"How does an electrician know if his, company issued, fire retardant clothing meets the OSHA standards?"
You should have been trained on that per the NFPA 70E. If you look at the tag you should find a cal/cm2 rating on the clothing, that rating should be higher than the hazard you are exposed to.
" I?m mainly talking about work uniforms that were issued two years ago. They have been laundered many, many times. I?ve been told they are washed in some special solution so the material will remain fire retardant. Is that all that is necessary?"
All FR clothing has specific home and induustrial laundering instructions. When washed per these instructions the FR protection will last a long time. Depending on what fabrics are used that time will be between 500 launderings to forever. If you are using a uniform service you have to hope they do it right. I see you are in Detroit, the local Cintas office here had some issues in the past but now every employee at the local office had to sign an agreement that they will follow the FR laudering instructions or lose thier jobs.
"Also, some of these coveralls get badly worn. How do we know if they are still as protective as when they were when the garments were new? "
Sorry, but you dont. You have to use common sense, if some areas or wearing thin they should be replaced, replacement is probally in your FR uniform leasing agreement.
"Is there a test or a private testing lab that can / should do some kind of certification of these uniforms?"
The fabric goes through extensive testing at the factory per ASTM-F1506 to get its rating. The clothing is not like rubber gloves, there is not a retest that is done. The testing procedure would destroy the clothing. If you are really curious (and rich) you can have a private test done at the KEMA lab in Philly, PA.
Get the info of your clothing tag and I can provide more details.
If you would like to ask more questions PM me and I will give you my contact info.
