Protective Clothing
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Protective Clothing Articles
Below is a list of articles that have been published on this topic.
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Testing Times
Nano-Protection
2013-01-21 EHS News: Like many industries, the textiles industry is one which is always keen to adopt and develop new technologies - nanotechnology being just one. It’s called progress, and at the heart of all good
Nanotechnology Variations
2012-12-19 EHS News: Nanotechnology has found a number of applications in electronics and healthcare. Although the uses of this technology have been limited to specific applications within the textile field, it has been
Breaking Through Rule Breaking
2012-11-28 EHS News: In this article G Venkatesh analyses the importance of PPE, the current ground realities, the exorbitant charges levied by some PPE manufacturers, and how to ensure that PPE is used for the right rea
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Covering All Angles
2012-11-22 EHS News: Ian Samson, EMEA Regional Training Specialist for DuPont, discusses the importance of choosing the right coverall and the correct procedures to follow when donning and doffing to ensure the maximum l
Vital Last Resort
2012-10-18 EHS News: Select the Correct Protective Workwear for Electrical Workers The steps necessary to correctly specify protective workwear for electrical workers are described by John Maplesden, who discusses the ap
The Augmented Human
The Augmented Human [Sep 2012]. Published in OSA Magazine - . The region’s only A4 glossy, English language journal tying the entire region together for regulations, best practice, training and, most importantly, Personal Protective Equipment for the work force.Reporting to the high-risk industries such as oil and gas, petrochem, construction, mining, utilities...
The Machinery of Trade
At a time when money is tight for businesses across the globe, it’s important to spend wisely on your investments. These can encompass anything from the design of your production line, and what you spend here, through to your choice of PPE, such as protective workwear. John Glover talks readers through the process of weaving all these various elements into your planning when it comes to considering risk assessments.
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Materials Used in Specialist Workwear
In the first of a series of two articles, we introduce the research of Dr Ningtao Mao, Senior Lecturer in Performance Textiles at the University of Leeds. So informative and extensive was Dr Mao’s submission on the subject of workwear, we believe it will be a vital reference for readers and, as such, urge you also to read September’s edition of H&SI, where you will find further material that will help to inform your selection of this vital kind of PPE.
Getting Ahead on Safety
Hans-Horst Konkolewsky of the Geneva-based International Social Security Association (ISSA) makes a convincing economic case for investment in safety and health equipment. Observed from an international perspective, this overview underpins the returns to be gained from wise investment in worker safety.
The Importance of Workwear
Many employers are aware of their basic duty of care to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) at work, but do they really consider the value and the importance of health and safety workwear in their organisation?
Protective Coveralls
Heat and flame testing of protective coveralls Manufacturers producing garments protecting workers against heat and flame hazards have three ISO standards which can be utilised in the design of the garments: namely ISO 11611:2007 (protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes), ISO 11612:2008 (protective clothing for workers exposed to heat) and ISO 14116:2008 (protective clothing for workers exposed to flame).
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FR Workwear
On August 12, 2010, OSHA published a news release indicating “BP Products North America Inc will pay a full penalty of $50.6 million stemming from the 2005 explosion at its Texas City, TX, refinery that killed 15 workers and injured 170 others.” Although the Texas City British Petroleum (BP) incident precedes the DeepWater Horizon offshore explosion, considering the demand for clean energy, there seems to be little doubt that the energy industry has become a current event on the minds of American society. Enforcement emphasis
Five Tests for Footwear
Since June 1995, products designed to protect the user from health and safety hazards must be CE marked before they can be sold in the European Community. This includes all such goods, wherever they are manufactured, including Asia. Such products are called Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are covered by the Personal Protective Equipment Directive 89/686/EEC. This EC directive defines the regulations and procedures required before a PPE product may be CE marked and placed on the market. It includes a set of health and safety requirements with which all PPE must comply.
Long Term PPE Perspective
Prometei is an initiative that builds on the lead market initiative on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of the European Union. This initiative was one of the action points of the PPE Conference held in Hengelo on December 1 and 2, 2008; it was set up to foster synergies in research and development in PPE and to develop an end-user innovation agenda and was politically supported by EURATEX, ESF and ETSA and funded by the participating organisations.
Workplace Safety
Of all the work that is undertaken around the world every day of every year the most feared – by both labourer and managing director – is that which has to be undertaken at height or in areas of difficult access.
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Challenges of PPE
In many workplaces, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is used, either as the only form of protection or as an additional line of protection to supplement other approaches. Few health and safety professionals would argue against using other precautions, aimed at preventing hazards or reducing risks at source, as first choice. Those professionals would, however, readily admit that such measures will seldom completely remove a risk and that PPE will continue to have a role to play in occupational safety and health.
Workwear in Construction
This report looks at how work wear in construction is a growing market in the Middle East, which not only presents numerous opportunities for industry professionals, but also highlights issues that organisations embarking on construction within the Middle East are confronted with. Particular reference is made to ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, including the application of efficient and appropriate workwear.
Chemical Protection
Chemical incidents can be of various types. Some result in the need for minor first aid while others are disastrous accidents, involving the use of hazardous chemicals – which can be toxic, flammable or reactive.
Combustible Dust
Manufacturing industries don’t appear high risk like the oil, gas, petrochemical, and mining sectors. Appearances are deceiving. After all, how dangerous is shopping at the grocery store while navigating the aisles, or comparing department store prices on electronic products, gadgets, and wizardry?
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Flame Retardant Clothing - A Guide
This article aims to provide simple facts to the reader in relation to the popular issues surrounding flame retardant fabrics and garments, especially those used in the oil and gas industries.
Protective Clothing [Sept 2011]
The right body protection to wear for each risk-assessed task is of vital importance in every work situation, particularly in work environments where it can be fatal if we get it wrong.
Chemical Protective Suits
It is crucial that protective suits do what they say on the tin, or workers may be exposed to highly hazardous chemicals, radioactivity or biological agents. Not only is it essential that users select the right type of protective coverall, but the coverall must perform to the standard specified on the label.
High-Vis Workwear
I am very lucky to be working with a great bunch of people who, in my role as Industrial and Protective Apparel Consultant, require me to travel quite extensively.
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CBRN PPE
This year and in early 2012 the Emergency response community will start to see products being introduced to the marketplace that comply with a new series of National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) product performance standards. These standards have one major goal in mind, and that is to protect emergency personnel as they respond to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear (CBRN) threat.
Protective Workwear [April 2004]
Darren Taylor, of health and safety equipment supplier The UK Safety Store, outlines some of the reasons why protective workwear continues to remain a much misunderstood subject with both frontline staff and health and safety managers. He also looks at some of the simple solutions on offer to increase awareness, knowledge, and practical use of vital protective equipment.
FR Protective Clothing
Hazardous working environments are a global concern - but the Middle East might be said to boast more than its fair share.
Vision Lab
The influence of the European Union PPE Directive has spread beyond the European market. Increasingly, suppliers of PPE products to other markets look for CE marked goods and certification that indicate compliance with the EU Directive. This is also influenced by construction companies, mineral and oil enterprises, and shipping and airline businesses, that operate on a global scale, many having their bases within Europe.
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Why Don't People Follow the Rules?
In its 2002 report, the World Health Organisation estimated that up to 16% of hearing loss globally is attributed to workplace noise exposure. Despite an understanding of the exposure levels that create harm, rules and policies put in place to mitigate those exposures are all too frequently ignored.
Correct Coveralls
An employer must provide suitable overalls to protect employees from certain workplace hazards that cannot be eliminated or isolated. Such hazards could include sparks and hot particles, molten metal splashes, direct flame, radiant heat, solvents, acids, alkalis, oil, grease, blood and body fluids, asbestos fibres, and other hazardous substances. High-visibility overalls may also be appropriate where people are exposed to hazards from moving traffic, or from moving plant or equipment under the control of an onboard operator.
CBRN PPE
PPE is ever evolving to keep up with the relentless ‘progression’ of chemicals, substances and machinery which could cause harm to the operator or others.
Protective Clothing - Solutions that improve comfort and functionality
Great recent progress in technology hasn’t solved the problem of safety and protection of man in his working environment. It is not always possible to eliminate or to reduce the dangerous and harmful factors in the workplace, and sometimes the only solution to protect a worker from hazards is to apply individual protective equipment. Some of the most commonly used examples of PPE are protective clothing.
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Ensuring Chemical Protection - Minimising the risks chemical hazards can have on workers
The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is the leading trade body within the UK safety industry and an HSE-recognised competent authority. Its members include manufacturers, distributors, test houses, certification bodies, safety professionals and service providers. Here the BSIF looks at the issue of chemical protection and offers advice on how to ensure employees remain safe.
Protective Clothing [Sept 2010]
Workers are exposed to heat and fire hazards in many industrial workplaces, and are thus at risk of burn injuries.
Comfort Based Safety - Protective Workwear Tailored to the Toughest Environments
The most challenging jobs - be they in oil and gas, or electrical utility - often require the toughest protective apparel. But the tougher the protective garment, the more discomfort can result in a ponderous workday, impinging on productivity or affecting compliance issues. The primary purpose of protective garments is protection, functionability and identification. Comfort, fit, style and overall wearability was never given adequate consideration, as we have gathered over these 40 years of exposure to the industry: innovations have not been able to pair the two factors of protection and comfort, resulting in unsafe operating procedures.
Protective Coveralls - What if coveralls did not protect as much as we thought?
How can it be possible that people who are theoretically protected by PPE are in fact getting contaminated? Discussions led with coverall manufacturers revealed that the coveralls currently recommended for use in farming were primarily developed for industry, with agriculture representing only a niche market, and indeed the effectiveness of the coveralls has not been tested with the active substances contained in pesticides, including some of the most widely used.
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Workwear - Putting the Workers into Workwear
What people wear to work is important. They will be spending up to 12 hours a day on the activities relating to their employment. The environment may involve temperature extremes – hot or cold: it may involve hazardous substances: radiation; or physical hazards such as handling glass, sharp materials etc. In the global world of work, workers need protecting from many hazards.
Guide to Flame-Retardant Clothing - What Exactly is Common Sense
The first question posed to the author by a peer who reviewed an early draft of this article was, “What exactly is common sense?” So let’s begin by explaining that. This article provides a summary of common knowledge about flameretardant clothing (FRC). You have heard “everybody knows...” Well, everybody may not know, which is why this article summarizes basic knowledge readily available in the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. You’ll also find regulations that apply to the entire oil and gas industry (Class I, Division I areas), power generation and chemical manufacturing. Plus, two regulations are specifically written to address FRC design, testing and use.
From Bullet Proof to Flame Resistant - Quality testing and certification of protective clothing
Protective clothing offers the wearer reliable protection against health risks and environmental effects related to their job which cannot be avoided in their line of work. In Germany, for example, protective clothing amounts to about 40% of the total market for personal protection equipment (PPE), thus being the biggest individual business segment for PPE, followed by hand protection (22%) and protective footgear (14%).1
Cut & Puncture Protective Gloves
Protective gloves represent one of the most common and most often used measures of personal protective equipment. Their role is to protect hands against various hazards, including, among others, thermal, mechanical, chemical, biological and electric ones, often combined, thus imposing onto the gloves the requirement of multiple protection.
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Protective Gloves [2009]
The Middle East has some of the most dynamic emerging markets anywhere in the world, and is developing into one of the world’s leading areas for technological investment, alongside China and India. In addition to the oil and oil-related industries, construction, agriculture, textiles, leather products, scientific instruments and defence equipment are all growing sectors.
Protective Glove
Hands are an important part of our anatomy and most of us would consider them vital for virtually every activity that we are involved in, from driving the car to cooking a meal. However, because they are in such common use, they are frequently exposed to the risk of injury. As one of the extremities of the body, they are also particularly vulnerable to hostile environments such as cold climates. Hand injuries account for nearly 10% of hospital accident and emergency department visits, with the most common causes of injury being blunt trauma (50%) followed by injury from a sharp object (25%).
Protective Clothing [Oct 2008]
The European Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Directives, published in 1989 and obligatory since the mid 1990s, have led to the development and use of a very wide range of European (EN) specifications for PPE.
Coming Clean
Having worked in the manufacture and sale of disposable coveralls for over fifteen years I have seen many ideas, products and fabrics come and go in a market that has evolved considerably since the early days when, if the stories are true, a bright young technician in a lab somewhere spotted some high density polyethylene fibres bursting from a crack in a pipe and as a result went off and developed, eventually, the first disposable coveralls that became known popularly, despite the best efforts of the marketing men, as 'paper' overalls.
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Protective Gloves [2007]
Appropriately selected gloves can provide users with invaluable protection against hazards that might otherwise cause injury. In order to achieve the best possible protection, however, it’s important to understand how gloves for protective applications are categorised and certified.
Get a Foot Hold
The use of safety footwear in the workpace can often be seen as a tricky issue for employers, but it really doesn't need to be if risk assessments are carried out and applied.
Protective Workwear [Jul 2007]
Safe solutions for antistatic protective clothing To many people, static electricity is little more than the shock experienced when touching a metal doorknob after sliding across a car seat or walking a carpeted room. But in the petrochemical and gas industries workers are often exposed to explosive and flammable conditions and the danger of Static electricity. The same is valid for firemen. Other examples are vehicle paint spraying workplaces, workplaces were handling fine organic dust such as grain flour takes place. In these environments you easily have flammable atmospheres. They occur when gasses, vapours, or powders are mixed with air.
Protective Workwear [April 2007]
Ways to CE marked products The beginning of the 1990s, when the Council Directive 89/686/EEC on personal protective equipment (PPE) came into effect, there was a shift to make protective clothing true PPE. Since then protective clothing has grown to be the largest sector of the PPE market in Western Europe1. The new regulations and standards have bolstered this growth. Furthermore, increased emphasis on protecting people from occupational and leisure related hazards has necessitated the development of different and often more complex protective clothing.
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Protective Clothing [Jan 2007]
The start of the 1990s saw the establishment of a vast structure of committees in Europe tasked with creating test methods and product specifications to enable PPE including protective clothing to be CE marked. BTTG Fire Technologies (FTS) became closely involved in this process at its start with respect to clothing to protect against heat and flame, work that it continues to do today. The first generation of product specifications are now being updated sometimes jointly by the European Standards body (CEN) and its international equivalent (ISO). This article discusses the development process, sets out the key standards and indicates revised and new standards expected in 2007.
Protective Workwear [April 2006]
Protective work wear for various end-users
Protective Clothing [Jan 2006]
Protective clothing offers the wearer reliable protection against health risks and environmental effects related to their job which cannot be avoided in their line of work. In Western Europe, protective clothing and gloves amount to about 59.8% of the total market for personal protection equipment (PPE), an increase of 57.5% as compared to the year 2000. Protective clothing is thus the biggest individual business segment for PPE and will further increase in the future. Statistically, end consumers spend almost twice as much for protective clothing than for head protection, gloves or footgear1.
Interdisciplinary Expertise
Protective clothing offers the wearer reliable protection against health risks and environmental effects which cannot be avoided in their line of work. These may include intense heat and flames, cold and wet, all types of mechanical and physical stresses, from cuts to spray from molten metal and sparks through to electricity and electrostatic charges, chemical substances and gases and poor weather and lighting conditions.
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On The Back Foot (Jan 2005)
Fighting against back pain in the workplace About 80% of people in industrial nations are, in varying degrees, suffering from back pain. 30% are considered to be chronic. Most backaches, though, are avoidable.
Protective Clothing [Jan 2004]
Modern clothing for the workplace has to satisfy a wide range of different requirements. It must be ideally suited to specific working conditions, promote a sense of identification with the company and be accepted unreservedly by the wearers. This applies particularly to textiles for personal protection equipment (PPE), because this can only do its job if it is worn correctly.
Personal Protective Clothing
This article looks at the development of specifications and addresses the role of the end user in meeting obligations by using these specifications.
Protective Clothing for Industry
To try and cover all aspects of the modern field of protective clothing is an impossible task. Alex Gstettner discusses a couple of the newest innovations that have definite benefits for the industrial worker, both in safety and comfort.
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