ASTM F2621 has been revised with a title change and broadened scope to evaluate non-arc rated products.
ASTM Committee F18 on Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers has recently revised its standard F2621/F2621M, Standard Practice for Determining Response Characteristics and Design Integrity of Arc Rated Finished Products and Evaluating other Products in an Electric Arc Exposure. The revision includes sweeping changes throughout the document, and a near-complete re-write of the scope.
One key addition to the scope is the ability to test non-arc rated products. As a result of this addition, products like respirators and footwear can now be tested for due-diligence. This Standard is not intended to provide an arc-rating. But it is intended to be used in conjunction with those standards that do provide an arc-rating. Those Standards include ASTM F1959 (fabrics), F2178 (face protection), F2675 (gloves), F1891 (rainwear), and F1506 (garments).
Since PPE is truly a system, this revised Standard Practice allows for a more all-encompassing evaluation of that system. You can now test your garment and respirator together to evaluate the interfaces. You can also test footwear to see how it would respond to the energy of the arc.
Please visit our Testing page for a complete list of arc flash testing that ArcWear can provide. And Contact Us to set up arc flash testing of your PPE system today.
