Hand Protection
When considering hand protection please note the following:
Currently there is no arc flash standard for PPE which is designed to protect the hands
IEC 61482-2 is only for garments
The open arc test method IEC 61482-1-1 will detail the ATPV for a fabric or assembly of fabrics
Certain manufacturers have had their products “blasted” on an arc test rig at known incident energy levels in order to gauge qualitative performance
In some cases you may choose to consider other standards as being helpful, e.g. EN407 for the protection against thermal risks (gloves) EN 388 for protection against mechanical damage (gloves)
You would be advised to provide (as a minimum but see below) products that are made from fabrics (or fabric assemblies) that have been tested using the open arc method (IEC 61482-1-1) and which have achieved performance results that exhibit an ATPV of at least the value that your chosen garments do
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT THE HANDS WILL BE THE NEAREST PART OF THE BODY TO THE SOURCE OF THE ARC
IF YOUR ARC FLASH STUDY HAS USED 600mm as the “distance from arc” then the hands may be MUCH CLOSER
If for example the hands were at 300mm and your incident energy level had been calculated as 12 cal/cm2 (at 600mm) then the energy levels at the hands would be at least 48 cal/cm2 (in other words a four fold increase)
You should consider that an arc flash may give rise to some or all of the following hazards:
- Intense heat
- Very bright light
- Flying debris
- Very loud noise
- Hot gases
- Smoke and fumes
- Explosive pressure levels
In doing so you must endeavour to take all reasonably practical steps to provide protection which is both appropriate and suitable to the risks you identify.
REMEMBER PPE DOES NOT PREVENT THE INCIDENT SO PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE FOLLOWED THE HIERARCHY OF CONTROL
