After the Flames:  How Will Your FR Workwear Perform in the Critical Seconds Just After a Heat or Flash Fire Workplace Emergency May 22, 2019 Caroline Holtzman Thermal Apparel Technical Leader DuPont™ Protective Products

Key Topics Why FR workwear FR garment standard limitations What happens during thermal event Effect of heat/fire on FR fabric FR specifications / selection

Disclaimer DUPONT BELIEVES THIS INFORMATION TO BE RELIABLE AND ACCURATE. THIS INFORMATION MAY BE SUBJECT TO REVISION AS ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE ARE GAINED. IT IS THE USER’S RESPONSIBILITY TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF RISK AND THE PROPER PROTECTION EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THE USER’S PARTICULAR PURPOSE. BECAUSE CONDITIONS ARE OUTSIDE OUR CONTROL, DUPONT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND ASSUMES NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER AS TO THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCT FOR A PARTICULAR USE. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED TO BE USED BY OTHERS FOR ADVERTISING, PROMOTION, OR OTHER PUBLICATION FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES.   

Why FR daily wear: Houston area has 3 serious heat/flame accidents in 3 weeks March 15th to April 2nd, 2019

Exxon Mobil Baytown, TX March 15, 2019 3 hours to contain gasoline fire no injuries plant reduced output

Intercontinental Terminals Company Deer Park, TX March 17, 2019 11 of 15 tanks burned initial fire then 2 reignitions school and park closures, shelter in place alert waterway chemical spill chemical release in air multiple lawsuits filed

KMCO Crosby, TX April 2, 2019 1 death, 10 reported injured isobutylene tank leak likely source of explosion and fire 4 lawsuits to date

The goal of FR garment testing, standards and certifications is to best replicate and reliably duplicate real world workplace thermal emergencies in a controlled laboratory environment

Reality: FR fabrics are not stationary in daily work or a thermal incident so performance testing should not be stationary Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

NFPA 2112-2018 flame resistance (vertical burn) heat resistance (HTP) *** thermal manikin performance *** high temperature shrinkage *** *** testing on stationary fabric Problem: standards do not perfectly duplicate every aspect of a workplace thermal threat

ASTM D6413 Vertical flame the only test that assesses fabric integrity after burn

NFPA 2112 performance requirements char length maximum 4.0 inches afterflame maximum 2 seconds no melting or dripping

flame resistance (vertical burn) arc rating *** ASTM F1506-18 flame resistance (vertical burn) arc rating *** *** testing on stationary fabric Arc rating ASTM F1959 is another stationary test that does not account for human motion during an arc flash caused by the intense blast pressure likely to knock a victim back or off their feet

Employees need to move quickly to escape a high temperature or fire emergency

What FR workwear characteristics are important for daily activities What FR workwear characteristics are important for daily activities?  durability  comfort  cost When your FR workwear looks like the other clothes in your closet it is easy to forget it is lifesaving PPE

What becomes most important in case of a thermal emergency What becomes most important in case of a thermal emergency?  protection  safety FR workwear is just as important as a ballistic vest for a police officer or soldier

What matters most during, and in the immediate seconds after, a thermal emergency? Continuous thermal protection with unrestricted mobility allowing an employee to safely escape a thermal incident.

 Employee mobility  Garment flexibility  Continuous protection Which garment would you rather be wearing?

ASTM F1930 thermal manikin test: stationary test

ASTM F1930 test report gives predicted 2nd and 3rd degree burn injury percent

Total predicted burn injury can be easily compared for different products from ASTM F1930 test results all testing on coveralls over standard undergarments, heat flux 2 cal/cm2·s, average of 3 tests

Right now there is no standardized test or analysis procedures for fabrics moving when exposed to thermal event Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

What is in an ASTM F1930 test report? garment type, size fabric weight, fiber type, color heat flux, standard deviation, data acquisition time temperature of environment predicted 2nd and 3rd degree burn injury plus location flexibility left in fabric after exposure amount of chipping or breakage of fabric after exposure

After burn performance: assess chipping and flexibility for continued protection and mobility during escape Judged on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 is best and 1 is worst Testing done on 8 different brands of commercially available industry certified garments (1 home laundry) ranging from 5.3 oz/yd2 to 7 oz/yd2 and burned according to ASTM F1930 Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

3 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure 88/12 FRTC 7 oz flexibility – 5, chipping - 1

3 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure inherent fabric 6 oz flexibility – 5, chipping - 5

4 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure – modacrylic blend 7 oz flexibility -2 chipping – 3

FR fabric flexibility and chipping after 3 second exposure all testing on coveralls over standard undergarments, heat flux 2 cal/cm2·s, average of 3 tests

4 second exposure shows more variation in performance all testing on coveralls over standard undergarments, heat flux 2 cal/cm2·s, average of 3 tests

5 second 2 cal exposure – inherent 6 oz chipping - 3 flexibility - 1 Inherent fabrics can still be removed from the manikin intact after a 5 second exposure. Most FR fabrics cannot be removed intact

Why: carbon char resulting garment breaks and chips flame retardant chemical coating added to flammable fabric (FRTC, FRMC, 88/12) heat activates chemical reaction carbon char and inflammable gases form carbon char is brittle without integrity of original fabric resulting garment breaks and chips

Why are inherent fibers better after exposure? Can withstand higher temperatures and greater amounts of heat before physical changes take place Fabric strength is maintained for longer Fabric flexibility is maintained for longer

Workplace hazards and PPE are not one-size-fits-all PPE designers optimize their products for specific threats and threat levels

What are the hazards for each job? Thermal Chemical Arc Hi Vis Waterproof Abrasion / cut Molten metal prioritize

Protect first against the primary threat FR daily wear should be optimized to protect against the primary hazard There are performance trade-offs for different systems One of the most influential properties of FR workwear is the fiber that makes the fabric

Example: NFPA 70E Standard CAT 1 versus CAT 2 arc protection levels As arc protection increases short duration fire protection may decrease

FR PPE should first address primary threat Putting an employee who does not need arc protection in CAT 2 may decrease short duration fire protection CAT 2 can be achieved with heavy weight non- inherent or modacrylic blend fabrics both of these options may provide less overall protection for short duration fires than inherent fabrics

A highly regarded industry safety expert who specifies and selects FR garments for a Fortune 50 oil and gas company shares his methodology certified garments check test data thermal manikin burns maximum TPBI mobility after thermal event wear trial durability comfort cost Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

Garment must be certified NFPA 2112-2018 ASTM F1506-18 CAN CGSB 155.20 Certification is a minimum Request performance test results from garment manufacturer Check for third party verification Confirm product labels correspond with test results

ASTM F1930 Thermal Manikin Test Test to the exposure time and heat energy determined from hazard analysis Determine what maximum percent burn injury is acceptable Assess flexibility after exposure Assess chipping or breakage after exposure

ASTM F1930 Thermal Manikin Test Witness tests in person Request test reports Request videos of burns including garment analysis after exposure Request burned garments for evaluation

Onsite Wear Trial conduct wear trial with sample garments from garment manufacturer up to 6 months in length representative group of workers in real world work environments plus real world laundering conditions do your due diligence to track and evaluate Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

Wear trial: durability comparison of same garment as received and after 50 home wash/dries Wear trial: durability fabric strength ease of laundering color retention shape retention shrinkage puckering Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

Wear trial: comfort Fabric weight Fabric thickness Fabric breathability Fabric smoothness Moisture management Cut / fit Mobility / function Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

Wear trial: options mens and womens styles shirts/pants coveralls outerwear multiple sizes multiple colors Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

Wear trial: maintenance & cost repairs replacement rate non-inherent: monitor life of garment Copyright © 2019 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. All rights reserved. Cannot be used without the express written consent of DuPont

When selecting FR workwear #1 learn #2 ask #3 cover the gaps #1 hazard assessment learn from experts survey workforce search available PPE

When selecting FR workwear #1 learn #2 ask #3 cover the gaps #2 request certifications, data and test reports wear trial of target products

When selecting FR workwear #1 learn #2 ask #3 cover the gaps #3 conduct witness testing, request videos or burned garments

Questions?? Caroline Holtzman Thermal Apparel Technical Leader DuPont Personal Protection 804.869.0010 caroline.m.holtzman@dupont.com personalprotection.dupont.com