Cold protection PROTECCIÓN LABORAL 85 | 4oTrimestre15 10 The second layer The recommended thermal insulation by BSI (Raising Standards Worldwide) for the second layer of clothes is between 0.04 and 0.06 sq.mt/k/w as Acceptable, from 0.06 to 0.09 as Good, and over 0.09 sq. mt. k/w as Very Good. The second layers of products 1700, 1701 and 1703 by Kentlan are made with fabrics manufactured at the company’s own facilities, and the value attained is 0.1128 sq mt.k/w. The same fabric is used for accessories like face protectors, neck and head protecting items. But there is more, for Kentlan is currently working to develop a new fabric with improved thermal insulation, most probably around 0.180 sq mt k/w. Frimercat trusts in Kentlan products Frimercat is a company in the industrial cold sector. Workers are equipped with Kentlan protective clothes. The company extends over 130,000 m3, where they store frozen food (fish, seafood, vegetables...) and its relationship with Kentlan is described by sources: “WE have been using Kentland clothes to protect our workers for 13 years or so. The storing rooms are cold, -23°C and they spend 6 hours in such cold settings. We never doubted: Kentlan is the right equipment”. It is available on Internet a video testimonial to the company. The third layer The brand includes a third layer, rating 0.388 sq. mt. k/w though this means costs are much higher for it is locally products, and not marketed to third parties. For instance, if you need to protect a worker exposed to -49°C for 8 consecutive hours, with medium-intensity activity at work, protection required will be 0.540 sq mt k/w according to EN-342 standards. If we add the insulating power of the three layers, this worker will be protected against the cold at a level of 0.570 sq. mt. k/w. The required level is 0.540 sq mt k/w, as mentioned above. The first layer chosen from the Alaska range offers improved protection, though in this case Laponia would also be a suitable range because the degree of activity is not intense. The second layer, in 300 gr/sq. mt. fabric, and the third offering protection as mentioned above, offer suitable protection. This, theoretically speaking. Why? Because actual protection may vary when clothes are individually tested, as opposed to tests for the three layers together. Imagine the same worker the following day, spending 8 hours at work, light activities and exposed to – 22°C. He would still need the same protection as in the previous example. This is why activity and its level of intensity matter, for in this case, the recommended layer would be the Alaska range (maybe an ideal choice or those working inside cold rooms, due to the temperatures, time of exposure, and type of activity). What if the person spends only 1 hours in such cold settings? The same example is valid, but in this case, medium-level activity might be at -70°C, and if the intensity of activity is light, clothes would protect against cold up to -44°C. This means we need to take into account three different factors to find the right level of protection: temperature, type of activity, and duration of exposure.