FR Rainwear To Protect You and Your FR Clothing
With the proper selection of flame resistant (FR) rainwear, workers whose job requires them to be out in inclement weather can be safe, comfortable, and dry. When selecting the right FR rainwear the importance of understanding your hazards, along with comfort will enable you to have safer and happier workers.
There is certain rainwear that meet the ASTM F1891, Standard Specification for Arc and Flame Resistant Rainwear and there are those that do not. There is a very large price difference between these types of garments and having the most expensive is not necessarily required or even a good idea depending on the circumstances. It is important to consider rainwear that is not considered the sole protective layer but as one part of a layered system. Selecting rainwear with regard to what is being worn under it will ensure the proper amount of protection is still being met. What I am referring to is that as long as the underlayer of clothing meets the arc rating and hazard risk assessment the outer rainwear does not have to as long as it meets the minimum FR testing requirements.
There is also the added benefit of the lower cost garments in that they will protect the more expensive arc rated garments worn underneath especially in situations where there is a lot of exposure to oil and grease and possibly painting and such substances that can easily ruin your expensive FR clothing.
An additional hazard to be considered would be the need for enhanced or high visibility. If workers are within an area that has moving traffic you may need to have garments that meet the correct Class for the work situation. For Canadian applications the standard CSA Z96 for High Visibility Safety Apparel provides the requirements that need to be met for your specific circumstances.
For instance if your work consists of low hazard areas you could get away with wearing black garments with safety striping as these are very popular as the black colour is very good at hiding dirt and grime that comes with the job. You may consider the following FR rain jacket for this purpose.
On the other hand if working in a high risk area the choice of a high visibility garment be it a jacket, vest or jacket/bib overall combo you might want to select from these options.
PVC or polyurethane type rainwear is very good at to keeping the water and wind out but are not very good at allowing moisture that is generated by the heat of the body while physically working to evaporate through the material and away from the body.
There are some very good products out there that will provide the ability to utilize moisture management technology that will keep the rain out on the outside along with allowing the garment to breath and release the heat and moisture generated by the body.
What you need to do is determine what is most cost effective option for your particular situation as there are some very suitable low cost designs out there that will work just fine at a much lower more affordable price then the more expensive high end design styles.
Terry Smeader
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Tags: arc rated, ASTM F1891, CSA Z96, Flame Resistant, FR Clothing, FR Rainwear, high visibility
