Standards and Marking

This standard specifies general performance requirements for ergonomics, ageing, size designation and marking of protective clothing. Clothing shall be designed and manufactured to provide users with the highest comfort. Components and materials shall not cause adverse effects to the user like allergy, irritation or lesion. The size range shall be based on body dimensions.

This standard specifies the requirements for performance of clothing ensembles i.e. two piece suits or coveralls) against environment characterized by the combination of cold, humidity and wind at air temperature below –5 °C. Specific linings and special technical devices allow the garment to breathe and at the same time to keep the user warm.

X: Thermic insulation of the garment on a moving manikin
Y: Thermic insulation of the garment on a stationary manikin(optional)*
Z: Garment breathability (class 1 to 3)
W: Resistance to water penetration class (optional)* (class 1 to 2)
*X indicates that the garment has not been submitted to testing.

This European Standard specifies requirements and test methods applicable to material and seams of protective clothing against the influence of precipitation (e.g. rain, snowflakes) fog and ground humidity. Garments shall be designed and manufactured paying particularly attention to water penetration and using waterproof and breathable materials in order to ensure absolute waterproofness to the garment as well as outstanding comfort level.

X: resistance to water penetration (class 1 to 3)
Y: water vapour resistance (class 1 to 3)

This European Standard specifies requirements and test methods for the performance of single garments for protection against cooling of the body in cool environment.  

Cool environment: environment characterized in general as a possible combination of humidity and wind at temperature of -5 °C and above.

At moderate low temperature garments against local body cooling are not only used for outdoor activities e.g. in construction industry but can be used for indoor activities.  

Y: Air permeability (optional)

Y: Water penetration resistance (optional)

Y: Thermal insulation measured on moving manikin Icler (m2 K/W) (optional)

Y: Thermal insulation measured on stationary manikin Icler (m2 K/W) (optional)

X indicates that the garment has not been submitted to one of the two optional tests. 

The standard specifies the requirements of both materials and construction of garments for electrostatic dissipation, to be used as a part of a whole system of ground wire in order to avoid electric discharge which may cause fire.

Protective clothing against electrostatic charges

The EU Directive 1999/92/CE (Atex Directive) indicates the requirements for safety and health protection of workers potentially at risk from explosive atmospheres. COFRA’s garments (Hazard, Ring, Emergency) comply with all requirements about the materials and the manufacturing indicated by the standard UNI EN 1149-5 (antistatic garments): they avoid that electrostatic discharges cause fires, thus making the garment suitable to be used in ATEX environments.

This standard specifies performance and minimum protective requirements of clothes designed to provide a limited protection against liquid chemicals.

A1: Resistance to penetration

The standard specifies the minimum requirements for the garment protecting against splashes (Type 4). Compared to garments Type 6 (protection against liquid splashes) this standard includes the possibility that the operator, above all in case of emergency, gets in touch with the contaminant for a prolonged time and in a considerably higher quantity (Permeation Test).

The standard specifies the minimum requirements for the garment protecting against chemicals resistant to penetration of airborne solid particulates (Type 5).

Clothing providing protection of body in environments where the risk evaluation shows the presence and possibility for the skin to get in touch with hazardous biological agents, like viruses, bacteria, fungi and so on.

The standard specifies requirements and tests methods for non-ventilated protective clothing against particulate radioactive contamination. The nominal protection factor (100/TILA) is observed: TILA is the total inward leakage, that is to say the relationship, provided in percentage, between the concentration of the particulates inside the garment and the one inside the test chamber. According to the value, the overall is classified as indicated in the chart.

Class

Medium value of the total inward leakage in the garment into 3 positions and during all activities (TILA)

Nominal protection factor 100/ TILA

3

0,2

500

2

2

50

1

20

5

OEKO-TEX® is a voluntary certification of product through which the certified company commits itself to keep in time the safeness of its own products. The OEKO-TEX® 100 mark guarantees that the textiles (or accessories of the textiles, metallic ones included) do not contain or release harmful substances for the consumer (pesticides, heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic amines, allergy-inducing dyestuffs and so on). The garments certified by OEKO-TEX® comply with the requirements demanded by the standard EN ISO 13688:2013 and they abide by the requirements of the attachment XVII of REACH (regulation 552:2009) having the textile product as area of pertinence.

In order to safeguard the consumers’ health, the European Union issued the REACH regulation (come into force on 1st June 2007) which forbids the use of certain chemicals. COFRA guarantees the compliance of all its garments with the REACH regulation; they do not contain forbidden or limited substances (Aromatic amines and 4-aminobenzoic acid deriving from azo dyes, heavy metals, phthalates, and so on) and, to guarantee it, all garments and accessories used during production are subjected to controls.