FR clothing standards: NFPA 2112, NFPA 70E and ASTM F1506

OSHA rules bind employers, not garment makers

OSHA's rules on PPE (personal protective equipment) are written as duties of the employer.

• The hazard assessment: the employer assesses the hazards, picks the PPE and makes workers use it. A written record names the workplace, the person and the date.
• Who pays: the employer generally pays for the PPE it requires, FR clothing included.
• No OSHA approval: OSHA does not test, approve or certify garments or garment makers.
• Welding: in a 2012 letter, OSHA said it expects employers to provide FR clothing where welders face flash fires or short flame exposures.
• Electric power work: where an arc could bring more than 2.0 calories per square centimeter (cal/cm²), clothing needs an arc rating at least that high.
• Oil and gas: OSHA's 2010 policy says employers must provide FR clothing where a flash fire hazard exists. It points to NFPA 2112 and NFPA 2113.

NFPA 70E, ASTM F1506 and arc ratings

NFPA 70E covers electrical safety at work. It sets PPE categories, and it calls for clothing labeled to ASTM F1506, a standard from ASTM International.

• Arc rating: a tested value, in cal/cm², for how a fabric holds up to an electric arc. It comes from an arc test to ASTM F1959.
• PPE categories: Category 1 needs an arc rating of at least 4 cal/cm², and Category 2 at least 8. Category 3 needs at least 25, and Category 4 at least 40.
• HRC and CAT: HRC (hazard risk category) is the old name. NFPA 70E replaced it with PPE Category in 2015, so HRC 2 is now PPE Category 2, often written CAT 2.
• ASTM F1506: a maker may declare its own garment under it, but only with arc test data. The label shows the arc rating.
• Arc rated and FR: every arc-rated garment is FR, but not every FR garment has an arc rating.

Europe and Canada

Buyers outside the US name other standards.

• The EU (European Union): FR clothing is personal protective equipment under Regulation (EU) 2016/425. A notified body, a testing body the EU names, checks the model before it is sold.
• EN ISO 11612: heat and flame, coded A to F by the kind of heat. It does not cover firefighters or welders.
• EN ISO 11611: welding, in class 1 or class 2.
• EN ISO 14116: limited flame spread, index 1 to 3. Index 1 fabric may not be worn against the skin.
• IEC 61482-2: electric arcs, by an open arc test or a box test.
• Canada: CAN/CGSB-155.20, its standard for flash fire workwear, was withdrawn in December 2022. Some sellers still cite it, so check the date on any document that names it.

What to ask a factory for

Ask for each document by name, and read what it covers.

• The yarn certificate: from the yarn maker. It shows what the yarn is, and says nothing about the garment.
• Fabric test reports: from a lab, ideally accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 for that test. A report covers the fabric that was tested, on that date.
• The garment certificate: from a certification body, with the listing, when your program needs NFPA 2112.
• A sample label: so you can check the standard, the edition and the certifier's mark.
• Care instructions: from the fabric maker, so your laundry knows what to do.

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