CEN/TR 17330:2019

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-maj-2019
Smernice za izbiro, uporabo, nego in vzdrževanje varovalne obleke, ki varuje pred
slabim vremenom, vetrom in mrazom
Guidelines for selection, use, care and maintenance of protective clothing against foul
weather, wind and cold
Anleitungen für die Auswahl, Anwendung, Pflege und Erhaltung von Schutzkleidung
gegen schlechtes Wetter, Wind und Kälte
Guide pour la sélection, l’utilisation, l’entretien et la maintenance des vêtements de
protection contre les intempéries, le vent et le froid
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TR 17330:2019
ICS:
13.340.10 Varovalna obleka Protective clothing
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

CEN/TR 17330
TECHNICAL REPORT
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
February 2019
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
ICS 13.340.10
English Version
Guidelines for selection, use, care and maintenance of
protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold
Guide pour la sélection, l'utilisation, l'entretien et la Anleitungen für die Auswahl, Anwendung, Pflege und
maintenance des vêtements de protection contre les Erhaltung von Schutzkleidung gegen schlechtes
intempéries, le vent et le froid Wetter, Wind und Kälte

This Technical Report was approved by CEN on 8 February 2019. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 162.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2019 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TR 17330:2019 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Selection . 11
4.1 General . 11
4.2 Risk assessment . 11
4.3 Selection of protective clothing based on risk assessment . 11
4.4 Optimal protective clothing . 12
4.5 Request for information . 13
4.6 Wearer trials . 14
4.7 Additional assessment to assist selection process. 15
4.8 Other considerations . 16
5 Use . 16
5.1 General . 16
5.2 Training . 17
5.3 Introducing protective clothing into service . 17
5.3.1 Record keeping . 17
5.3.2 Routine examination (see also 7.2 “Inspection”) . 18
5.3.3 In service evaluation and monitoring. 18
5.3.4 Frequency of cleaning on the protective clothing . 19
6 Care . 19
6.1 General . 19
6.2 Cleaning and drying . 20
6.2.1 Cleaning . 20
6.2.2 Drying . 21
6.3 Label, Marking and Instruction for Use/Manufacturer’s Instructions/User
Instructions . 21
6.4 Storage . 21
7 Maintenance . 22
7.1 General . 22
7.2 Inspection . 22
7.2.1 General . 22
7.2.2 Inspections scheduled by the user . 23
7.2.3 Elements to be inspected . 23
7.2.4 Decisions . 24
7.3 Repairs and alterations. 24
7.4 Disposal . 24
Annex A (informative) EN standards and their performance levels relating to clothing
designed to provide protection from foul weather, wind and cold . 25
A.1 General . 25
A.2 Standards describing performance requirements for protective clothing or
materials . 25
A.2.1 Product Standards . 25
A.2.2 Test methods . 25
Annex B (informative) Risk assessment . 27
Annex C (informative) Guidance on some investigated Artic case scenarios . 29
C.1 Case Scenario1 . 29
C.2 Case Scenario 2 . 30
Bibliography . 34

European foreword
This document (CEN/TR 17330:2019) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 162
“Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets”, the secretariat of which is held
by DIN.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Regulation (EU) 2016/425 indicates that PPE placed on the market complies with the essential health
and safety requirements, and not necessarily with the various relevant EN or EN ISO standards.
Nevertheless nearly all PPE meet the essential requirements of the standards, as harmonized standards
give presumption of conformity with the requirements of the Directive.
The reader should be aware that if PPE is intended for use at a workplace, national and European
legislation intended to ensure the safety of employees usually applies. When one mentions PPE, it must
meet the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425.
All annexes are informative.
Introduction
This document has the aim to serve as guideline and checklist for companies preparing their own
protective clothing program based on risk analysis.
The information in this document has been produced to assist users, employers and purchasers (or the
person who advises the employer) in making the necessary decisions regarding the selection, use, care
and maintenance of protective clothing, for employees exposed to risks related to foul weather, wind
and cold.
The purpose of this technical report is to establish a guideline for protective clothing against foul
weather, wind and cold with the goal to evaluate and reduce the safety risks and potential health risks
associated with poorly maintained, contaminated, or damaged protective clothing. This Selection, Use,
Care and Maintenance guideline (SUCAM) provides best practice, answers, criteria, and options related
to foul weather, wind and cold to the persons that are selecting or using protective clothing through its
life cycle with respect to protection.” The main topics that an employer needs to consider are
highlighted in this document. Many paragraphs of the document contain bullet-lists as examples and
options that may need to be considered.
The annexes give additional details that are necessary to describe hazards and risks, the value of the
test methods for the end user, etc.
Annex A gives details of the current EN or EN ISO Standards relating to clothing designed to provide
protection from foul weather, wind and cold.
Please be aware of and consider compatibility with other items of PPE that both protect against foul
weather, wind and cold, but consider other risks as well.
For European legislation on PPE see Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of
Council of 9 March 2016 on personal protective equipment.
1 Scope
This document provides guidance to the employers or persons advising them such as suppliers of PPE
or services, inspection, insurance companies etc.) in taking the necessary decisions regarding the
selection, use, care and maintenance of protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold, and is
compliant with the applicable European legislation.
This document is not exhaustive in addressing all the safety concerns associated with the use of
compliant protective equipment for protection against foul weather, wind and cold and other related
risks.
This document does not address all the safety concerns, if any, associated with the use of this document
by testing or repair facilities. It is the responsibility of the persons and organizations using this
document and any other documents related to PPE:
— to conduct a risk assessment,
— to select the protective clothing and other PPE,
— to ensure that these provide a holistic protection; this can be achieved by not only assessing the
risks, but also the work place and the work environment, and to determine the applicability of
regulatory limitations prior to using this document for any designing, manufacturing, and testing.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN ISO 13688:2013, Protective clothing — General requirements (ISO 13688:2013)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
ageing
change of one or more initial properties of protective materials during the passage of time
[SOURCE: EN ISO 13688:2013, 3.1]
3.2
air permeability
AP
velocity of an air flow passing perpendicularly through a test specimen under specified conditions of
test area, pressure drop and time
Note 1 to entry: AP is expressed in millimetres per second.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 9237:1995, 3.1, modified: abbreviation added as admitted term and Note 1 to entry
added]
3.3
care
provisions for cleaning, decontamination and storage of the protective clothing
3.4
cold environment
environment characterized by the combination of humidity and wind (wind-chill effect) at air
temperature equal to or less than −5 °C
[SOURCE: EN 342:2017, 3.1]
3.5
compatibility
ability of clothing (protective clothing and other clothing) to be used in conjunction with other parts of
PPE
3.6
cool environment
environment characterized by the combination of humidity and wind (wind cooling effect) at air
temperatures above - 5°C
[SOURCE: EN 14058:2017, 3.1]
3.7
deterioration
downgrading of the effectiveness or physical characteristics of textile materials due to use, care,
maintenance or storage conditions
3.8
ensemble
combination or assembly of multiple items that are individually compliant and provide protection to the
head, upper torso together with arms and hands, the lower torso together with feet, and respiratory
protection, and that together fulfil all the requirements
3.9
ergonomics
scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among human and other
elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in
order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance
[SOURCE: EN ISO 26800:2011, 2.2, accepted term and note to entry deleted]
3.10
field evaluation
non-laboratory assessment of an ensemble, ensemble element, or item
3.11
fit
quality, state, and manner in which clothing, when worn, relates to the individual human body or other
PPE
3.12
garment
individual component of a clothing ensemble covering a part of the body, except separate garment for
head, hands and feet and providing protection against hypothermia
[SOURCE: EN 342:2017, 3.2]
3.13
hardware
non-fabric items used in protective clothing including those made of metal or plastic, e.g. fasteners, rank
markings, buttons, zippers
[SOURCE: EN 469:2005, 3.7]
3.14
hazard
situation which can be the cause of harm or damage to the health of the human body
[SOURCE: EN ISO 13688:2013, 3.2, modified: Note 1 to entry deleted]
3.15
hygiene
any practice or activity that you do to keep protective clothing healthy and clean
3.16
insulation required
IREQ
required resultant thermal insulation calculated on the basis of the thermal parameters of the
environment (e. g. air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity) and the
body metabolism
[SOURCE: EN 14058:2017, 3.6.3, modified: term split into term and acronym, Note 1 to entry deleted]
3.17
integrity
construction of the protective clothing that ensures the proper functioning of the protective clothing
Note 1 to entry: Seams, zippers and other closures provide integrity if they constitute solid barriers which
ensure suitable protection while offering some flexibility by design.
3.18
maintenance
preservation from loss or deterioration by applying procedures for inspection, repair and ultimate
removal from service
3.19
outer shell material
outermost material of which the protective clothing is made
[SOURCE: EN 342:2017, 3.11]
3.20
protective clothing
clothing which covers or replaces personal clothing and which is designed to provide protection against
one or more hazards
[SOURCE: EN ISO 13688:2013, 3.4]
3.21
resistance to water penetration
WP
hydrostatic pressure supported by a material as a measure of the opposition to the passage of water
through material
Note 1 to entry: WP is expressed in pascal.
[SOURCE: EN 342:2017, 3.9]
3.22
resultant effective thermal insulation
I
cler
thermal insulation from skin to outer clothing surface under defined conditions measured with or
calculated for a moving manikin determined in relation to the naked body surface area
Note 1 to entry: I is expressed in square metres Kelvin per watt
cler
[SOURCE: EN 342:2017, 3,8]
3.23
risk
probability of a specific undesired event occurring so that a hazard is realized
[SOURCE: EN ISO 13688:2013, 3.2]
3.24
risk assessment
overall process that identifies hazards, estimates the potential severity of injury or damage to health,
estimates the likelihood of occurrence of injury or danger to health determines the protective clothing
against cold and cool and other protection measures required
3.25
selection
process of determining the type of protective equipment (garments) that is necessary for the required
protection
3.26
tensile strength
force at which a fibre or fabric will break when pulled in one dimension
3.27
textile fabric
planar structure consisting of yarns or fibres
3.28
thermal lining
non-watertight layer providing thermal insulation
[SOURCE: EN 14058:2017, 3.4]
3.29
thermal resistance
insulation
R
ct
temperature difference between the two faces of a material divided by the resultant heat flux per unit
area in the direction of the gradient
Note 1 to entry: It is a quantity specific to textile materials or composites, which determines the dry heat flux
across a given area in response to a steady applied temperature gradient. The dry heat flux can consist of one or
more conductive, convective and radiant components.
Note 2 to entry: The thermal resistance is expressed in square metres kelvin per watt.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 11092:2014, 2.1]
3.30
trousers
element of the protective ensemble that provides protection to the lower torso and legs, excluding the
ankles and feet
3.31
use
application of protective clothing including its limitations
3.32
verified independent service provider
ISP
independent service provider verified by a third-party certification organization and who conducts, as
individual or combined services, advanced inspection, advanced cleaning, basic repair, or advanced
repair
3.33
water vapour resistance
R
et
water vapour pressure difference between the two faces of a material divided by the resultant
evaporative heat flux per unit area in the direction of the gradient
Note 1 to entry: It is a quantity specific to textile materials or composites, which determines the “latent”
evaporative heat flux across a given area in response to a steady applied water vapour pressure gradient. The
evaporative heat flux can consist of both diffusive and convective components.
Note 2 to entry: The water vapour resistance is expressed in square metres pascal per watt.
[SOURCE: EN ISO 11092:2014, 2.2]
4 Selection
4.1 General
The process of selecting protective clothing can be divided into a number of steps with the goal of
providing protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold and related risks that are suitable and
appropriate for the intended use (job and/or task) and fulfil the requirements of the European
legislation, note that national legislation can apply as well. Not only selection procedures are required
but also for use, care and maintenance of protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold used
by the employees.
Selection is the starting point when determining the need for protective clothing. The selection should
not be limited to their section as a decision can be broader based on use, cleaning, maintenance, etc.
It is the obligation of the manufacturer, for certified protective clothing and according to EN ISO 13688,
to give clear instructions about use, care and maintenance of the clothing to be followed up by the
employee and employer. These instructions specify the methods and means of cleaning and drying.
4.2 Risk assessment
Prior to starting the selection process of protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold, the
organization performs a risk assessment. A risk assessment is a dynamic process and is not limited to
the present situation. The risk assessment include but needs not be limited to, the hazards and work
conditions that can be encountered in each task in foul weather, wind and cold environment based on
the following:
— Step 1: Identify the hazards (Annex B).
In identifying the hazard it is important to understand both the intensity and time of exposure.
— Step 2: Estimate the risk
R = LE ××S (see Annex B) based on the task. (1)
where
R is the risk
L is the likelihood
E is the time of exposure
S is the severity of the risk;
— Step 3: Ensure that prevention options (technical, organisational, etc.) have been exhausted before
choosing PPE.
— Step 4: Decide on precautions to mitigate risks.
— Step 5: Record findings and implement them.
— Step 6: Review risk assessment and update if necessary.
Annex A gives references to some of the recommended documents on this subject.
4.3 Selection of protective clothing based on risk assessment
If the risks are identified following the risk assessment (Annex B) it is important that the appropriate
personal protective equipment is selected taking into account that:
— the standard or method chosen, which will provide the protection required, (see Annex C) are
identified;
— the level(s) of protection required (for the relevant parts of the body) in relative or absolute terms
for each item of protective clothing is (are) determined;
— the risk and experience of the previously used protective clothing against foul weather, wind and
cold risks are assessed;
— the compatibility with other PPE is identified.
Annex C provides guidelines and examples of hazards and applicable standards.

Figure 1 — Acquisition of protective clothing based on risk assessment
4.4 Optimal protective clothing
Selection of optimal over best protective clothing is a better option because over-protection might lead
to a lack of comfort. In addition to ambient air temperature, factors such as work intensity, humidity,
precipitation, wind speed, radiation and clothing worn while working can lead to cold stress.
Employers are expected to be sensitive to these factors as people working in uncomfortable
environments are more likely to behave unsafely because their ability to take decisions and their
performance of manual tasks deteriorates. For example:
— employees might not wear personal protective equipment properly in cold environments,
increasing the risks for cold stress;
— an employee's ability to concentrate on a given task can decrease, which increases the risk of errors
occurring;
— muscle cooling leads to decreased balance abilities and increasing risks of slipping and falling.
At the same time, the worker is expected to be protected from hazards, therefore a balance between
health or comfort, and the long and short-term risks protection is the best approach. To achieve this, the
following can be done:
— identify the hazards that employees might face and then engineer out or reduce the hazard level;
— define the optimal protective clothing;
the optimal protective clothing depends on a number of factors:
— number of garment layers to balance comfort and protection needed for different tasks;
— garment construction can increase or decrease the perception of comfort;
— fabric weight is a critical factor in determining on-the-job comfort, the heavier the fabric the
less comfort is offered;
— breathability of fabric.
Breathability of fabric is frequently measured by its vapour resistance (R ). For example, the
et
European Standard EN 343 on material comfort rating (Clothing for protection against foul
weather) sets various classes as follows:
— Class 1 materials have R values greater than 40 m Pa/W, and are considered to be
et
impermeable, i.e. they offer no perceivable comfort to the wearer;
2 2
— Class 2 materials have R values between 25 m Pa/W and 40 m Pa/W, and are rated as
et
medium performance, offering some breathable performance. The majority of products on
the market are of this class;
2 2
— Class 3 materials have R values between 15 m Pa/W and 25 m Pa/W;
et
— Class 4 materials have R values smaller than or equal to 15 m Pa/W.·
et
Fabrics without membrane or coating will always have better breathability.
The thermal comfort is not only affected by the PPE but also by all worn clothing items.
4.5 Request for information
When purchasing purposes of protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold, it is important
that:
— market research is carried out to determine products that are available (for properties see Table 1);
— information on performance levels is obtained from the potential suppliers and from manufacturer
information;
— protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold as covered by the Regulation (EU)
2016/425 on personal protective equipment is selected;
— compatibility of all items of PPE to be used is ensured.
Annex A provides a list of the relevant EN standards for clothing designed to protect against foul
weather, wind and cold.
4.6 Wearer trials
Where a field evaluation (wearer trials) of protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold is
conducted, the organization establishes criteria to ensure a systematic method of comparing products
in a manner related to their intended use and assessing their performance relative to the organization's
expectations, by well-defined criteria is the best approach. The purpose of a wearer trial is to assess the
compatibility and the ergonomic practicality of the protective clothing against foul weather, wind and
cold risks. Obtaining feedback from the intended users is of extreme importance at this stage, as such
information will provide valuable data relating to the practical performance of the protective clothing,
and also give confidence to the users, thus ensuring that the selected items are used.
NOTE In hazardous working situations CE-marked protective clothing is used.
When conducting wearer trials, the following issues should be considered:
— comfort and ability:
— can the user perform all the movements and take the working positions as he will have to when
performing his task? Can this be done without compromising the wearer's safety?
— is there any constraint on the user's access to parts of his working place, e.g. climbing on
ladders or passing through narrow openings? Can he do this without putting himself in danger
and without damaging his CPC (cold protective clothing) or other equipment?
— will the use of the CPC lead to a considerable decrease of work time?
— ease and speed of putting on and taking off (donning-doffing):
— this is of high importance when the CPC has to be used in emergency situations or when the
chemical is so aggressive that the protection time offered by the CPC is limited when
contaminated;
— ease and extent of adjustability:
— in order to ensure the wearer's comfort and ease of movement, the suit should be equipped
with a system adjustable to the body measurements of the individual wearer;
— compatibility with all other items of PPE;
— time limits for use:
— the use of other PPE, e.g. self-contained breathing apparatus, might limit the wearing time of
the CPC;
— chemical resistance will be negatively affected by high temperatures and mechanical actions such
as flexing, rubbing etc. Breakthrough times obtained by laboratory test methods serve only as an
indicator to set time limits for real use.
Table 1 — Summary table of properties and wearability of protective clothing
Property Consideration Parameters (examples)
Sensibility Breathability Air permeability
Flexibility Water vapour permeability
Elasticity Water vapour resistance
Skin effects Thermal resistance
Weight
Thickness
Surface roughness
pH value
Ergonomics In wear at work Size
Fit
Weight
Freedom of movement and work
Friction against undergarments in walking
Durability In wear Tensile strength
In storage Tear strength
Abrasion resistance
Flex cracking
Seam resistance
Colour durability
Material ageing
Wash and care Single use Ease of cleaning
Washing Dimensional stability
Dry cleaning Pilling
Visual appearance
Absence of physical damages after cleaning
Performance preservation
4.7 Additional assessment to assist selection process
To assist any decision making process, additional assessment can be required:
— assessment of behaviour after laundry/cleaning. The selection of a garment certified after a higher
number of washing cycles is advisable, unless the garment does not fulfil the requirements
anymore;
— assessment of wear and tear. This assessment is useful to predict the material durability under
mechanical stress;
— thermal insulation assessment of behaviour after partially or fully wetted clothing. Considering that
a partially or fully wet garment (sweating/water impact) reduces the thermal insulation, causing a
severe risk to the worker, this investigation is recommended to prevent potential related risks;
— visibility of employee.
4.8 Other considerations
In order to establish the overall performance and the total cost of ownership of the protective clothing,
other considerations may be made:
— Is training offered as part of the procurement package (including training provided by third
parties)?
— Is a post procurement service offered?
— What quality assurance measures are in place prior to the delivery?
— What are the requirements for cleaning?
— What are the inspection and maintenance requirements?
— What are the replacement requirements and costs for components?
— What is the delivery time for standard and special sizes?
— What sizes are available?
— Are stock items held by the supplier?
— What are the collection and delivery arrangements?
— Should stock be held within the organization?
— How is the internal distribution to the users organized?
— How has the protective clothing to be safely disposed of?
— Can corporate/role identity be incorporated without affecting performance?
— Are quality assurance measures put in place by the supplier (e.g. certified quality management
system in accordance with EN ISO 9001)?
— If relevant, are quality assurance measures offered by the rental company?
When the outcome of a selection process results in the employer providing a number of items of
protective clothing for different tasks/activities, the user/wearer may (after being provided with
appropriate training) select the item(s) that provide the necessary protection at the time of use. Any
selection made at that stage is supposed to be based upon the risk assessment carried out by the
employer or based upon an informed dynamic risk assessment by the user at time of use.
5 Use
5.1 General
After the selection of the protective clothing, a number of stages should be followed to ensure its correct
use. This program has the goal to provide protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold risks
that are suitable and appropriate for the intended use and to maintain such protective clothing in a safe,
usable condition. Periodic review of the hazard/risk assessment may need a revision of the use of PPE.
5.2 Training
European Directive 89/656/EEC (Section II Article 4 paragraph 8) requires that all employees/users
are trained how to use their protective clothing correctly, preferably prior to approve the equipment for
active use. These directions should be available to the employee. The training should include:
— information concerning limitations and capabilities of the protective clothing,
— what the protective clothing will protect from,
— what the protective clothing will not protect from,
— what the effects are (if any) of long term use,
— how to use, wear and inspect the protective clothing,
— the importance of complying with the manufacturers or suppliers instructions,
— how the care and maintenance procedures should be carried out,
— how to store the protective clothing when not in use,
— information concerning arrangements for handling, cleaning and decontamination,
— how to determine when the protective clothing is no longer fit for purpose,
— how to obtain replacements.
5.3 Introducing protective clothing into service
WARNING — When individual items of a protective clothing ensemble are replaced, care should be
taken to ensure that the required level of protection to the body is maintained.
5.3.1 Record keeping
In the overall management of protective clothing it is essential to build a full life history for each item,
from manufacture to disposal (PPE Use Directive 89/656/EEC, PPE Directive 89/686). This record
keeping, whether on the cost of maintenance or on issues during use of PPE, is beneficial to improve the
worker's protection and to understand the life of the PPE.
The following records should be kept for protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold risks:
— person to whom the element is issued;
— the specification of the protective clothing (manufacturer, month and year of manufacture, delivery
date;
— batch number, model and design, etc.;
— training records of operative personnel using the protective clothing, including the duration of
exposure to risks and the identity of the risks;
— the service history of the protective clothing (date of issue, name of wearer, .);
— information relating to care;
— cleaning;
— storage;
— records of cleaning and drying cycles (including repellence treatments);
— records of maintenance;
— inspection;
— damage and repair;
— disposal;
— problems arising from the use of the protective clothing.
NOTE These records will be easily available to the current user or his delegate.
5.3.2 Routine examination (see also 7.2 “Inspection”)
Each individual item of protective clothing should be examined before and after use, after washing or
after repair. Ideally the examinations should be carried out by the appropriately trained user, the
laundry, the manufacturer, the supplier of the protective clothing or other external organization.
Routine examinations should include the following visual non-destructive checks:
— appropriate working conditions (the garment should be dry before re-use);
— physical damage (punctures, holes, state of seams, rips, tears, cuts, missing hardware, shrinkage,
discoloration, state of membrane, wear of different layers, loss of fabric thickness (e.g. 25 %));
— damaged or missing accessories (reflective trimming, labelling);
— ongoing evaluation of system fit and interfaces/overlaps;
— registrations of the findings of visual inspection.
Appropriate action should be taken to remedy the observed deficiencies including cleaning, and any
necessary reparations or replacements.
5.3.3 In service evaluation and monitoring
A system should be in place to ensure that the performance of all protective clothing is constantly
evaluated and monitored. In order to know the level of protection, random testing on in-use garments
should be performed.
The items to be monitored may include:
— accident/injury statistics (including near accident);
— failure rates of protective clothing including trends for similar repairs;
— feedback from users;
— changes in working conditions and available protective clothing on the market;
— routine examination (described above), and
— registration of intensity of use only determines visual shortcomings of the clothing.
5.3.4 Frequency of cleaning on the protective clothing
Protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold must be clean. Carry out cleaning procedure
determined by the manufacturer to ensure that protection is maintained. For cleaning instructions
see 7.2.
6 Care
6.1 General
Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment stipulates that all protective clothing
must be provided with manufacturer information, including care instructions (both on a label attached
to the item and/or separately in a written document. Based on this information, the employer should
determine the arrangements for care and inform all parties involved (including the user). Employers
provide a means for having protective clothing against foul weather, wind and cold risks cleaned.
Care arrangements should include information on:
— cleaning;
— use of cleaning methods (washing, chemical, dry, steam or not treatable);
— person who carries out cleaning (professional or industrial cleaning is the preferred method, as
home cleaning can only be done under strict considerations);
— risks and benefits e.g. cross contamination, washing conditions, hygiene, temperature,
prewash, detergents and drying;
— causes for cleaning the items (visible contamination, smell and doubtful cases);
— necessity of re-application of finishes and/or treatments.
— visual inspection by specialist care or maintenance and/or manufacturer. In case of class 3
products the protective clothing shall be examined every year by the manufacturer.
— ageing;
— wear and tear;
— registration of intensity of use, cleaning and decontamination;
— frequency of use of clothing;
— quantity of cleaning and/or decontamination cycles;
— storage;
— parameters for the storage of the protective clothing (e.g. humidity, temperature, duration,
light);
— conditions for storing protective clothing, prior to use, when in use and when not in use,
respectively.
6.2 Cleaning and drying
6.2.1 Cleaning
The end users are responsible for the routine care and maintenance of their issued protective clothing.
Employers follow up the instructions of the manufacturer and user information for instructions on
washing and drying, dry cleaning, disinfection, re-impregnation, etc. that the manufacturer provided
with the protective clothing. It is recommended to clean new clothing (non- disposable) prior to first
use to ensure that no residues of production remain on the clothing.
Cleaning can be divided into two different levels, namely:
— routine cleaning (level 1):
light cleaning of ensembles or ensemble elements performed by the end user without taking the
elements out of service;
— advanced cleaning (level 2):
thorough cleaning of ensembles or elements by washing with cleaning agents (excluding bleach and
peroxides as they may affect the protection characteristics of the clothing).
Cleaning can be divided into different methods, namely:
— dry cleaning (can require re-impregnation),
— wet (washing) (can require re-impregnation),
— chemical (can require re-impregnation),
— steam (can require re-impregnation),
— other.
Good cleaning practice will ensure that:
— home washing is only allowed if the clothing is not soiled with hazardous substances;
— requirements for cleanliness are determined;
— there is limited deterioration to any components of the protective clothing and a preservation of
the integrity of protection;
— the items are visibly clean;
— the protective clothing is hygienically clean;
— no unpleasant odour remains;
— loading (weight of garments versus liquor –water and cleaning agent) of the washing machines is
such as to ensure effective cleaning and rinsing of the machines;
— there are no residues of the cleaning products and packing;
— the possibility of the size of the garment changing is limited;
— re-application of finishes/treatments is done according to the instructions of the su
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