PURPOSE  

Protective anti-electrostatic clothing is required in hazardous areas (e.g. chemical industry, mining, oil industry, transport of hazardous substances, gasworks, power stations, etc.) and outside hazardous areas (e.g. in the production of electronic components, to protect them from damage due to electrostatic discharge).

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS   

Anti-electrostatic protective clothing is made of materials characterised by their ability to dissipate and discharge electrostatic charge, thus preventing electrostatic discharges capable of initiating ignition.

DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

Anti-electrostatic garments must meet certain design requirements so as to prevent electrostatic discharge:

• The garment should cover the entire body when worn, including when moving and bending over.
• Clothing should fit properly and also provide freedom of movement when it should be constantly fastened during use.
• If the garment is made of a system of materials, the electrostatic material should be the outer layer of the garment.
•  Fastenings made of electrostatic materials, e.g. zips, buttons, snaps, may be used provided that they are covered by an antistatic material.
• For materials containing electrically conductive yarns in the form of parallel threads or a grid, the distance between the electrically conductive threads in one direction should not exceed 10 mm.

LIST OF STANDARDS

EN 1149-5 Protective clothing - Electrostatic properties - Part 5: Material and construction requirements. Material and construction requirements for electrostatic dissipative protective clothing, including hoods and caps, used as part of a uniform earthing system to prevent incendiary discharges with a minimum ignition energy of not less than 0.016 mJ are specified.