EN ISO 11611 WELDING & ALLIED PROCESSES PROTECTION

Designed to protect the wearer from droplets of molten metal, short contact with flame, radiant heat from arc; the clothing minimises the possibility of electrical shock up to 100V DC voltage. There are two classes with specific performance requirements:

• Class 1 (lower level): less hazardous welding situations. Tested with 15 molten metal drops
• Class 2 (higher level): more hazardous welding situations. Tested with 25 molten metal drops

Also, each procedure A1 + A2 must be tested for ISO 15025 for flame spread.

In Detail:

European standard for garments that protect the user when welding or carrying out similar work.

Fabric Demands:

The demands for mechanical strength and for resistance to flame and heat are divided into two classes.

Class 1:

For less hazardous techniques and situations, causing lower level of spatter and radiant heat. Suitable for manual welding techniques with light formation of splatters and drops, e.g. gas welding, TIG, MIG, micro plasma welding, brazing, spot welding and MMA welding. The material must be able to withstand at least 15 drops of molten metal without exceeding an increase in temperature of 40 degrees on the reverse of the material.

Class 2:

For more hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing higher levels of spatter and radiant heat. Suitable for manual welding techniques with heavy formations of splatters and drops, e.g. MMA welding (with basic or cellulose covered electrode), MAG welding (with CO2 or mix gas), MIG welding (with high current). The material must be able to withstand at least 25 drops of molten metal without exceeding an increase in temperature of 40 degrees on the reverse of the material.

Design Demands:

The construction of the garment is based on 13 different design requirements in the standard. For example, the design must reduce the risk of the garment accumulating welding splatter etc., so these garments lack some of the pockets and functions found on other garments.

USER INFORMATION:

It is important to choose a garment of the correct class to suit your work. With the use of additional, partially protective garments, the basic garment must meet at least Class 1 standard. Use an overall, two-piece jacket and trousers, or jacket and bib and brace that are approved to this standard. Two-piece protective clothing must be worn together to provide the specified level of protection.

The garment does not provide protection from direct contact with all parts of arc welding installations carrying welding voltage. It is designed to provide protection against short-term, accidental contact with live electric conductors at voltages up to approximately 100V DC. The garment is not designed to offer protection against electric shock. If there is an increased risk of electric shock in your working environment, additional insulation layers will be required. Be careful when welding in a limited space where there could be a greater concentration of oxygen – this will reduce the flame-retardant properties of the welder’s protective clothing. Additional partial body protection may be required in some circumstances, e.g. for welding overhead.

Information on UV radiation hazards:

Class 2 garments are designed to be more resistant than Class 1 garments but this resistance cannot be precisely quantified. Users exposed to UV radiation are to be made aware of the risks and the need for regular checking:

• A simple way to check whether this type of clothing is still protecting against UV radiation (to be carried out weekly, for example) is to hold the garment up to the light of a 100W tungsten bulb at arm’s length (approximately 2m away from bulb). If any light can be seen through the fabric, UV will be able to penetrate it too.
• Similarly, users should be advised that if they experience sunburn-like symptoms, UVB is penetrating. In either case, the garment should be replaced, and the use of additional, more resistant protective layers should be considered.