How much does Arc Flash protective clothing cost?
Margins are tight, so budgets are tight. You need to know your decisions will keep your colleagues safe, but you’re also under pressure to keep spending to a minimum.
Commercially, it’s understandable that you’re expected to justify your procurement decisions. So here are some ways you can show that what seems like a more expensive purchase now, will save you money in the longer term.
How buying the cheapest Arc Flash PPE can cost you much more
When you look purely at price, you can easily miss the overall value of a product.
It can be tempting to buy the cheapest flame-resistant (FR) clothing but there’s a reason why the old saying goes, “buy cheap, buy twice”.
In commercial terms alone, it’s far more cost-effective to buy higher quality, more durable products so that you don’t have to replace them so frequently.
There’s also a safety consideration. To achieve the lowest price, what might the manufacturer have compromised? Perhaps they’ve used cheaper fabrics, threads or components. Or maybe they’ve spent less on research, development and testing. Are these compromises you’re willing – or able – to accept?
It’s important to look at detailed product specifications to compare standards rather than just price in isolation.
HSE fines for electrical incidents
When an Arc Flash or serious electrical incident happens, the victim, their family and colleagues are all deeply affected.
It’s also likely the company will face an HSE investigation and directors could face severe fines and even criminal prosecution charges if there are found to be failings.
In April 2018, the HSE recorded two cable strike incidents including one which caused major burns resulting in a fine of £600,000 plus costs and another which caused serious burns to the worker’s hands, arms and face which resulted in a fine of £80,000 plus costs.
Investing in high quality PPE and safety garments not only reduces the likely severity of injuries in the event of an incident, but it also demonstrates to the HSE that your company takes its commitments to employee safety seriously and has taken steps to mitigate risks.
Worth the cost
At ProGARM our Arc Flash personal protective clothing provides more protection than other standard flame-resistant clothing.
This is thanks to our exclusive VXS+ fabric. Because it’s made from fibres that have inherent flame-retardant properties, the protection can’t be washed out or fade with wear.
All our PPE clothing as finished garments – not just the fabrics – meet European standards and regulations, holding an EC certification relevant to the intended use and/or industry.
All garments conform to a minimum EN ISO 6330: 2012 DOMESTIC for washing, and some go further to meet the industrial washing standard (EN ISO15797: 2018 INDUSTRIAL). Rigorously tested for 50 wash cycles, our garments demonstrate less than 3% shrinkage.
We’re even ahead of the curve in meeting the new PPE regulations which need to be met by April 2019, having already started testing our products to make sure they meet the new requirements.
To do this we look at each component of the Arc clothing – from fabric to buttons and zips – to ensure it will provide the protection needed in an Arc Flash incident.
All this attention to detail results in products which protect longer and last longer.
One of our clients reported that their ProGARM PPE lasted eight times longer than their previous brand, resulting in substantial savings against the cost of more frequent replacements of cheaper alternatives and keeping employees safer too.
For more information on how you can protect your workforce and receive a free ProGARM Arc Flash PPE consultation, please contact us on +44 (0) 1482 679 600 and speak to one of our experienced specialists.
Make sure that you’re getting value for money when specifying PPE
Read our free guide on the top considerations when choosing Arc Flash clothing & PPE below and make the best choice for you and your team via the link below ⬇.
