Flame-Resistant Clothing Keeping Workers Safe
The C.A. Lawton Co. is dedicated to keeping our workers safe.
This is why we recently tested some flame-resistant protective gear to see which ones would work best in our foundry.
Going through Cintas, C.A. Lawton chose t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, coveralls and jeans that will help protect our workers, while still offering comfort and flexibility.
Testing the Flame-Resistant Clothing
The line of flame-resistant shirts really stood up to our in-house tests.
Our EHS (Environment Health and Safety) coordinator in De Pere, Wisconsin did a series of burn tests on the shirts to see how they would react.
- Direct Flame: Setting flame directly on the shirt
- Dried Paint: Burn test igniting a dry spot of paint on the shirt
- Wet Paint: Burn test igniting a spot of wet paint on the shirt
We tested both a short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirt with about the same results. We recorded each test and looked at the results.
Direct Flame Test
The direct flame burn test showed the clothing resisting the fire.
It ended with the shirt being burned and the shirt material turning into dust or ash-like substance.
This is helpful in not having a material that will melt and stick to the skin of a worker.
Dried Paint Burn Test
The burn test with dried paint produced a slightly longer lasting flame on the clothing. The flame mainly stayed on the paint and did not go through the shirt.
As with the direct burn, much of the burned area turned to ash/dust.
Wet Paint Burn Test
The test using a wet paint spot definitely produced a longer lasting flame. Despite flaming for 45 seconds to a minute, the flame stayed mostly on the paint. The flame-resistant shirts stood up to the test, leaving behind ash/dust and no melting onto the skin.
How Does Flame-Resistant Clothing (FRC) Work?
Flame-resistant clothing (FRC) is designed to limit the spread of flames and high heat.
Many FRC products use a combination of material that are inherently flame-resistant and chemical treatments that help the material resist flames.
The clothing is aimed at not allowing fire to ignite, quickly self-extinguishing if flames do appear and forming a protective layer to shield the worker from flames and heat.
Fabrics that have inherent flame-resistance include Nomex, Kevlar and modacrylics. This is due to their chemical structure and the materials ability to form a char layer.
Many flame-resistant shirts are made from cotton or polyester that is treated with chemicals to improve flame-resistance.
The chemicals often used in those shirts help stop the combustion process and form a char layer.
Full Line of Flame-Resistant Clothing
When Lawton purchased the flame-resistant clothing, we didn’t just stop at shirts.
Employees could choose from short-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shirts and jeans or coveralls.
The shirts were cotton, treated with flame-resistant chemicals. The majority of the pants were also the cotton/chemical blend.
In the foundry, it's important that our workers have protective equipment from head to toe.
The Carhartt flame-resistant line of clothing offered the variety we needed and the protection we desired.
These are just another tool in our efforts to protect our employees from burn injuries on the foundry floor.
Personal Protective Equipment in the Foundry
C.A. Lawton was already committed to the highest-quality PPE, Personal Protective Equipment, for our workers.
These must-have PPE items include various masks and respirators depending on the job the employee is performing.
It also includes heat-resistant gloves, heat and fire-resistant jackets, shirts, boots and more for the employees on the melt deck, as well as head, ear and eye protection.
You can read more about our Top 10 must-have PPE items for foundry workers here: https://calawton.com/10-must-have-ppe-items-for-the-foundry/
We also have a nice break down on what respirators and masks we use at the C.A. Lawton Co.: https://calawton.com/committed-to-safety-respirators-in-the-foundry/
Turn to C.A. Lawton for High-Quality Iron Castings
At every turn, C.A. Lawton is committed to quality and continuous improvement.
This goes for employee safety, as well as our high-quality iron castings.
If you want quality castings with remarkable customer service and an attention to detail, give us a call today for a quote.