EN 1149-5

These PPE are made of a textile material that has a grid of carbon yarn to dissipate electrostatic charges by their progressive diffusion in the material.

To ensure effective protection, PPE meeting the EN 1149-5 standard must be in contact with the skin and the wearer must be earthed (conductive shoes with a resistance of less than 1.108 Ohm).

The human body has a sufficiently low electrical resistance to act as a conductor, but if it is insulated from the ground (floor or insulating shoes), it can accumulate electrostatic charges.

The accumulation of electrical charges can occur in different ways:

• by contact, by touching charged equipment or materials,
• by induction due to a charge on the garment or the presence of charged objects nearby.

The accumulation of these electrical charges can have serious consequences. They can be large enough to cause sparks, which can have serious consequences in areas where flammable or explosive atmospheres exist.

It is therefore crucial that personnel working in such atmospheres are equipped with PPE to ensure the dissipation of these electrostatic charges. They should therefore :

• wear garments that comply with the EN 1149-5 standard and that allow electrostatic charges to be dissipated by means of conductive fibres,
• be connected to earth either directly or through conductive footwear.

A PPE that is compliant only with EN 1149-5 is not sufficient. . Since the purpose of this protection is to prevent potentially explosive electrical discharges in an explosive environment, it is imperative that PPE intended for work in such atmospheres also deliver thermal protection (EN 14116 or EN 11612).

All activities in which workers operate in flammable or explosive atmospheres (Atex areas):

refineries, service stations, airports, industrial painting, food industry, wood processing, petrochemicals, transport and delivery of gas, plastic industry, welding, metallurgy, mechanics, foundry, plastic industry, industrial mechanics, electromechanics, electronics…