EN ISO 11611:2007

Protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes

This International Standard specifies minimum basic safety requirements and test methods for protective clothing including hoods, aprons, sleeves, and gaiters that are designed to protect the wearer’s body including head (hoods) and feet (gaiters) and that are to be worn during welding and allied processes with comparable risks. For the protection of the wearer’s head and feet, this International Standard is only applicable to hoods and gaiters. This International Standard does not cover requirements for feet, hand, face, and/or eye protectors.

This type of protective clothing is intended to protect the wearer against spatter (small splashes of molten metal), short contact time with flame, radiant heat from an electric arc used for welding and allied processes, and minimizes the possibility of electrical shock by short-term, accidental contact with live electrical conductors at voltages up to approximately 100 V d. c. in normal conditions of welding. Sweat, soiling, or other contaminants can affect the level of protection provided against short-term accidental contact with live electric conductors at these voltages.
For adequate overall protection against the risks to which welders are likely to be exposed, personal protective equipment (PPE) covered by other International Standards should additionally be worn to protect the head, face, hands, and feet.

This International Standard specifies two classes with specific performance requirements, i.e. Class 1 being the lower level and Class 2 the higher level.

Class 1 is protection against less hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing lower levels of spatter and radiant heat, at least 15 drops of molten metal and radiation heat RHTI24 > 7 seconds.

Class 2 is protection against more hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing higher levels of spatter and radiant heat, at least 25 drops of molten metal and radiation heat RHTI24 > 16 seconds.

General requirements:

• Welders’ protective clothing shall be designed without electrical conduction from the outside to the inside, e.g. by metal fasteners;
• Welders’ protective suits shall completely cover the upper and lower torso, neck, arms and legs;
• The jacket of a two-piece suit shall provide a minimum overlap of 20 cm between the jacket and the top of the trousers;
• Pockets with external openings shall be made of material(s) conforming to flame spread and impact of spatter;
• External opening pockets including pass through openings shall be flapped except for side pockets below the waist which do not extend more than 10° forward of the side seam and/or a single rule pocket with an opening not greater than 75 mm placed behind the side seam on one or both legs and measured flat;
• All flaps shall be stitched down or capable of fastening the pocket closed. They shall be 20mm wider than the opening (10mm on each side) to prevent the flap from being tucked into the pocket;
• Neck openings shall be provided with closures;
• Trousers or one-piece suits shall not have turn-ups. They may have side slits which shall have a means of closure and the slit and closure shall be covered;
• Overlapping seams on the outside of the garment shall be downward facing and overstitched.

Accessories demands

• Each material or material assembly and each type of seam used in welders’ protective clothing shall be tested in accordance with ISO 15025:2000, either Procedure A (code letter A1);
• Labels, badges, retro-reflective materials, etc., which are applied to the outermost surface of the garment, shall be tested in combination with the outer layer to make it possible to take samples with the dimensions as indicated in ISO 15025. They shall be tested by applying the flame to the outer surface of the items. They shall have the same flammability behavior as the outer layer of the garment

Seam demands

• For seams, three specimens containing a structural seam shall be tested in accordance with ISO 15025:2000, Procedure A. Specimens shall be oriented with the seam running up the centerline of the test specimen so that the burner flame impinges directly upon it. Seams shall remain intact;
• For seams, three hemmed specimens containing a structural seam shall be tested in accordance with ISO 15025:2000, Procedure B. Specimens shall be oriented with the seam running up the centerline of the test specimen so that the burner flame impinges directly upon it. Seams shall remain intact;
• Seam strength, in accordance with ISO 13935-2, of the outer material or outer garment material of the clothing assembly shall give a breaking load of at least 225 N for woven textiles.