Balancing Cost with Comfort

Selecting the best PPE for improved arc flash safety for electrical workers starts with asking the right questions.

• By Scott Francis
• May 01, 2024

A father in Texas with years of electrical experience helping demolish an elementary school.1 A 30-year old man making repairs to an Arizona Goodwill store.2 An MBTA employee in Boston working on repairs to the railroad.3 All of these electrical workers know first-hand the impact and damage an arc flash can have on a life — they’ve experienced one while on the job. 

According to the National Institute for Occupational Health & Safety, an estimated five to 10 arc flash incidents with electrical equipment occur every day. With this much risk at play, selecting the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for electrical workers isn’t a “check the box” type of job responsibility. Someone’s life is in your hands. But today, with calls for more comfortable workwear, striking the balance between cost-effectiveness and comfort is becoming more difficult. 

While it can be tempting to prioritize the bottom line when making PPE selection decisions, especially in higher cost garments like flame-resistant and arc flash apparel, compromising quality or comfort can be a detrimental decision. A poorly fitting or uncomfortable garment may discourage workers from wearing it consistently, increasing the risk of injury in the event of an arc flash.

The 2024 NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace, is one of the most trusted sources of safety in the electrical industry. The latest edition of NFPA 70E emphasizes assessing the condition of equipment maintenance. That update begs the question — what is the current condition of your organization’s FR/AR PPE program? Is it time to take a second look at the gear your workers are relying on to keep them safe while on the job? 

Annual Program Audits

Adding an annual FR/AR PPE program audit is one of the simplest ways to ensure apparel is being properly maintained and the longevity of the garments isn’t in question. Plus, a yearly review allows health and safety professionals an opportunity to anonymously poll the garment wearers to gain more qualitative data. These insights can help you navigate the current program’s effectiveness and identify areas of opportunity for future programs. 

A few questions to consider asking in these audits include:  

• “Do any of your provided or approved FR/AR PPE garments keep you from doing your job?”

• “Have you ever opted for a non-FR/AR garment on-the-job because your PPE wasn’t comfortable?”

• “Which FR/AR garments, if any, do you wish were more comfortable?”

• “Are any of your FR/AR garments too hot? Do any not keep you warm enough?” 

• “Do you have a favorite piece of FR/AR apparel? If so, why is it your favorite?” 

With this feedback in-hand, you can make more accurate decisions surrounding the program you have in place as well as next-generation programs. But perhaps more importantly, this assesments provides you the ability to make adjustments to your workers’ current needs in real-time. 

Most garment manufacturers are working year-round on new product designs and more innovative solutions to address the wants and needs of electrical workers. Their suppliers, particularly fabric manufacturers, are continuously working on developing the next generation of fabrics to be even more lightweight, more flexible and have better stretch.

In addition to soliciting feedback from end users during your PPE audit, prepare yourself with a checklist to review internally with a small group of decision makers. These conversations can uncover potential areas of improvement and avenues for efficiencies that are currently being overlooked. 

A few questions to considering adding to this revision of PPE equipment includes: 

• “Do we have enough garment options in our program to fit every body type?” 

• “How is our program addressing the differences in fit between men and women?” 

• “Are there any areas in our program where we feel like we’re taking a shortcut?” 

• “What are the major weather considerations in our area and how (if at all) is our program addressing the specific challenges brought on by mother nature?” 

• “How can we make our workers more comfortable on the job? Are there certain garments or situations that are inadvertently putting our workers in danger?” 

Conclusion

Striking the perfect balance between comfort, cost and safety is a tall task. With shortcuts available at just about every decision point, allocating dedicated time each year to re-assess the PPE programs for workers can mitigate unnecessary risk, complacency on the jobsite and potentially poor selections made by previous decision makers. Just like the NFPA 70E requires regular maintenance checks on equipment and machinery, rolling your PPE program into these check-ins is not just a smart business decision, but one that will support worker health, safety and job satisfaction. 

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.