Product Suitability Guide

The table below provides an overview of the suitability of each fabric to particular industry groups. For more detailed information regarding the technical qualities of our Fire Tough Sock, Smelter Vest or our PR97™, Kermel® and Emphatex® ranges, please use the links above where you will find our fabric manufacturers' detailed recommendations.

Garment	Fire Sock	Smelter Vest	Wool Pullover	PR97™ Products	Kermel® Products	Emphatex® Products
Industry
Smelting
Fire Fighting
Emergency Services
Airport Refuelling
Petrochemical
Electric Utilities

About Protective Clothing

The criteria used in defining protective safety clothing is: any clothing worn by workers as protection within their working environment - or clothing worn to protect the environment from the workers. The areas
and conditions under which protective clothing may be worn may include situations where workers may be exposed to:

• Heat, fire and chemicals,
• Extremes of environment/weather,
• Gas and acid,
• Potential contamination from harmful organisms (bacteria etc),
• Extremes of pressure (marine environments/altitude/space),
• Mechanical dangers,
• Military,
• Radiation.

In many situations, several potential hazards may overlap. For instance, fire and extremes of heat, acid and contaminants, temperature and altitude. Where this potential is likely, fabrics used for protective clothing may be required to provide simultaneous protection against several potential hazards. This duality of function leads to other criteria that need to be considered. These include:

• Comfort for the wearer,
• Potential for static build-up,
• The wear characteristics of the garment,
• Cleaning and appearance of the garment.

Industry Links & Resources

Textile Technology

Canesis Network Ltd. has evolved from the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand (WRONZ) with an international reputation as a world-class provider of textile technology, research and development services. www.canesis.com

Standards Organisations

• ASTM International Standards
• British Standards Institute
• IEEE Standards Association
• International Organization For Standardization
• NFPA International
• Standards Australia
• American National Standards Institute

Electricity References

The Electricity Forum, Inc. - The Electricity Forum is a "value added" publisher of print, electronic (internet) and "live" information to the North American electric power industry. www.electricityforum.com

Workplace and Other Safety - visit BC Hydro, BC, Canada, to read their informative electrical safety articles and learn about the 7 Steps to Electrical Safety. Click on the interactive model at www.bchydro.com/safety/work/work671.html to view the presentation.

Electrical Safety - check out Hydro-Quebec's three animated sequences and boost your power safety IQ! www.hydroquebec.com/security/index.html