In today’s dynamic work environment, the need for a protective workwear has become a mandate, to provide proper protection to all the workers. For those who are not familiar with the care and maintenance of their workwear must take proper guidance. In this article we have covered the basics of determining when a flame-resistant garment should be removed from service.
In the most important industries like the Oil & Gas, or metallurgy, the workers should ALWAYS follow the practices of their organisation’s safety policy. In it in their well-being, and to minimize the possibility of injury, wearers should also perform an inspection of their FR workwear before every use to ensure that none of the outlined retirement conditions have occurred.
Here’s how a wearer can inspect their garment;
Garment Inspection & Retirement
There are many ways to carry out this activity, both visually and through various other techniques. Some of these visually identifiable issues may reduce the effectiveness of the FR clothing and are basis for immediate garment retirement.
Kindly check for;
• Worn or thin spots, holes, excessive wear or abrasion spots on the garment
• Evidence of cuts, rips, tears, open seams, or broken closures
• Changes or Alterations made to a garment that significantly varies from the original design
• The FR clothing does not fit the wearer or is ill-fitting
• The FR apparel has had contact with Bleach
• Soiled Beyond Salvage – clothing soiled by chemicals or substances that present a flammability hazard, such as solvents, solids, oils, and other accelerants that cannot be properly removed by cleaning.
To add to the points mentioned above, there might be some chemical odors that remain after appropriate laundering can be an indicator of other issues that might harm the protective properties of the garment.
