Flame Resistant Fabrics in Oil & Gas: Full-Stream Protection

From upstream to downstream, safety is the priority for employees in the oil and gas industry. With workers facing risks such as flash fires in refineries, falling tools, and arc flash hazards around electrical equipment, it’s always been important to ensure that they are properly protected with PPE that suits their job environment and function. And in the last decade or so, it’s gotten easier for oil and gas companies to manage their PPE programs across a broad range of job duties.

Why FR Is Critical Protection for Oil and Gas Workers

Flame resistant and arc flash rated garments are the last line of defense in the event of an emergency and can mean the difference between walking away and life-changing injuries or death. At each stage in the oil and gas pipeline, workers face varying degrees of risk depending on their job duties, but if the worst should occur, they will be better prepared if they’re wearing the correct protective garments.

What to Consider with FR Garments for Oil and Gas Workers

Some job duties in the supply chain may carry more risk for one hazard type over another: for example, downstream refinery workers are more likely to encounter a flash fire, but it’s not impossible for them to face an arc flash event—so you may want to consider garments that protect against both risks. Upstream, workers are required to wear FR by OSHA, but until they hit hydrocarbons in the ground, the risk of fire is low. But since you can’t predict when you’ll hit gas, it’s best to be always prepared.

For the folks doing dirtier work, they may need to be changing their FR mid-shift. As we know, once your FR is contaminated with flammable materials, it’s not flame resistant anymore. That’s why it’s so important to properly clean and maintain FR. Ensuring your workers have enough garments so they always have a clean set to change into means ordering the proper amount of product as well as having an effective laundering program in place, likely with an industrial launderer that can handle cleaning the chemicals oil and gas workers come into contact with.

Double Duty Fabrics

In the past, oil and gas companies would keep their electricians separate and outfit them in protective garments that met the NFPA 70E Arc Flash Rating requirements, with everyone else usually in 100% cotton. But since CAT 2 garments have become lighter weight and comparable in comfort to CAT 1 garments, more companies are opting to put everyone in protective workwear that meets both the NFPA 70E CAT 2 and 2112 standards.

Why? It’s simpler. With everyone protected from both flash fire and arc flash hazards, you have fewer worries. And it makes it simpler when it comes to ordering new protective workwear.

How Often to Review Your Oil & Gas FR Protective Workwear

The protective workwear industry is changing fast, with more advanced and more comfortable protective fabrics being developed and introduced to the marketplace than ever. If your company has been using the same workwear for the last 20 years, you owe it to your employees to start reviewing your program on a more regular basis and see how newer products compare.

Wear trials are a fantastic way to test out a few different options and get feedback directly from your employees on how they perform. With many options now offering stretch, workwear is moving closer and closer to looking and feeling nearly indistinguishable from mainstream streetwear. And workers from all streams of the oil and gas industry will thank you for it if you give them the option to wear workwear they want to put on.