Body Protection

[The Iceman]

I'm looking to purchase some personal protective equipment and wanted to get some information from everyone. What do you all wear when working with live equipment up to 480v?

 

[chris kennedy]

I'm looking to purchase some personal protective equipment

Something other than a wet-suit? Guess we all have to grow up some time.:smile:

 

[iwire]

It might be this

or maybe this

It is more about the current then the voltage.

 

[The Iceman]

I'm looking for some web sites that people prefer to buy protective clothing and equipment from. For now I guess I could use an old wet-suit and wet-suit gloves. Thanks for the advice chris.:smile:

 

[chris kennedy]

I have been eyeballing these folks but have yet to contact them.

 

[zog]

I have been eyeballing these folks but have yet to contact them.

They are just another distributor selling the same stuff as everyone else, they buy them from the big guys and mark it up, go to the source.

 

[zog]

I'm looking for some web sites that people prefer to buy protective clothing and equipment from.

What PPE do you need?
Daily wear or coveralls?
Rent/lease or buy?
Laundering? Who will do it, who will ensure it is done right?
What HRC's are you exposed to? (Voltage has little to do with it)
Any chemical exposure? That determines your material choice.
How dirty will they get, industrial or home laundering?
Any clean room requirements?
Does Made in USA matter?
Does it need to be union made?

All these questions and more need to be considered to get the right PPE, there are about 20 different materials out there, all with advantages and disadvantages.

However, 90% of these guys selling the PPE have no idea about the performance of the materials or the other choices, they just sell what they buy, and usually that means Indura Ultra Soft, which is a good material for alot of people. Anyone can make coveralls or flash suits out of these fabrics (Indura is made in Chicago by Westex for example), the features and quality of the PPE you buy varies greatly from one place to the other so you better do your homework.

For now I guess I could use an old wet-suit and wet-suit gloves. Thanks for the advice chris.:smile:

You are kidding I hope

 

[zog]

It might be this

That outfit meets none of the HRC requirements and is a poor example.

 

[chris kennedy]

It might be this

That outfit meets none of the HRC requirements and is a poor example.

Thats what Bob wears Trick and Treating.

 

[iwire]

That outfit meets none of the HRC requirements and is a poor example.

Well as helpful as that was, can you explain what is wrong?

I really thought my buddy in the picture would have been OK for some tasks but I am willing to learn something new.

 

[SiddMartin]

This is what is required for 480v

Fire rated coveralls, cotton undershirt
Nomex hood and face shield & hard hat
hot gloves

As always, try to work on the equipment de-energized

CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

[ItsHot]

your thoughts?

your thoughts?

Sidd thanks for the post/ picture! Zog what are your thoughts on post# 11? Thanks!!:smile:

 

[SiddMartin]

also, forgot, denim jeans

 

[Fulthrotl]

I'm looking to purchase some personal protective equipment and wanted to get some information from everyone. What do you all wear when working with live equipment up to 480v?

an absolute minimum is flip flops rated for 600v.

depending on how many calories of energy you need to be protected
against, will determine what you need....

zog knows way more about this stuff than most people, i'd ask him....
he does the breaker dance in places that mandate *full* compliance
with everything.

me personally? if i need to dance with the girl, i use a 7 calorie
face shield on the hardhat, with the chin on the bottom of the lens,
and a fireproof rainsuit that has a 7 calorie rating, and proper mittens,
of course.

is it approved by cal OSHA, my mother, and your attorney? probably
not. these are the same people who make labels to put on styrofoam
cups to tell you that the steaming liquid you are about to enjoy is hot.

for barriers and shielding, i use electroliner, made and sold by:
Burlington Safety Laboratory 800.296.2803

it's cheap enough that if you have to cut it to fit somewhere,
it's not like having to cut up a blanket. it's tested to 1kv, and
a roll of it is about $300, last time i bought some. it's classed
as disposable, but if you take care of it, it'll last a long time.

those same people will sell you suits in whatever calorie rating
you can afford, and stand to wear. dunno if they are the cheapest,
but they are convenient to me, so i use them. they have a little
showroom with all the latest fashions in moon suits.....

good luck.... and make sure to hipot those flip flops once a year!
safety first!


randy

 

[Fulthrotl]

Laundering? Who will do it, who will ensure it is done right?

this is a consideration when dealing with FR fabrics... washing
them at home with the rest of the laundry puts non FR fibers
into them, degrading or eliminating the FR rating.

i avoided the whole problem by never washing mine.
much, much safer.


randy

 

[zog]

Sidd thanks for the post/ picture! Zog what are your thoughts on post# 11? Thanks!!:smile:

My thoughts are that the poster of this comments has never looked at the NFPA 70E and is posting very dangerous (Not to mention false) information that can get someone killed. Voltage is not diretly a factor, a 480V system can be anywhere from HRC 0 to >HRC 4 (Dangerous, no PPE can protect you).

 

[zog]

Sniff, sniff....

Sniff, sniff....

this is a consideration when dealing with FR fabrics... washing
them at home with the rest of the laundry puts non FR fibers
into them, degrading or eliminating the FR rating.

i avoided the whole problem by never washing mine.
much, much safer.


randy

Yep, along with some other concerns, but if you follow the manufactures home laundering instructions it is easy to follow (And you smell better, hin, hint)

 

[Fulthrotl]

My thoughts are that the poster of this comments has never looked at the NFPA 70E and is posting very dangerous (Not to mention false) information that can get someone killed. Voltage is not diretly a factor, a 480V system can be anywhere from HRC 0 to >HRC 4 (Dangerous, no PPE can protect you).

this was accomplished by someone closing a breaker.
oom paa. (technical term)

 

[Pullnwire]

Sniff sniff.....

Sniff sniff.....

this was accomplished by someone closing a breaker.
oom paa. (technical term)

"hey, do you smell something burning?.........

 

[roger]

So Zog, how about answering Iwire (post # 10) with some substantiation? To say something doesn't meet "so and so" doesn't really have much credibility does it? Can you please provide the wording of what document or standard you say is lacking?

Roger