3o Trimestre 16 Protección Laboral 88 Gore® Pyrad® New, lightweight and comfortable Gore-Tex® weatherproof clothing Employees of electricity companies have particularly high demands on their clothing. Not only does it have to ensure reliable protection against rain, cold and wind, but also against one additional risk: the thermal danger posed by arc faults. An arc fault is de ned as an unwanted high-power discharge that can occur without any direct contact in the event of too close proximity to high-voltage lines or overhead railway lines. From a technical standpoint, arc faults cannot be completely avoided. This makes the protection of employees exposed to such danger all the more crucial. Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology now, for the rst time, allows the production of Gore-Tex® weatherproof clothing that brings together premium comfort with top-of-the-line safety standards. Little acceptance for previous solutions Until now, employees of electricity companies have been obliged to make constant compromises: The protective gear available so far has generally been heavy, bulky and rain-absorbent. Such clothing is hardly comfortable and enjoys very little acceptance among wearers. According to an investigation by the Swiss Supervisory Authority ESTI (Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations), 14 percent of serious injuries from arc fault accidents result from a lack of proper protective gear. In the use of lighter-weight materials for this clothing, protection against arc faults has been insuf cient until now. No heat transfer to your skin The Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology is the rst to pair up arc fault protection with the wearing comfort of conventional, lightweight yet durable textiles like polyester or polyamide. When an arc fault occurs, the laminate of the outer layer acts as a robust ame retardant.This prevents heat transfer to the wearer’s skin and ames are unable to burn holes through the textile. The laminate and seam retain their physical integrity – even if they’re bent.Any danger of burns and ensuing serious damage and injury is thus signi cantly mitigated. Weatherproof clothing with arc rated Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology has become 45 percent lighter compared to previously used gear boasting arc fault protection (whether wet or dry), besides also being less bulky and allowing greater freedom of movement – a gain in comfort wearers can feel. Moreover, the new weatherproof clothing with Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology offers the tried and tested qualities of Gore- Tex® technology: a durable wind- and waterproof design with high breathability. These functions remain intact throughout day-to-day use and over many industrial laundry cycles (at 60°C). Certi ed safety Weatherproof clothing with Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology ful ls the criteria laid out by EN 61482- 1-2 and is certi ed in accordance with Arc Fault Protection Class 2. With the outer fabric made of polyester, the clothing is available in various colours, including uorescent orange and yellow – and this constitutes an additional safety factor for wearers in the energy sector. Through a several-month wearing test in early 2016, the technology has already proven successful in practice. Employees of the Scottish energy company SSE (Scottish and Southern Energy) are enthused by the Gore-Tex® weatherproof jacket with arc rated Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology, as the technician Mike Fernie claims, “This lightweight jacket presents a true bene t in my day-to-day work.With all the weight my body already has to bear anyway – my harness and tool bag – the last thing I need is a heavy jacket to go with along it.” The participants of the wearing tests furthermore attested to the fact that wet weatherproof jackets with arc rated Gore® Pyrad® fabric technology dry much faster than previous, conventional models. 65 Updated products