High-Viz Under the NFPA 70E Standard

As mentioned in our previous blog post “ANSI FR Compliance in a Nutshell“, all of our ANSI FR compliant high visibility apparel complies with NFPA 70E. What is NFPA, and what is the 70E standard? We’re glad you asked…

What is NFPA?

The NFPA, short for National Fire Protection Association, is the country’s leading fire prevention advocate. In their effort to minimize risk of fire and associated injuries, the NFPA develops and publishes consensus codes and standards for fire safety.

What is 70E?

NFPA 70E is known as the “Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace”. It was developed by NFPA at the request of OSHA to “help companies and employees avoid workplace injuries and fatalities due to shock, electrocution, arc flash, and arc blast, and assists in complying with [sections of the standards] OSHA 1910… and OSHA 1926”

As the NFPA website states, the 70E standard

“encompass safety-related work practices, safety-related maintenance requirements, and safety requirements for special equipment. The Standard includes guidance for making hazard identification and risk assessments, selecting appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), establishing an electrically safe work condition, and employee training.”

This comprehensive standard is available from NFPA.org in paperback for $54 or can be downloaded in PDF form or as an app for your iPhone or iPad.

High-Viz under NFPA 70E

The NFPA 70E standard covers a lot of different subjects. So we will gloss over those that don’t deal directly with personal protective equipment such as high-viz.

The aspects of safety apparel that apply to NFPA 70E are as follows:

General Requirements

• Must meet a minimum ATPV (Arc Thermal Performance Value) rating in accordance with the HRC level required for the job. (For more on this see our HRC blog)
• Must retain a minimum ATPV rating after laundering, for the life of the garment.
• Must meet ASTM F1506
• Garments with zippers must use a flame resistant zipper. (Like what you find on our stylish FM410 Black Series Vest)

Labeling Requirements

• Must have a tracking ID number
• Must show the garments ATPV rating
• Must indicate it meets ASTM F1506
• Shows Manufacturer, Size and Care instructions

For a more detailed overview of NFPA 70E and recent regulation changes, see this great article on Grainger’s website “NFPA 70E: Electrical Safety Summary”

Then if you have any other question please feel free to leave us a comment and we will be happy to answer you to the best of our knowledge.