Design trends

Flame-resistant clothing — often abbreviated as FR clothing — refers to any clothing items that are designed and specifically manufactured to protect wearers from potential intermittent flames and thermal exposure.

If an employee works in environments where heat, fire or electrical injuries are a real possibility, the odds are good they should be wearing flame-resistant clothing.

There are three broad categories of workers who should wear flame-resistant clothing for protection, based on the type of hazard the worker will be exposed to while completing their work. Here are the three primary hazards.

• Electric arc: People who are exposed to this hazard include electricians, as well as certain utility workers and others.
• Flash fire: This category includes pharmaceutical and chemical workers, as well as those who work in refineries and more.
• Combustible dust: The category covers workers in food processing plants, the paper and pulp industry, etc.