Fraudulent Certified Flame Resistant Garments
An explosion of flash fire can happen in an instant without fore warning and you need to be sure that the flame resistant clothing is really providing the protection that you think it is. When an accident occurs such as a flash fire this is not the time to be questioning your PPE.
There is more FR clothing on the market these days that are not tested by Underwriters Laboratories which is an independent product safety testing, certification and inspection organization and may even have a fake UL tag indicating that the product has passed the testing for compliance. What can happen is the product that is fraudulently marked will catch on fire and continue to burn even when you escape from the flame source which is where most of the injury will occur.
If you click the arrow to “Play” on the following video you will see the coverall on the left has been tested and will self extinguish once the flame source is removed. The other two examples are typical of a regular coverall that does not meet the requirements for flash fire protection.
Now imagine yourself in the non compliant coveralls….
Don’t you think it is a good idea to verify that the protective FR clothing you are wearing is what it says it is?
A good indication is when you find flame resistant garments and you compare the exact same fabric construction from different manufacturers and one style has a very low price which could be a possible indication of some fraudulent activity going on. Just remember that FR fabric is expensive and how can one company sell it so cheaply. There is also other factors to take into account such as the possibility of the fabric pieces (arms and legs parts) not being sewn together with Nomex thread and also the zippers. This would again lower the cost to produce but would also result in the garments coming apart quicker in a flash fire if it is put together with poly/cotton thread for example.
Garments that are approved by UL will have a specific public number found near the UL logo that can be checked at their website http://ul.com/. In so doing you can be assured that the garment meets the requirements for protection.
It is also highly recommended to purchase well know brand name flame resistant apparel such as Bulwark FR to be 100% confident that you and your co-workers have the correct protection for flash fire and electric arc exposure.
Purchasing PPE at the forefront that is less costly is not a savings when it it only takes one fatality in a period of 20 years to wipe out all that supposed savings. Also the fact that the cost of safety clothing is a “doing business expense write-off ” it just doesn’t make any sense to buy non-climate flame resistant garments.
Terry Smeader
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Tags: Flame Resistant Garments, Fraudulent UL Certified, Underwriters Laboratories
September 9th, 2015 at 2:13 pm
SEI also provides full certification of NFPA 2112 garments and fabrics. UL is a for profit company providing this service. SEI is not-for-profit. Both are excellent options and garments must be certified but UL is not alone in this service.
Thanks.
September 10th, 2015 at 10:01 am
Thank you Hugh
This is good to know as it gives the legitimate companies another source to establish third-party certification.
The fact that SEI is a private, non-profit organization also provides another means of a certification source.