Fire is one of the most destructive forces on planet earth. Every year it kills thousands of people in various disasters like forest fires, arc flashes, gas explosions and, etc. However, deaths in these situations, fire proof fabric help to provide protection. Fire hazards can occur anywhere and at any time. Nature itself can cause fire or it can be an accident caused by a human. Whatever is the source of the fire outrage the outcome is mostly disastrous. If these situations go unnoticed, they can escalate to massive extents.
Most factories and workplaces tend to have safety drills, fireproof fabrics, and other safety precautions like sprinklers, fire extinguishers. Fire hoses, etc. Furthermore, workplaces that work with heavy machinery and fire tend to provide their workers with safety apparel like a protective overall. These clothing are comfortable to work in along with being practical against heat. For instance, a glassworker or blacksmith is working constantly in front of a blast furnace, the intense heat from the furnace can be unbearable in normal work clothing so the fireproof fabrics cloth provides insolation against the heat.
The beginning of fire protective clothing
The ability to evolve and think makes humans the most superior beings on this planet. The largest catalyst in the evolution of humans was the industrial revolution in 1760. With the industrial revolution came a lot of opportunities for us, humans, to live life in an easier manner like the current day and age, however, this revolution came to a lot of unnoticed dangers that would result in the creation of fireproof clothing material. With the industrial evolution came heavy machines that allowed us to perform faster and more efficiently but these heavy machines required a lot of energy to power and the source of energy required the use of fire. The extensive use of fire allowed for an increase in fire hazards. To avoid any casualties in these fire dangers, the production of fireproof fabric material started. These fabrics not only saved lives but also negated accidental burns that occurred on a daily bases.
According to OHS the oldest, every recorded existence of these fabrics was in 1821 which is not long after the industrial revolution. Over the years the fabrics have improved more and the protective clothing we know today is far superior to the ones before them due to the wide research and development done on fireproof textiles over the years. Statistics show the decline of deaths in firefighters and factory workers since the manufacturing of fire protective clothing became a norm. Companies clearly state rules and regulations in order to minimize the damage caused by fire and encourage self-protection in the workplace.
Why is it important to use fireproof fabrics?
Workers working in harsh environments are humans too, they need protection and these fabrics provide sufficient protection from heat and fire. It may be hard to comprehend how effective these fabrics are, nevertheless the importance of these fabrics crucial against life and death. However, wearing these protective clothing does not mean that the person wearing them is invincible in any way because these fireproof fabrics have a limit and after that limit is exceeded they will collapse, taking the person with it. In everyday life situations, they act as an extra layer of protection against fire and heat.
The mechanism of protective fire fabrics is very effective. When the fabric starts burning the fibers of the fabric react to the area of burning and the self-extinguishing property of these fireproof fabrics comes into action. As the name “self-extinguishing” it’s easy to understand how the fabric functions as to reduce flame spread the fabric carbonizes in that particular spot which in turn traps the flames and allows it to die down slowly. In these circumstances, these textiles are the best type of textiles to wear and statistically, the person wearing protective fabrics in fire hazards has a higher chance of survival.
Why buy only certified fireproof fabrics clothing material?
Holding back your budget and compromising quality for a low price can be a very risky decision when protective fabrics are the subject. The safety in factories and workplaces is very serious and it mandatory by law to provide workers with protective equipment and whichever company fails to oblige to these rules and regulations, may suffer serious lawsuits. This can and has been the reason behind the fall of many companies. When human lives are at stake, it is better to consider the best quality of fireproof cloth for your company’s protective gear.
The best clothing will be certified under local standards and legal to use. This ensures the safety of people and the company. Any fabric without standard certification can result in catastrophic events as the fabrics were not up to standards and failed under real hazardous circumstances. These are very durable and effective, whereas cheap materials are not. This means that the cheap materials are unsafe and will cost more money for the company in the long run as constant issues occur daily that can increase the overall cost of the cheap fireproof clothing materials.