Selecting the appropriate clothing for the protection from electric arc flash is a highly complicated procedure. Each working application and environment has its own specific criteria to be considered.
As a result of our experience in dealing with many of the world's leading manufacturers of fabrics for electric arc protection, and our knowledge acquired through close working partnerships with a diverse range of industry sectors, we are able to provide two options of arc protective clothing to suit all working conditions. Alsico are one of the first garment suppliers to use the advanced performance Nomex® Ripstop inherent FR fabric. This fabric has a unique weave structure which vastly improves a garment's tear strength and integrity when exposed to flame. We also offer a heavy duty Cotton Proban® range with a higher level of arc protection, and regulated by the Proban® Quality Control system, which requires a sample from every batch to be washed and dried 50 times before testing to the EN standard.
Each year about 1000 accidents at work involving electric shock or burns are reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE); around 25 of these are fatal. www.hse.gov.uk/electricity
During the last few years there has been much progress in understanding the nature of accidents involving electricity, and the impact they can have on employees working in the vicinity. The risk of a high intensity electric arc is always present for those who work in environments such as an electricity generating station, or for maintenance personnel in industrial plants and large commercial buildings.
An arc is an electric current that passes through air when insulation or isolation between electrified conductors is no longer sufficient to withstand the applied voltage. The flash is the result of the release of energy caused by the arc. When a flash occurs there may be one or two explosions within milliseconds, which can generate some of the highest temperatures known to occur on earth, between 3,000ºC and 20,000ºC. (The temperature on the surface of the sun is about 5,000ºC). The intense heat from an arc causes a sudden expansion of air; this results in an arc blast with very high air pressure.