BS EN 1149-5 Standard | Arc Flash & Protective Clothing Standards

Published 28 Jul 2021

BS EN 1149-5 Standard Arc Flash & Protective Clothing Standards

BS EN 1149-5

Arc Flash & Protective Clothing Standards

BS EN 1149-5 is the European Standard for garments that protect against electrostatic discharge in areas where there is a risk of explosion (ATEX Environments) such as petrochemical refineries and fuel distribution companies.

Annex II, art. 2.3. of the ATEX directive 99/92/CE concerning the protection of workers likely to be exposed to the risk of explosive atmospheres says: “Workers must be provided with appropriate working clothing consisting of materials which do not give rise to electrical discharges that can ignite explosive atmospheres”. The outer fabric of these garments are therefore made from antistatic materials and components.

Under the scope of the PPE manufacturers Directive 89/686/EEC a series of EN Standards have been developed relating to electrostatic properties. We note the key parts of these standards as follows that relate to the protective garments that ProGARM® produces.

View further information about Arc Flash Clothing Standards.

This series of Articles published in conjunction with ProGARM are written to enable the industry to carefully ensure their garments and clothing are correctly specified to provide appropriate levels of protection against arc flash dangers, risks and hazards.

BS EN 1149-5 | Standard Overview

Protective clothing. Electrostatic properties. Material performance and design requirements.

This European Standard specifies material and design requirements for electrostatic dissipative protective clothing, including hoods and caps, used as part of a total earthed system, to avoid incendiary discharges, where the minimum ignition energy of an explosive atmosphere is not less than 0,016 mJ. In the context of this European Standard, a total earthed system is one in which personnel and other conductors are connected to earth via a resistance of less than 108Ω. The material and design requirements do not presume adequate earthing of additional equipment worn or carried in contact with clothing, e.g. breathing apparatus, etc. If such additional equipment is required to be earthed, other requirements beyond the scope of this European Standard may be necessary. The scope of this standard does not include electrostatic dissipative protective gloves or footwear that are separate and not integral parts of garments. The material and design requirements may not provide sufficient protection in oxygen enriched flammable atmospheres.

NOTE Additional information about oxygen enriched flammable atmospheres can be found in CEN/CLC/TR 16832:2015 [1]. This European Standard is not applicable for protection against mains voltages.

Standard Status | Current

Published | 2018

EN 1149-5:2008 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

Antistatic PPE is certified to EN1149-5 as this standard covers the performance requirements of the garments and refers to the choice of 2 different test methods (EN1149-1 or EN1149-3).

EN 1149-1:2006 MEASUREMENTS OF SURFACE RESISTIVITY

Antistatic PPE is certified to EN1149-5 as this standard covers the performance requirements of the garments and refers to the choice of 2 different test methods (EN1149-1 or EN1149-3).

EN 1149-3:2004 MEASUREMENTS OF SURFACE RESISTIVITY

This test method is referenced for materials for which the electrostatic dissipative behaviour is based on core conducting fibres but can also be used for surface conducting materials.

In the EN1149 series, there is also an EN1149-2 (measurement of the electrical resistance through a material; the vertical resistance) which is used as a test method in EN ISO 11611 (welders clothing) and which is also mentioned in Annex H of EN 469:2005. A further part of EN1149 is under development which will cover the testing of the full garment – this part of the standard is EN1149-4.

Clothing & Garments

Protecting Workers Against the Dangers of Arc Flash

Thorne & Derrick stock and supply the most extensive range of Arc Flash PPE, Clothing & Protective Garments – should you require any further information, sample garments for field test and trial or a quotation please do not hesitate to contact us.


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Download Your Guide To Arc Flash Here

Thorne & Derrick International supply arc flash clothing and protection equipment including coveralls, gloves, helmets, face shields and general head-to-toe PPE is used to protect against flashover – complete range of insulating matting is also available for worker protection when exposed to energised electrical switchgear and transformers.

Typical applications include LV, HV & EHV cable jointing and terminating, fuse pulling, switchgear commissioning, racking circuit breakers, electrical switching and live working on medium and high voltage electricity networks.

T&D are national distributors LV, MV & HV Cable Installation, Jointing, Substation & Electrical Equipment – we service UK and global businesses involved in cable installations, cable cleating, cable jointing, substation, overhead line and electrical construction at LV, 11kV, 33kV and EHV.

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