Energy supply & grid technology
Network technicians and people with jobs in the energy sector need protection against arcing faults, which can occur as thermal hazards when working with electrical voltage without warning. The protection standard, IEC 61482-1-2, specifies the test procedure for protective workwear for thermal work situations with the probability of electric arcs. The electric arc is caused by the flow of ionised air from an electrical source and endangers the wearer of the workwear. The same should therefore be standardised as personal protective equipment (alternatively often called PPE protective clothing ) and protect the worker from such hazards. Completely undesirable and unplannable is the connection between two conductors, which only lasts less than 1 second - but can cause enormous damage to the human body in this short time. There are many different causes in electrotechnical activities that can cause an arc fault. For example, mishandling, weather-related defects, contamination by foreign particles in a machine or technical failure.
Temperatures above 10,000 degrees often cause severe burns at the level of the chest or back - where a work jacket lined with special material can provide short-term protection against arc faults. Protective clothing must therefore avoid thermal risks of electrical arcing as far as possible. A 360 degree protection of the work clothing is only possible by means of an all-round closed work suit. However, work clothing is not insulating work clothing against electricity. There is no protection against the flow of electricity through the body. For this purpose, there are special work clothes consisting of work jackets with work trousers or work bib trousers.