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What Are the 4 Di erent Arc Flash RESOURCES

PPE Categories in NFPA 70E? Check out our library of

By Rich Gojdics October 17, 2018 Arc Flash Safety and
PPE case studies,
whitepapers, videos,
No matter the industry or activity, and more.
personal protective equipment (PPE)
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has long been considered the last line
of defense for workers, and often Events
draw the line between a “near miss”
NSC Southern Conference &
and a life changing injury or fatality. Expo
Whether it’s in the form of fall April 10-12
protection equipment, respiratory New Orleans, LA
learn more
protection or ame resistant & arc
rated clothing, employers are required to provide workers with adequate PPE for NECA Safety Conference
the job that is being completed. May 15-17
San Antonio, TX
learn more
Following our last blog looking at the hierarchy of risk controls in NFPA 70E
(2018), we would today like to turn our attention to the 4 di erent Arc Flash PPE NSC Congress & Expo
Categories in the standard, the clothing required for each category, as well as September 7-13
provide information on determining which PPE you need to use. San Diego, CA
learn more

Please note, this blog is only intended to address the 4 PPE categories for those
NECA
who elect to use tables 130.7 in lieu of completing an arc ash risk analysis. September 14-17
Las Vegas, NV
Four Categories of Arc Flash PPE learn more

The 2018 edition of NFPA 70E changed the way measurement is completed and Topic Archive
PPE is selected. This most recent edition removed the concept of Hazard/Risk Arc Flash
Categories and the option wear Non-FR/AR natural ber garments in HRC 0 was Electrical Safety
eliminated. The standard now uses PPE categories which are based on an incident Electric Utilities
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energy analysis.
Industry News
Kits
NFPA 70E (2018) now gives four categories of PPE, with each category including DebbieMaintenance
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the minimum Arc Rating value for the required PPE. The PPE manufacturer is PPE Tips
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Rubber Gloves
required to obtain and identify these arc ratings in their products which, simply
and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
put, represents the amount of incident energy (in cal/cm2) on a material or a
multilayered system of materials that results in a 50% probability to cause the
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onset of a second degree skin burn injury.   Chat by Drift

A brief overview of each of these 4 PPE Categories is listed below:

PPE Category 1: Minimum Arc Rating 4 cal/cm2

PPE CAT 1 represents the lowest level in which Arc Rated PPE s required.
Requiring a single layer of arc-rated PPE, workers need the following clothing:

Required Clothing: Long Sleeve Shirt (or Jacket) and Pants or AR Coverall
with minimum arc rating of 4 cal/cm2
Required Face and Head Protection: Face Shield (with “wrap around”
guarding…i.e balaclava) or Arc Flash Suit Hood
As Needed: Arc Rated Jacket, Rainwear, Parka, Hard Hat Liner

In addition to AR clothing, the following products are required or to be used as

needed:

Required Hand Protection: Heavy-Duty Leather Gloves

Additional PPE: Hard Hat, Eye Protection (Glasses, Goggles), Hearing
Protection
Footwear: Leather Footwear (as needed)

PPE Category 2: Minimum Arc Rating 8 cal/cm2

PPE CAT 2 can likely be met with a single layer of Arc Rated PPE. In fact, the
majority of companies with exposures requiring CAT 1 typically opt for CAT 2
clothing to cover both categories. Today, the comfort of PPE CAT 1 and 2 is
comparable so it makes more sense to choose CAT 2 clothing.

In PPE CAT 2, workers need the following clothing:

Required Clothing: Arc Rated Long Sleeve Shirt and Pants or Arc Rated
Coverall with minimum arc rating of 8 cal/cm2
Required AR Face and Head Protection: Arc Rated Arc Flash Suit Hood or
AR Face Shield, Sock Hood/Balaclava with minimum arc rating of 8 cal/cm2