How Arc Flash Base Layers Contribute
Although non-melting clothing (such as cotton, wool, silk and leather) may sometimes be allowed as a layer under an outer arc-rated protected garment, this type of clothing offers no protection against ignition and could cause serious burns in a fire or arc flash incident.
Our Arc Flash base layers, including leggings and long-sleeve tops as well as underwear, are designed to contribute to arc flash protection and can be comfortably worn under all our other flame resistant clothing.
You can find more information about the risks of layering with non-rated Arc Flash base layers in our mythbusting blog here.
Our products are listed with open arc ratings so you know exactly what level of protection each garment provides. The ARC incident energy levels are measured in calories per cm2 this is referred to as the cal rating. These are then measured into 4 categories with a minimum cal rating per category required.
When you layer up garments you can increase the level of protection. For example, the ProGARM 5280 polo shirt at 7.0 cal/cm2 and the 5630 Sweatshirt at 14.4 cal/cm2 when worn together achieve a cal/cm2 rating of 31.0 cal/cm2.
For full protection from Arc Flash and fire incidents, choose ProGARM garments.
Unfortunately, there are no easy short cuts to working out whether combining garments will result in negligible or substantial improvements to the overall protection level; this can only be determined by rigorously testing the specific garment combinations as a system.
If you need more guidance on layering please contact our sales team.
