FR clothing saves lives

Flame Resistant (FR) clothing saves lives. By restricting and resisting the spread of flames and combustion over the material, the heat impact and potential for serious injury during arc flash incidents can, in some cases, be minimised.

Arc flash incidents are electrical explosions that lead to multiple deaths per day in the US alone. The explosions are incredibly dangerous, causing damage and fire and launching molten debris with extreme force over a large radius. Arc flashes frequently cause injury to multiple workers, affecting not only those working directly with the electrical system, but also those in close vicinity. Other potential injuries resulting from arc flash are eye and ear damage from the light and shockwave respectively, reinforcing the need for a full set of correct protection from a variety of potential injuries.

FR clothing is designed to either burn slowly or self-extinguish when in contact with fire, protecting the worker from additional post-incident burns. Without FR clothing, arc flash incidents can and will lead to life long injuries and in some cases death.

Clothing can be made flame resistant in two different ways. Treated FR means that the material used to make the FR clothing has been chemically treated. The types of chemicals used vary greatly, but application of the chemicals is similar, through either a chemical dip or the application of a chemical spray to the material. Inherent FR materials are man made materials that have FR qualities already present before the clothing is made.

FR clothing acts as the last line of defence, and should never be considered as an excuse for sloppy safety measures or risk taking or indeed, the proper installation of arc flash reduction measures such as high resistant grounding technology. Further safety measures should be taken into account, with a full set of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) alongside preventative measures like arc flash hazard calculations. FR clothing should, however, be considered an essential safety measure, and it can mean the difference between minor injuries and major injury or even death. It is as essential to the correct PPE as any other piece of protection, the supply and use of which should be a priority for both the worker and their line manager.

As previously stated, the proper protective equipment is no substitute for the correct safety procedures, and any overall safety strategy should always include the most up to date and effective safety equipment. Failure to supply or wear these items really can mean the difference between life and death.


The author of this article works for a company that specialises in The author of this article works for a company that specialises in FR Clothing , Insulated Tools and Arc Flash Clothing .