How to Assess Fire Resistant Clothing

Firefighters, electricians and anyone exposed to open flames or electricity while at work or doing a home-improvement project should take great care when choosing fire-resistant clothing. Choosing the wrong article of clothing puts the wearer at a great deal of risk for burns or even death. Luckily, clothing manufacturers have developed a standardized system that allows buyers to know exactly what they need at a glance.

Things You'll Need

• Hazard risk category number

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Instructions

• 1

  Ask your workplace what the hazard risk category (HRC) is for the job you are doing. Every employer is required to determine this before a job begins if hazardous situations are likely to occur. HRC's range from 1 to 4, with more dangerous situations being assigned a higher number.

• 2

  Determine what ATPV (arch thermal protection value) rating you will need. Manufacturers assign each item of clothing an ATPV rating based on the amount of energy the clothing can be exposed to before the wearer is at risk of a second-degree burn. The higher the rating, the less likelihood of a burn. To know what ATPV rating you need, check the HRC chart (see Resources).

• 3

  Layer clothing if needed. For example, if you need a ATPV rating of 40, consider wearing up to 3 layers, consisting of fire-resistant pants with an ATPV of 10, a fire-resistant shirt with an ATPV of 10, and a fire-resistant suit with an ATPV of 20. Also remember to cover all exposed body parts.