Significance and Use
The standards under the jurisdiction of Committee F23 and other technical committees can be used individually or as part of an integrated protocol in the development, selection, specification, and use of chemical protective clothing.
The standards are intended as a means by which information can be requested, generated, and reported in a consistent, comparable manner.
The suggested evaluation and test methods are recommended guidelines only. Test methods offer procedures for evaluating chemical protective clothing at standardized conditions to allow comparison.
The information on clothing performance must be combined with professional judgment, and a clear understanding of the clothing application, to provide the best protection to the worker. All chemical protective clothing use must be based on a hazard assessment to determine the risks for exposure to chemicals and other hazards. Conduct hazard assessments in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.132.
Chemical protective clothing intended for use during hazardous materials emergencies shall be evaluated against and conform to NFPA 1991, Standard on Vapor-Protective Ensemble for Hazardous Materials Emergencies, or NFPA 1992, Standard on Liquid Splash-Protective Ensemble and Clothing for Hazardous Materials Emergencies, as appropriate for the type of emergency. For emergencies involving release of chemical agents during terrorism incidents, chemical protective clothing shall be evaluated against and conform to NFPA 1994, Standard on Protective Ensemble for Chemical/Biological Terrorism Incidents.
Recommendations for labeling chemical protective clothing are provided in Practice F 1301
Appendix X1 is an example of how several of the referenced standards can be combined into a protocol to select the most suitable chemical protective clothing for a given application. Briefly, the process is one of defining the requirements of the application and then (by testing) eliminating those candidates that are unsuitable.
Appendix X2 provides a chart to cross reference U.S. Standards with European and International Standards. This chart shows only analogous standards for measuring the same property or evaluating the similar chemical protective clothing and does not imply that results from different tests will be comparable.
Scope
1.1 This guide is intended to aid in the application of standards for the development, specification, and selection of chemical protective clothing with the ultimate goal of maintaining the safety and health of workers who come into contact with hazardous chemicals.
1.2 This guide provides a short description of each referenced standard and then makes specific recommendations for the use of these standards. The referenced standards are organized under the following headings: Material Chemical Resistance, Material Physical Properties, Seam and Closure Performance, and Overall Clothing Performance.
1.3 No protocol can ensure the selection of protective clothing that guarantees worker protection. The purpose of testing is to generate data and information that will allow the selection of the most appropriate clothing. Ultimately, clothing selection is based on technical evaluation of available information and professional assessment of risk.
1.4 The values stated in SI units or in other units shall be regarded separately as standard. The values stated in each system must be used independently of the other, without combining values in any way.
1.5 This standard does not purport to address the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
