ASTM International standard F2621, Practice for Determining Response Characteristics and Design Integrity of Arc Related Finished Products in an Electric Arc Exposure, is the latest standard developed by Subcommittee F18.65 to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by electric arcs. ASTM Practice F2621 provides guidelines for conducting arc testing on finished products intended for use as thermal protection by workers who may be exposed to electric arcs. Subcommittee F18.65 is under the jurisdiction of ASTM International Committee F18 on Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers.

Thomas Neal, president of Neal Associates Ltd. and an F18 member, says that F2621 was developed because of a need within the protective-equipment industry to determine the qualitative arc-exposure performance of arc-resistant garments and other personal protective equipment (PPE) tested on a mannequin to simulate the way the garments and PPE are used by a worker in a real hazard situation.

“A standard was needed that would show how the garment closures, sewing thread, buttons and pant jacket overlap areas perform in an arc exposure in order to improve protective clothing design,” says Neal, who notes that arc-flash demos or accident simulations did not follow a standard, and so were not being conducted in a consistent way.

According to Neal, F2621 will be used by both manufacturers and large end users of PPE, as well as by companies that have had arc-flash accidents and want to recreate the exposure conditions for analysis. The standard will be used for the improvement of protective clothing design, for dealing with problems related to closures, labels and sewing thread in protective clothing, and for the assessment of overlap areas when more than one protective garment is worn.

Other standards developed by Subcommittee F18.65 to protect electrical workers include: F1506, Specification for Flame Resistant Textile Materials for Wearing Apparel for Use by Electrical Workers Exposed to Momentary Electric Arc and Related Thermal Hazards; F1959/F1959M, Test Method for Determining the Arc Rating of Materials for Clothing; F1891, Specification for Arc and Flame Resistant Rainwear; and F2178, Test Method for Determining the Arc Rating and Standard Specification for Face Protective Products.