Defining FR - Flame Resistant Fabrics for Industrial Personnel exposed to Flash Fire

Today’s Industrial market has seen an increase in garments labeled FR – Flame
resistant, Fire retardant, Flame retardant etc. No matter how low the probability of an
employee being exposed to an accidental thermal event. Non Flame Resistant fabrics
such as cotton or poly cotton blends which make up the majority of the Industrial
garments in today’s market can and do ignite, which dramatically increases body burn
percentage and can turn a survivable situation into a fatality.
In fact, government reports note that the majority of severe and fatal burn injuries are
due to the individual’s clothing igniting and continuing to burn, not by the exposure itself.
The best way to prevent an Industrial uniform from igniting and burning is to ensure that
the clothing is made from is flame resistant fabric. By requiring Industrial uniforms to be
made from flame resistant fabric you can eliminate clothing ignition from the equation.
The next logical step then becomes researching and specifying what Flame Resistant
fabric are appropriate for the Industrial uniforms to be made of. There are numerous
fabrics available to the Industrial community that claim to have Flame Resistant
performance.
Your fabric choice should be the first specification made, regardless of the garment
configuration or style, because the fabric ultimately determines how the Industrial
uniform will perform in an unexpected thermal event and is directly related to the degree
to which the wearer could be injured or burned.
There are a number of different aspects to how a garment performs in a thermal event,
including fabric weight, construction, fiber composition and flame resistant technology.
Some flame resistant fabrics allow a lot of thermal energy to pass through the fabric
because they are lighter in weight with open weaves and although the fabric does not
ignite they have a higher degree of body burn when tested on a thermal manikin., yet the
manufacturer can correctly advertise them as Flame Resistant.
There are a number of different tests, standards and regulations that measure the
performance of fabrics for specific industries. For example there a several fabrics
available in the market stated to self extinguish when tested to ASTM D6413 (ASTM
D6413 is a vertical flame test method that fabrics must be subjected to in order to be
defined as flame resistant for protective clothing but the test method reveals no
information on how the fabric will perform in a particular thermal event.) Information on
how long the fabric will be flame resistant or how insulating the fabric is to a thermal
event is not defined under ASTM D6413.
Flame Resistant Fabrics are designed to protect against momentary hazards such as,
Arc Flash, Molten Metal Splash and Flash Fire Hazards. A fabric that performs well in
one or more of these thermal events may not perform as well in a different type of
momentary exposure. Therefore using data for one type of thermal event to another
does not insure performance.

Meeting the minimum standards for Flame Resistant Fabric is not enough –
Currently the commercial market utilizes the NFPA 2112 standard and the ASTM F1930
test method to help evaluate Flame Resistant Fabrics for the Flash Fire hazard.
NFPA 2112 is the standard for flame resistant garments for protection of industrial
personnel against flash fire. Under the test method flame resistant fabrics are tested
against a 2 calorie exposure for 3 seconds in which sensored mannequins are able to
measure extent and severity of body burn. They also must pass a vertical flame test
after a 100 launderings and have a “char” length less than 4 inches. Thermal Protective
Performance (TPP) also must be tested both with spacers and without.
When tested to this standard experts find significant variance in performance of flame
resistant fabrics. A fabric can pass and be certified to NFPA 2112 as long as it
measures less than 50% second and third degree burn. Two fabrics, for example one
that tests to 49% body burn and a second fabric that tests to 10% body burn both meet
the performance requirements for NFPA 2112.
Due to the varied performance of fabrics it is critical that your flame resistant fabric
choice be determined by proven industry consensus test methods at independent
laboratories. The second critical piece in determining and specifying the flame resistant
fabric to be utilized by your organization is market proven performance.
With the influx of generic and unproven fabrics, it is important to note that in researching
available fabrics for your Industrial operators, that the fabric manufacturer has a proven
track record of performance
The FR fabric used to construct the garment is a critical aspect of any protective clothing
program since the fabric is a primary contributor to the protection, comfort and value
equation. Therefore, we believe it is important to understand the experience and
capabilities of the flame resistant fabric manufacturer and the proven (or unproven)
performance of the fabrics in the market. We have highlighted some key points for your
consideration below:
- Years Experience in Flame Resistant Fabrics
- Guaranteed Flame Resistant for the Life of the Garment
- Dedicated to Continually Test and Certify FR Fabrics
- Experienced Technical Staff
- Involvement in Industry Committees
- Technical staff available for training and to answer technical questions
- Government Certified Laboratory
- Proven Track Record of Service to the Marketplace
Market Proven Performance
Specified by Thousands of End-Users Globally Due to Proven Track Record of
Protection, Comfort & Value
In today’s Industrial community exposure to a flash fire through direct or indirect means
can result in a garment fire and significant injury. The only way to protect employees

from their Industrial clothing catching fire during a thermal event is to make sure that the
clothing is Flame Resistant. When choosing Flame Resistant clothing it is essential that
the fabric that garment is to be made from has a track record of proven performance in
the conditions required to protect your officers. Specifying what fabric the Industrial
garments are to be made from should be the first and most important step in the process
of defining your Industrial uniform.
Derek Sang
Business Development Manager
Bulwark Protective Apparel
480 540 5350
derek_sang@vfc.com