Using rainwear as switching jackets: a reasonable solution for electric arc exposure

Louisville Gas and Electric, Louisville, KY, USA, has tested numerous types of clothing for worker protection under electric arc exposure situations and discusses the test methods used, along with practical application of the arc thermal protective value and heat attenuation factor results which are being reported by manufacturers of arc-resistant clothing. This paper focuses on the newly discovered and documented feasibility of using flame-resistant (FR) rainwear in high fault current switching applications. This paper includes data and a comparison of several popular rainwear materials in their performance under electrical arc conditions. Some of these rainsuits have been shown by mannequin testing to withstand arcs up to 30 000 A, 15 cycles without sustained fire or ignition of clothing covered. Using rainwear as switching jackets could allow "double-duty" use of rainsuits in plants and on line trucks. Further, Neoprene/Nomex and some PVC/Nomex/Kevlar rainsuits have, in testing, proven more protective than woven Nomex "switching jackets" costing substantially more.