Safety Requirements for Lanyards and Positioning Lanyards

Safety Requirements for Full Body Harnesses

A work positioning system consists of elements (belt and work positioning line), joined together to form a complete piece of equipment.

HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING

This standard specifies the requirements for protective clothing aiming to signal the presence of the wearer visually, so that he may be detected and seen in hazardous situations, in all conditions of daylight, and night under illumination of car headlights.

There are three classes of high-visibility clothing. Each class must have minimum surfaces of visible material constituting the garment; the higher the class, the more visible the garment:

Marking : 

X : Class of high visibility surface (from 1 to 3)

EN ISO 20471  

2
Max. 25x

EN ISO 20471

2 : Class of hight visibility surface (from 1 to 3)

Max. 25x : Optional marking, number of maximum washes authorized for the model. On this example: 25 washes maximum (see indication of service temperature on the garment tag).

The EN388 standard applies to all types of protective gloves with respect to physical and mechanical aggression from abrasion, cutting from slicing, perforation and tearing. Since the 2016 version of the standard, new optional performance have appeared.

Impact resistance on the metacarpal area: if this performance is claimed, the "P" mark appears.

Marking example:

4233X P

Marking example:

4543D ou 4X43D

Cut by blade, 2 test methods:

EN388 6.2.:  For low to middle risk of cutting. A circular blade on which a constant force of 5 N is applied, moves back and forth until the sample is cut. It measures the number of completed cycles and is credited with the corresponding level.

EN ISO 13997:  For materials that blunt the blade during the EN388 6.2 test and/ or are particularly resistant, for high risk of cutting. A straight blade makes a single movement of 20 mm with a force of 2N, the test is repeated with a different force as many times as necessary until the sample is cut. A level corresponding to the force required to cut the sample is assigned. This method better represents the usage situations that present a high risk of cutting.

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AGAINST RAIN

This standard specifies the requirements and test methods applicable to the materials and seams of protective clothing against foul weather (for example precipitation in the form of rain or snow), fog and ground humidity.

y : Class of resistance to water penetration (1 to 4), Wp

y : Class of water vapour resistance (1 to 4), Ret

R : Water tower test on whole garment (optional)

DEFINITIONS

THERMAL RESISTANCE (Rct) IN M².K/W:

Measurement of the thermal insulation provided.

Divided into 4 classes (from 1 to 4) from the least insulating to the most insulating.

The higher the value, the greater the thermal insulation.

AIR PERMEABILITY (AP) IN MM/S :

Determines the complex's permeability to air.

Divided into 3 classes (from 1 to 3) from the least airtight to the most airtight.

RESULTANT EFFECTIVE THERMAL INSULATION :

Measured on moving dummy (/cler).

The thermal insulation coefficient, expressed in m².K/W, is used to determine the optimum usage temperature of the garment in relation to the individual's activity and his exposure time.

Thermal insulation is measured with undergarments of type:

• (B) for ensembles (Undershirt with long sleeves, long underpants, socks, bootee + thermojacket, thermopants, knitted gloves, balaclava)
• (R) for garments (Undershirt with long sleeves, long underpants, socks, bootees, jacket, trousers, shirt, knitted gloves, balaclava)
• (C) provided by the manufacturer

WATER VAPOUR RESISTANCE (Ret) IN (M².PA)/W :

Measures the evaporative resistance, i.e. the product's obstacle to the passage of water vapour, or the barrier it offers to evaporation of transpiration on the surface of the skin. The higher a product's water vapour resistance, the greater this product's barrier to the passage of water vapour : 

A breathing product has a low water vapour resistance.

Divided into 4 levels (from 1 to 4) from the least breathable to the most breathable.

RESISTANCE TO WATER PENETRATION (WP) IN PASCAL:

Measurement of the outer material and seams' resistance to water penetration under a water pressure of (980+/-50) Pa/min.

Divided into 4 levels (1 to 4) from the least impermeable to the most impermeable.

TOWER TEST:

Requirements for chemical protection clothing with liquid-tight (type 3) or spray-tight (type 4) connections, including items providing only partial body protection (types PB [3] and PB [4]).

This standard sets out the minimum requirements for the following types of limited use and reuseable chemical protective clothing:

- Clothing protecting the full body with liquid-tight connections between the various clothing parts (Type 3: liquid-tight clothing) ;
- Clothing protecting the full body with spray-tight connections between the various clothing parts (Type 4: spray-tight clothing) ;
 

a - When the protective equipment only protects certain parts of the body (torso, arms, legs), only the performance requirements for the materials making up the garment are required required (types 6, 4 and 3).

MANDATORY

Type 1: The impact force transmitted to the cap must not exceed 4,450 N when a 3.6 kg (8 lb) impact is dropped at a speed of 5.5 m/s (metres per second).
Penetration: A 1 kg penetrator must not come into contact with the false head at a speed of 7.0 m/s.
Flammability: the helmet must not burn with the emission of a fl ame for more than 5 seconds after the fl ame has been withdrawn
Electrical resistance: proof test at 20,000 volts for class E or 10,000 volts for class G. Class C off ers no protection against electrical hazards.
Type 2: In addition to the requirements of type 1, type 2 head protection must also satisfy:
Energy attenuation: the acceleration must not exceed 150 g in the event of a fall onto the cap and sideways using a 5 kg dummy head at 3.5 m/s.
Lateral penetration: At the front, rear and sides, a 1 kg penetrator must not come into contact with the headform at a speed of 5.0 m/s.

OPTIONAL

ANSI/ISEA Z89.1 4 options: low temperature (LT), high temperature (HT), reverse wear position and high visibility.

PROTECTION USED IN WELDING AND ALLIED PROCESSES

This standard specifies the performance requirements for protective clothing for use by operators in welding and allied processes with comparable risks. This type of protective clothing is intended to protect the wearer against molten metal splash, short contact with flame and UV radiation. It is intended to be worn at ambient temperature, continuously for up to 8 hours.

Requirements for chemical protection clothing offering limited performance against liquid chemical products (type 6 equipment), including clothing for partial body protection (Type PB [6]).

This standard sets out the minimum requirements for limited use and reusable limited performance chemical protective clothing. Limited use chemical protective clothing is intended for use in cases of a potential exposure to light sprays, liquid aerosols or lowpressure, low-volume splashes, against which a complete liquid permeation barrier (at the molecular level) is not required.

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING TO DISSIPATE STATIC ELECTRICITY

This European Standard specifies requirements for materials and the design of protective electrostatic dissipation clothing used in conjunction with a grounded system in order to prevent incendiary discharges. WARNING: These requirements may be insufficient in oxygen enriched flammable environments. This standard is not applicable for protection against mains voltages.

The control of undesirable static electricity on the person is often necessary.

The electrostatic potential may, indeed, have serious consequences on the charged individual, because it can be high enough to cause dangerous sparks.

After a risk assessment, the wearing of protective electrical dissipation clothing may be necessary. The use of clothing certified according to EN1149-5 is then adapted.

The ATEX Directive 1999/92/EC, in its Annex II-A-2.3, requests that workers be equipped with work clothes made of materials that do not produce electrostatic discharges that can ignite
explosive environments.

The electrostatic potential can also affect equipment sensitive to electric discharge. Antistatic clothing is often used on electronic manufacturing sites, assembling semiconductors for example. Finally, they are used on sites with controlled atmospheres such as automotive paint workshops, to avoid the emission of particles that may be deposited on the body paint.

The antistatic charge dissipation can be provided by a process limiting the build up of charge, or by adding carbon or metal wires. People wearing protective electrostatic charge dissipation clothing must always be grounded with a resistance of less than 10⁸Ω, for example, by wearing appropriate footwear such as the safety shoes stated in EN ISO 20345, or by other suitable means.