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The protection and safety of workers is something basic that any company must guarantee. Body protection is usually done with special work clothing , such as pants, shirts or jackets, overalls, aprons, gaiters or any garment that has the purpose of providing protection against a specific risk. This type of clothing is called protective clothing.
In today's article we will review the regulations for work clothing intended for the total or partial protection of the body of employees. Here we go!
When is work clothing considered personal protective equipment (PPE)?
The first thing we must keep in mind is that work clothing is divided into two classes:
- Clothing intended for the protection of workers.
- Uniforms and clothing that are not intended for protection.
For a work uniform to be considered personal protective equipment (PPE), it must protect the user against one or more risks that may threaten their health and safety. So when is it NOT considered PPE? Very simple, when work clothing does not meet this requirement and other specific requirements.
However, when work clothing is intended for the personal protection of the worker, it must comply with the requirements specified in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council , of March 9, 2016, for its marketing. , relating to personal protective equipment.
European application regulations
The UNE-EN-340 standard designates the general requirements that protective clothing must meet. Depending on the sector and the type of protection needed, there are specific standards that regulate the requirements.
High visibility signaling clothing
High visibility clothing aims to make the wearer's presence visible at all times, under any daylight conditions or under the illumination of a vehicle's headlights in the dark.
High visibility clothing is grouped into three classes:
- Class 1: used in activities that allow the user to be seen completely.
- Class 2: its use is applied in situations where greater visibility is necessary.
- Class 3: It is used by personnel exposed to great dangers.
Protective clothing against cold, water and humidity
It is applied to materials and seams of protective clothing against the influence of environments characterized by the possible combination of rain, cold, snow and soil moisture.
It includes two levels, both with values from 1 to 3:
- Resistance to water vapor.
- Resistance to water penetration.
Heat and flame protective clothing
Designed to protect workers from brief contact with flames and at least one type of heat. The heat can be in the form of convective heat, radiant heat, conductive heat, molten metal splash, or a combination of these.
All garments must be marked with codes A1 and/or A2 and one more code B, C, D, E or F:
- Code A : flame propagation behavior.
- Code B : resistance to convective heat.
- Code C : resistance to radiant heat.
- Code D : cast aluminum splash resistance.
- Code E : resistance to cast iron splashes.
- Code F : contact heat resistance.
Protective clothing electrostatic properties
Electrostatic requirements and testing methods for static electricity protective clothing prevent sparks that can cause a fire.
Protective clothing used during welding and related processes
This type of protective clothing is grouped into two classes:
- Class 1 : protection against welding techniques and less dangerous situations.
- Class 2 : protection against welding techniques and more dangerous situations.
Protective clothing against the thermal risks of an electric arc
Designed to protect workers exposed to the risks of an electric arc. The garments protect the worker from different damages derived from his or her exposure to this type of risk.
This standard is grouped into two types of classes:
- Class 1 : Arc Test 4KA / 0.5 s
- Class 2 : Arc Test 7kA / 0.5 s
Now that you know the regulations for work clothing and the protection you need for each danger to which you are exposed, you can choose the one that best suits your sector.
At Impotusa you have all types of work clothing for each sector and need. If you have questions, our team of experts will advise you so you can purchase the best protective equipment.