1. GENERAL INFORMATION

Personal Protective Clothing (PPE) is defined in this code as ‘all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects them against one or more risks to their health or safety, e.g. safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety harnesses.

When working on or testing high or low voltage electrical equipment PPE shall be supplied and used wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways. PPE shall be:

• properly assessed before use to ensure it is suitable; 
• maintained and stored properly; 
• provided with instructions on how to use it safely; and 
• used correctly. 

2. ARC FLASHING PROTECTION

The Electrical Authorising Engineer shall undertake an arc flash hazard analysis of their appointed area of responsibility and assess whether flame resistant clothing, face shield and gloves are required by Electrical ​Authorised or Nominated Persons while working on or testing high and low voltage equipment.

An arc flash hazard analysis should determine:

• The maximum duration of a potential arc (dependent on the 3-phase fault detection and clearance time of the system)
• The incident energy level from a potential arc flash (proportional to the prospective short circuit current from the system being worked on or near)
• Whether the work will take place with any enclosure closed or open
• The flash protection boundary within which PPE will be required

The PPE assessment will then use the determined incident energy level which could be received by the person carrying out the specified task and equate this to a level of PPE.

Required level of PPE if incident level:​

• <2 CAL/ cm2 – recommended cotton overalls (AE to assess risk)
• >2 CAL/ cm2 and <5 CAL/ cm2 - flame resistant clothing is recommended (AE to assess risk)
• >5 CAL/ cm2 - flame resistant clothing must be worn

If the PPE assessment determines that flame resistant clothing is required then it shall have a minimum rating of 10 CAL/cm2 and shall include arc flash overalls, visor and gloves.

Additional layers of flame resistant clothing can be worn to increase the flame resistant rating above 50 CAL/cm2 if required.

3. INSULATING GLOVES

If a risk assessment requires the use of insulating gloves during LV electrical work or test they must conform to standard EN 60903:2003. Insulating gloves of classification 00 or 0 are suitable rated for LV electrical work or test and shall be chosen with an appropriate physical size.

Before using insulating gloves of classes 00 and 0 they must be check for air leaks and a visually inspection. During storage keep the gloves away from direct heat or light sources and store in temperatures between 10 and 21°C, humidity 60+/-10%. Do not crush or fold the gloves. Gloves should be kept in their original packaging and stored in a safe location, to prevent damage, when not used.