Safety environment always is a topic whatever to employees or employers. Flame resistant vs Flame retardant coveralls are important for PPE in safety working, especially in the Oil and Gas industries, Iron Working, Welding, Firefighter and more. How to provide safety and match the basic standards fire resistant clothing, to help and assist your employees reduce injuries, increase escape time, and improve survival to be more necessary.
Customers are always confused when they are searching for products of flame-resistant or flame-retardant; Are they the same thing? In fact, flame resistant vs flame retardant have different meanings.
What’s flame resistant mean?
This means the flame-resistant material is made from non-flammable materials, not chemically treated. This kind of material is inherent and permanently flame resistant, it can resist ignition and prevent the spread of fire and self-extinguishment when the flame source is removed. Even after it is ignited it will not melt or drip.
What’s flame retardant mean?
Flame retardant can be composed of any material, it’s coated in a chemical spray or dipping treated to become flame-retardant material to be clothing, coveralls, and garments. It will have the ability to resist ignition, spread of fire, and self-extinguishment, but it’s not permanently functional. This flame-retardant ability has a limit of wash times, meaning it will disappear following the wash of times.
What Is the Difference Between Flame Resistant vs Flame Retardant?
Flame-resistant vs Flame retardant are different in material and processing, but they are trying to supply protective resist the flame finally. The biggest difference is the flame-retardant products are chemically treated. Though it can slow ignition, burning, or self-extinguish, if the material used poly or nylon, will melt or drip when exposed to fire and heat to cause second injuries on body skin. Hence, we should understand the difference between flame-resistant vsand flame-retardant and regarding standard of PPE to provide more safety and the right garment to workers.
In the end, what we would like to stress is that though Flame-resistant vs Flame-retardant are able to resist flames and supply minimum protection, the best solution is away the fire source when it happens. And always to know that Flame resistant vs flame-retardant clothing are only meant to keep you safe and reduce injury but is not meant it can be exposed to heat for a long time.
Furthermore, please must study related and basic standards of PPE when you are going to choose and evaluate Flame-resistant garments. EX: NFPA 2112, EN 11612, ASTM F1506/NFPA 70E-cat2.
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