Empowering the nation’s utility workforce with the protection of NOMEX®
July 05th 2007

The risk of exposure to electric arc is a hot topic when working with electricity. No matter how many steps are taken to minimize the potential for an accident, it is crucial to be prepared for the worst, as Paul Reader, Empower’s 1 electrical training specialist reiterates week after week at Empower’s purpose-built, £2 million training centre, housed beneath the cooling towers of Ratcliffe Power Station in Nottinghamshire. Having witnessed the latest technologies, exacting standards and attention to detail at DuPont’s garment testing facility in Geneva, Paul recommends the use of flame resistant protective coveralls such as those made of DuPont NOMEX®.

Empower, a leading provider of training services to a host of major UK utility and manufacturing companies, is the UK’s only Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for Electrical Power. The company specialises in training technical staff and engineers in everything from safety management to cable jointing. Paul explained, “There is a common misconception amongst people who are highly experienced in electrical work that an electric arc “won’t happen to them” or if it does, it won’t be powerful enough for them to come to serious harm. On the contrary, however low the risk, when working with low or high voltage systems, equipment failure and/or human error have the potential to cause an electric arc generating up to 30’000°C in the core plasma of the arc - in a split second. When an electric arc occurs, there is no warning, and in worst-case scenarios, if inadequately protected, people can suffer fatalities or burn injuries that can affect them and their families for years.”

“Wearing Personal Protective Equipment as a last resort is as important as carrying out risk assessments and applying mechanical control measures to reduce the risk of accidents. It is vital for people at risk of exposure to electric arc or flash fire to put a final protective barrier in place by wearing the appropriate flame resistant clothing. As a CoVE, we strive for excellence in everything we do and that includes providing our delegates with the very best advice on the very best PPE – including NOMEX®.”

The purpose of protective clothing made of DuPont NOMEX® is to address the thermal effects – i.e. burn injury hazard – of exposure to flash fire and/or electric arc. Layered garments made of NOMEX® can stand the arc blast, absorb the bulk of the radiant heat energy caused by electric arc or flash fire, and help minimise the burn injury level through its inherent flame resistant properties. Designed with a high level of safety and comfort in mind, garment systems made of NOMEX® are evaluated according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in the Standard IEC 61482-1. In addition to meeting the performance requirements for CE-certification, fabrics and garments made of NOMEX® must be submitted to DuPont’s testing facility in Geneva in order to qualify for partnership in the NOMEX® Quality Programme (NQP) - which entitles manufacturers to attach a NOMEX® label to a garment. Here in Geneva, they undergo a series of special tests and evaluations for heat and flame protection, heat stress management, wear-life, comfort, aesthetics and design. These include extensive tests on the DuPont™ ARC-MAN® and DuPont™ THERMO-MAN® facilities.

Elaina Harvey continued. “PPE worn for protection against the thermal effects of electric arc should provide permanent flame resistance, not melt or ignite, resist break-open during exposure and insulate the wearer from heat so as to minimize burn injury. The principle of selection of PPE is that the arc rating of PPE exceeds the calculated incident energy of the arc for each specific working environment identified during the risk assessment. Garments made of NOMEX® are designed to offer excellent protection and comfort. NOMEX® brand meta-aramid fibres do not drip or melt at high temperatures. The Limiting Oxygen Index of NOMEX® is approximately 28. Thus, when exposed to flame at room temperature in a normal environment, NOMEX® will not continue to burn and will self extinguish, when the flame is removed. At temperatures above approximately 427°C NOMEX carbonizes and forms a tough char. Garments made of NOMEX® have a high resistance to ignition and break open and because they are inherently flame resistant (as opposed to having only a flame retardant coating), this protection is permanent and cannot be washed out or worn away.”

Paul Reader from Empower said, “As electrical training specialists, we are keen to develop technical partnerships with solutions providers and manufacturers of safety clothing and equipment intended for use in the utility and manufacturing industries. That way we can understand how and why products are developed, learn about the science behind the products and gain first hand experience of how they react in various environments, applications and situations. This information can then cascade through us to end users to improve their level of understanding of the risks and their effects.”

“We were delighted to be invited to DuPont’s European Technical Centre in Geneva to learn more about the technology behind NOMEX® and watch garments made of NOMEX® being put through rigorous electric arc and flash fire tests. In comparative tests, flame resistant, protective utility garments made of NOMEX® scored very highly on the safety scale in relation to other garments made of conventional fabrics, and they often exceeded the relevant European and International Standards. Through working with their customers to develop new solutions for the safety and protection of people at work, companies like DuPont are instrumental in improving the safety culture in today’s working environments. Large power and manufacturing companies are driving the trend for better employee safety and thanks to this, many more companies are starting to recognize the importance of supplying protective work wear garments that offer high performance characteristics like NOMEX®.”

DuPont is the main sponsor of Health and Safety 07 and will be exhibiting at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton on 10th/11th October on stand 80

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