Used FR Clothing a valid option?

[pqtest]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I last posted. We are working on a contract that requires our techs to wear 8cal FR clothing. I want to purchase new, but someone at our company has identified a source that has literally pallets of used FR clothing. I really don't want to sort through this mess looking for what is good and what is bad, and then trying to guess everybody's correct size. If it had been washed, folded, sized and properly maintained, it might be a good idea. However, it is just in a giant mound of shirts, pants and jackets sitting in a warehouse.

My question is, can anyone give me a reference from 70E or OSHA that talks about used FR clothing? Frankly, I am trying to justify my position to purchase new. I think I can make a case using NFPA70E Article 130.7(16) which discusses proper storage of clothing, but I want to hit this thing with the biggest hammer I can just to kill the issue.

I thought I had seen something years ago from OSHA that prohibited issuing used safety equipment to an individual worker for their exclusive use, but cannot find that information now.

Thanks!

 

[zog]

There is no way to test an arc rated material without destroying it, the only way to judge it is by tracking thier laundry cycles and procedures. They are rated for a certian # of washes, per the manufactures laundering instructions.

Unless these clothes come with a history of # of launderings and procedures followed I think you are taking on a serious liability.

Plus, they are likely stinky.

 

[ceb58]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I last posted. We are working on a contract that requires our techs to wear 8cal FR clothing. I want to purchase new, but someone at our company has identified a source that has literally pallets of used FR clothing. I really don't want to sort through this mess looking for what is good and what is bad, and then trying to guess everybody's correct size. If it had been washed, folded, sized and properly maintained, it might be a good idea. However, it is just in a giant mound of shirts, pants and jackets sitting in a warehouse.

My question is, can anyone give me a reference from 70E or OSHA that talks about used FR clothing? Frankly, I am trying to justify my position to purchase new. I think I can make a case using NFPA70E Article 130.7(16) which discusses proper storage of clothing, but I want to hit this thing with the biggest hammer I can just to kill the issue.



Thanks!

The main thing to ask your self is "Would I wear these clothes, knowing nothing about how they have been taken care of, to help protect my self" If the answer is no. Then how can you expect some one else to do it.
This is on top of putting a large liability on the company if something happened and the clothing did not preform.
I applaud and understand your position of trying to find a real hard, black and white reason for not wanting to get involved with this situation. But what ever happened to common decency toward the employees?

 

[renosteinke]

I can't think of any instance where you are required to use or issue "new" equipment; you're just required to use something that works. Naturally, "works" is usually understood in reference to some standard.

We've seen an enormous increase in the availability of rated clothing, as a direct consequence of our ongoing military operations. Thank Osama ... the IED's have posed the same flash issues, and 'military' clothing is being rated using the same standard we use for arc-flash protection.

That said, not all such gear is the same, even if they have the same ratings when they leave the factory. The pricing alone ought to suggest that; a shirt/jacket can run anywhere from $30 to $300.

The cheaper stuff might have a life limited to so many laundry cycles, or require dry-cleaning. Other clothing is inherently resistant, and might well last for years.

You'll have to dig a bit further ...