above standards organizations describe how fabric must be tested to determine its ATPV according to ASTM F1959 and IEC 61482-1, respectively. A fabric’s energy break-open threshold is determined using the same test and standard.