User information
This user information relates to protective clothing
designed and manufactured by Berendsen Sourcing AB
– see sew-in CE-label with reference to relevant
standards.
All protective clothing related to this user instruction is designed in accordance
with EC guideline 89/686/EEG. The clothing fulfils requirements in compliance
with European standards for protective clothing including specifications below
when provided with labels accordingly.
General about USE, CARE and MAINTENANCE
Improper use may not only endanger your own safety, but will also relieve
the manufacturer of all liabilities. The clothing manufacturer cannot be held
responsible when clothing has been incorrectly used. Damaged clothing must
be repaired with the same material or replaced to ensure the safety of the
wearer.
- High Visibility
Carefully see to that the garment is kept clean for best protective effect. The
specified maximum number of washings is based on results of laboratory
tests. The garments have not been soiled or exposed to wear. It is therefore of
importance to make an evaluation of the fluorescent and reflecting ability of
the garment after each wash.
- Flame Retardency
The clothing must be properly worn, meaning that the garment or a
combination of garments shall be worn properly closed. Trousers and sleeveless
coverall (“handy”) must always be worn together with a jacket or a shirt with
equal protective performance. Protective shirts must be worn as jackets
when welding, i.e they must not be tucked inside the trousers or coverall.
Garments with ventilation at back offer better protection, but beware of risk for
entangling. The limited flame spread properties will be reduced if the protective
clothing is contamined with inflammable substances.
- Chemical protection
Garments with fluorocarbon treatment, i.e. garments with limited chemical
protection (see label in the garment) must be regularly regularly get a f.c.
reapplication (preferably after each wash) in a controlled washing and drying
process in order to keep the repellency performance.
For your safety clothing should be industrially washed only!
Background material Reflexes High-visibility warning clothing can be approved in protection classes from 1
to 3, of which 3 is the highest. Class 3 may also be achieved in combination
with a garment of lower protection classes if the total area visible (excluding
overlapping) passes class 3. The classes are based on minimum visible surface
in m2 for background material and reflexes:
Background material
Reflexes
Class 1
0,14 m2
0,10 m2
Class 2
0,50 m2
0,13 m2
Class 3
0,80 m2
0,20 m2
X
Visibility class of the garment;
3 classes, of which 3 is the highest
Y
Level of the reflecting material;
2 levels, of which 2 is the highest
X
Y
EN ISO 11612:2008
Clothing to protect against heat and flame
– has superseded EN 531
The clothing must protect the wearer against the effect of incidental contact
with small flames and small splashes of molten metal drops. It also offers
protection against radiation of convective heat of low intensity and/or against
splashes of molten metal. The clothing must be properly worn, meaning that the
garment or a combination of garments shall be properly closed.
The limited flame spread properties will be reduced if the clothing is
contaminated with flammable substances.
Class 1 Class 2
Class 3
0,14 m²
0,10 m²
0,50 m²
0,13 m²
0,80 m²
0,20 m²
The following information is specified in the marking of the garment:
X
Visibility class of the garment;
3 classes, of which 3 is the highest
Code
Requirements
Performance level
A1
Limited flame spread – surface ignition Compulsory: A1 and/or A2
A2
Limited flame spread – edge ignition Compulsory: A1 and/or A2
B
Protection against convective heat B1-B3
C
Protection against radiant heat C1-C4
D
Protection against molten aluminium D1-D3
E
Protection against molten iron E1-E3
F
Protection against contact heat F1-F3
In the event of an accidental splash of chemical or flammable liquids on
clothing, the wearer should immediately leave the work area and remove the
garment, which shall be cleaned or removed from service.
X
The stated maximum number of cleaning cycles is not the only factor
related to the lifetime of the garment. The lifetime will also depend on
usage, care, storage etc. If the number of cleaning cycles is not specified,
materials have been tested after minimum 5 cleaning cycles.
Garments performing according to D and/or E levels:
In the event of a molten metal splash the user shall leave the work area
immediately and take off the garment. It is not excluded that a second degree
burn may occur if the garment is worn directly next to the skin.
EN 470-1:1995
Protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes
– superseded by EN ISO 11611
The clothing must protect the wearer against the effect of incidental contact
with small flames and small splashes of molten metal drops.
This clothing provides protection against molten welding splatter and sparks as
well as accidental contact with small flames.
It also offers protection against radiation of convective heat of low intensity
and/or against splashes of molten metal. The clothing must be properly worn,
meaning that the garment or a combination of garments shall be worn properly
closed. The limited flame spread properties will be reduced if the clothing is
contamined with flammable substances.
Important advice: The protective clothing itself does not provide protection
against electric shock. The electrical insulation effect will be reduced by
wetness, humidity or sweat. An increase of oxygen content in the air will reduce
the protection of welder’s clothing against flame. Care should be taken when
welding in confined spaces if it is possible that the atmosphere may become
enriched with oxygen.
The following information is specified in the marking of the garment (the higher
the level, the better the protection):
Code
ReguirementsPerformance level
A
Limited flame spread
One compulsory
B
Protection against convective heat
B1-B5
C
Protection against radiant heat
C1-C4
D
Protection against molten aluminium D1-D3
E
Protection against molten iron
E1-E3
EN 1149-5:2008
Electrostatic properties
– material performance and design requirements
The clothing decreases explosion risks due to anti-static properties.
The garment must be correctly fastened and shall permanently cover all noncomplying materials during normal use, incl. bending and movement.
The following information is specified in the marking of the garment:
The following information is specified in the marking of the garment (the higher
the level, the better the protection):
High visibility warning clothing can be approved in protection classes from 1 to
3, of which 3 is the highest. Class 3 may also be achieved in combination with a
garment of lower protection classes, if the total area visible (excluding
overlapping) passes class 3. The classes are based on minimum visible surface
in m² for background material and reflexes:
EN 471+A1:2007
High-visibility warning clothing
for professional use
– superseded by EN ISO 20471
If the requirements are met by the use of a combination of garments, this is
declared on the labels of all garments involved.
EN ISO 20471:2013
High visibility clothing
– has superseded EN 471
EN 531:1995
Protective clothing for workers
exposed to heat
– superseded by EN ISO 11612
EN ISO 11611:2007
Protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes
– has superseded EN 470-1
Class 1: Protection against less hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing lower levels of spatter and radiant heat.
Class 2: Protection against more hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing higher levels of spatter and radiant heat.
The clothing is intended to protect against hazards such as flames, molten
metal spatter, radiant heat and short term accidental contact.
Additional partial body protection may be required, e.g. for welding above the
head.
For operational reasons not all welding voltage parts of arc welding installations
can be protected against direct contact. The garment is only intended to
protect against brief inadvertent contact with live parts of an arc welding
circuit, and additional electrical insulation layers will be required where there is
an increased risk of electric shock.
Even when used in combination with additional partial protective garments, the
primary garment shall be at least class 1.
Electrostatic dissipative protective clothing shall not be removed whilst in the
presence of a flammable or explosive atmosphere or while handling flammable
or explosive substances.
The person wearing the electrostatic dissipative protective clothing shall be
properly earthed. The resistance between the person and
the earth shall be less than 108 Ω., e.g. by wearing adequate footwear.
The clothing shall not be used in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere without the
approval of the responsible safety engineer.
Performance of the electrostatic dissipative protective clothing can be affected
by wear and tear, laundering and possible contamination.
EN 1149-3
Electrostatic properties test method
for measurement of charge decay
Antistatic properties of fabric is tested according to EN 1149-3.
Due to the anti-static properties cannot be removed by washing and therefore
offer permanent properties in this respect. However, there must be a connection
to earth and anti-static footwear shall be worn.
Improper use:
The level of protection against flame will be reduced if the welder’s protective
clothing is contaminated with flammable substances.
An increase in the oxygen content of the air will reduce considerably the
protection of the welders’ protective clothing against flame. Care should be
taken when welding in confined spaces, e.g. if it is possible that the atmosphere
may become enriched with oxygen.
The electrical insulation provided by clothing will be reduced when the clothing
is wet, dirty or soaked with sweat.
For two-piece protective clothing, both items shall be worn together to provide
the specified level of protection.
EN 13034+A1:2009 / type PB[6] partial protection
Performance requirements for chemical protective clothing offering limited protective performance against liquid chemicals
The following chemicals are tested for repellency and penetration:
- Sulphuric acid, H2SO4 30%; penetration index class 3 (<1%)
- Sodium hydroxide, NaOH 10%; penetration index class 3 (<1%)
- O-xylene, undiluted
- 1-butanol, undiluted
Type PB[6] for partial protection has not been tested to whole suit test.
A fluorocarbon treated fabric comply with requirements of prEN 13034 / type 6,
but must regularly get a f.c. reapplication to keep its performance.
The clothing offers a limited protective performance against small splashes of
chemicals when combined with gloves, boots and/or other PPE equipment.
Important advice: The clothing must be properly worn. It must be professionally
washed regularly according to specific instructions to ensure that soiling does
not damage the protective properties.
If chemicals are accidently splashed on the garment, the wearer must
immediately move away and carefully remove the garment, ensuring chemicals
or liquids not to come in contact with the skin. The garment must be cleaned or
taken out of use.
EN/ IEC 61482-1-2:2007
Determination of arc protection class of material and
clothing (box test)
For the tests a low voltage procedure is used. The test can optionally be carried
out in two fixed test classes, selected by the amount of prospective short circuit
current:
Class 1; 4kA (146 kJ/cm²)
Class 2; 7 kA (427 kJ/cm²)
The defied duration of the electric arc is 500 ms in both test classes.
Acceptance criteria for tests on materials
ParameterCriterion
Burning time
<5s
Melting
No melting through to the inner side
Hole formation No hole bigger than 5mm in every direction (in the innermost layer)
Heat flux
All eight value pairs (Eit - tmax) are below corresponding Stoll values
EN 343:A1:2007
Protection against rain
Resistance to water penetration and water vapour resistance are the two main
properties which are tested in the EN 343.
X
Resistance to water penetration - 3 levels, of which 3 is the highest
Resistance to water penetration of fabric and seams is the most important
quality for an adequate protection. The resistance to water penetration is
expressed in kPa, but a more understandable expression is in millimetre water
column.
Y
Water vapour resistance - 3 levels, of which 3 offers the highest breathability and ability to transport moisture.
Garments with water vapour resistance class 1 may increase the heat stress in
certain climatic conditions, see table below for recommended wearing time.
The classic unit for breathability was defined in g/m² per 24 hours. However
EN 343 uses a water vapour resistance value Ret (m². Pa/W). The higher the Ret
value, the higher the resistance of the fabric and the less vapour passes through.
Recommended maximum continuous wearing time for a complete suit
consisting of jacket and trousers without thermal lining
Class
Temperature of
working environment °C
1:
Ret above 40
min
2:
20 < Ret < above
40 min
3:
Ret < 20 min
25
60
105
205
20
75
250
----
15
100
----
----
10
240
----
----
5
----
----
----
“-“ means: no limit for wearing time
IEC 61482-2:2009
Protective clothing against thermal hazards of electric arc
Table valid for medium physiological strain M = 150 W/m², standard-man, at 5+%
relative humidity, and wind speed va = 0,5 m/s.
When tested in accordance with EN/IEC 61482-1-2 the protective clothing
shall be assigned a Class 1 or Class 2 depending on the test conditions and the
resulting arc thermal protection.
The garments should be inspected before each use. Protective clothing that are
contamined or damaged to the extent their protective qualities are impaired
(e.g. holes in the garments, not functioning closure) should not be used.
Protective items that become contamined with grease, oil or flammable liquids
or combustible materials should not be used.
The user should treat carefully the protective clothing.
The protective clothing shall be worn in the closed state.
No garments such as shirts, undergarments or underwear made of e.g.
polyamide, polyester or acrylic fibers, should be used as they melt under arc
exposures.
It is strongly recommended to consider national prescriptions and regulations
where protective clothing are to be used.
Damaged garments should be repaired - replacement of a button or other
minor work in accordance with instruction – to be downloaded from Universe –
or replaced. In the event of tearing, such damage should not be repaired.
Other garments worn together with protective clothing and dirty protective
clothing can reduce the protection. Although the protective clothing is designed
for flame protection, contamination can reduce the protective function against
electric arc exposure. The protective clothing should therefore be cleaned when
necessary.
The above types of protective clothing are developed and produced by
Berendsen Sourcing AB, Sweden. The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in
Finland, notified body no 0403 for personal protective equipment has CE type
examined the products according to directive 89/686/EEC and its amendments.
(2014-02-11)