1. 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

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

3. 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.   

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

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

6. 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

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

8. 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

9. 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

10. NFPA
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

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

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

13. flame resistance (vertical burn) arc rating ***
ASTM F
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

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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

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

19. ASTM F1930 thermal manikin test: stationary test

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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 3 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure 88/12 FRTC 7 oz flexibility – 5, chipping - 1

26. 3 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure inherent fabric 6 oz flexibility – 5, chipping - 5

27. 4 second 2 cal/cm2·s exposure – modacrylic blend 7 oz flexibility -2 chipping – 3

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

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

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

35. 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

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

37. 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

38. 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

39. Garment must be certified
NFPA ASTM F CAN CGSB
Certification is a minimum
Request performance test results from garment manufacturer
Check for third party verification
Confirm product labels correspond with test results

40. 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

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. 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

45. 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

46. 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

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

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

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

50. Questions?? Caroline Holtzman Thermal Apparel Technical Leader
DuPont Personal Protection
personalprotection.dupont.com