Frequently asked questions

Norms

• What are the requirements in protective clothing that I have to comply with?

  The requirements for protective clothing depend on your work environment and several elements in that environment need to be considered. The best way to find out what protective workwear is suitable for your particular situation, is to conduct a risk assessment. A risk assessment is an evaluation of the potential risks that are relevant for your company. 

  Read more about risk assessments and norms here
• How do I know if I need to comply with EN ISO 11611 or EN ISO 11612?

  Both EN ISO 11611 and EN ISO 11612 are relevant standards when it comes to heat and flame protection. The EN ISO 11611 is specified for welding and allied processes specifically. The EN ISO 11612 is meant to protect people who are regularly exposed to heat and flames.

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• EN ISO 11611 Class 1 or Class 2: which one do I need?

  EN ISO 11611 is the standard your protective clothing needs to meet for welding and allied processes. This norm is broken down in different classes. When testing the heat transfer, for example, the time a 24 °C temperature increase takes, determines the class: up till 7 seconds for Class 1, and 16 seconds for Class 2.

  Knowing which class is needed for specific welding activities is important. For example, gas welding is a Class 1 activity, while MMA welding is a Class 2 activity. In this blog we’ll explain the differences between the classes, in order to help you to determine the right class for your welding activities.

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• What are multi-norm garments and when do I need them?

  Multi-norm garments are specifically created for work environments with multiple risks. They are designed to meet numerous standards. This sounds like the ultimate protective clothing, but there are a few downsides. 

  An ‘over-engineered’ multi-norm garment costs and weighs more. Protecting your workers against dangers they won’t ever face makes clothing unnecessarily less comfortable and more expensive. Therefore, conduct a risk assessment for each workstation and find out what the true relevant threats are for your workers. Then your protective clothing can be designed specifically for your work field.

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Comfort

• How can I make sure my protective clothing is safe and comfortable at the same time?

  The wearing comfort of protective clothing is of vital importance to its safety. After all, if the workwear is not comfortable, the chance is bigger that workers won’t wear it properly. Making sure your protective clothing is safe and comfortable at the same time is very important. 

  There are 4 essential characteristics that make a fabric comfortable: weight, moisture absorption, breathability and softness. Our experts look forward to helping you implement those characteristics in your workwear.

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Wear trials

• What is a wear trial and what are important focus points when conducting a wear trial?

  Wear trials enable you and your employees to look and feel the new protective clothing firsthand in a test round. During this test, emotions are just as important as the features and specs of the clothing. It is important that your professionals on the workfloor gladly wear the new clothing. Therefore, a few focus points are essential while conducting such a trial:

  • Improvement
  • Standards
  • Design
  • Comfort
  • Durability 

   

  Read more about wear trials and these focus points in this blog

Fire resistance

• What is the difference between fire resistant and fire retardant clothing?

  The difference between fire resistant and fire retardant is whether the fire repelling property is inherent or not. Fire resistant clothing is made from fabrics that are inherently resistant to catching fire, while fire retardant fabrics have been chemically treated to give them these properties.

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• What is the difference between FR treated and FR inherent fabrics?

  Inherent means “existing as a natural or basic part of something”, which means fabrics that are FR inherent contain at least one fibre with natural FR properties. FR treated fabrics get their FR property from the chemical treatment applied to them. 

  Read more about FR treated, FR inherent and the differences in this blog
• What are aramid fibres and what types of aramid fibres are there?

  Aramid fibres are a class of strong synthetic fibres, distinguishing themselves from other synthetic fibres due to an excellent heat and flame resistance, high chemical resistance and low molecular weight. Examples are Kevlar^®, Nomex^®, Twaron^® and Kermel^®. 

  Read more about the advantages of aramid fibres here

Sustainability

• What are sustainable alternatives to cotton?

  For the production of cotton-based clothing, a lot of pesticide is needed globally. One very interesting alternative to cotton is lyocell. Not only is it more sustainable because its ecological footprint is much lower, it also absorbs more moisture than cotton. Lyocell is softer and thus more comfortable than cotton and it is highly durable.
  
  Read more about lyocell here >
  
  

  We have visualized our view on sustainability in the workwear industry in “The Cycle of Care”. Together we can minimize environmental pollution and create the best social conditions for everyone. Are you ready to activate your role?

  Read more about the “The Cycle of Care”