This British Standard specifies requirements and test methods for the objective and subjective evaluation of the ergonomic and thermal impact of personal protective equipment (PPE) ensembles, including clothing and respiratory protective equipment (RPE), on firefighters.
This standard is not intended to be used in place of methods for assessing the performance of individual items of PPE specified in their product standards. It specifies the testing of individual items of PPE as an ensemble so that the compatibility of the individual items can be evaluated and any adverse interactions between the individual items can be identified.
It specifies requirements for testing by either assessing the performance of a PPE ensemble against a benchmark condition (i.e. benchmark testing) or assessing the performance of two or more PPE ensembles against each other (i.e. comparative testing).
The standard incorporates practical performance testing as well as laboratory-based testing.
The results of the testing in this standard can assist employers who use PPE to demonstrate compliance with the EC Directive on personal protective equipment at the workplace [4], enacted in the UK by The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 2002 [2].
This standard can be used by end users, Notified Bodies, manufacturers or others to compare the performance of different ensembles as part of a firefighters’ PPE selection process, thereby assisting employers in demonstrating compliance with The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) [2].
The standard can be used to assess the performance of an ensemble that incorporates an item of PPE that has never before been incorporated into the ensemble.