Düsseldorf/Germany, 27 October 2015. In addition to presenting its current crop of new products, DuPont Protection Technologies (www.personalprotection.dupont.co.uk) will also be previewing new developments in chemical protective clothing at A+A 2015. For instance, the company has taken note of current market requirements and is now working not only on a hi-vis Type 5/6 chemical protection garment which meets the requirements of the EU standard for high-visibility clothing, but also on a solution with an integrated feedthrough for fall-protection systems.

 

"Modern chemical protective clothing must be able to do more than reliably protect the wearer from chemical hazards", explains Chloe Caux-Wetherell, EMEA Product Development Manager at DuPont Personal Protection Technologies. "In recent years we have focused on combining a high level of protection with additional comfort features such as good freedom of movement and breathability. Examples of this trend are our current DuPont™ Tyvek^® 800 J and DuPont™ Tychem^® 4000 S type 3 chemical protection coveralls. And at A+A 2015 we will be presenting DuPont™ Tychem^® ThermoPro, a new single-layer solution which protects wearers not only from chemicals, but also from heat, flames and electric arcs."

 

One of the products currently under development is a Type 5/6 chemical protection Tyvek^® coverall which meets the requirements of EN ISO 20471:2013^[1] for high-visibility clothing. The advantage of such a single-use, hi-vis solution is obvious: once contaminated, or if the garment is considered too dirty for use, it can be sent for disposal. In contrast, reusable garments require costly cleaning and ongoing monitoring and re-treatment to ensure their high visibility properties are maintained after washing. As a result, new protective clothing with fully intact fluorescent and reflective properties is always available to personnel. The main applications are in the railway, mining and roadwork industries, where staff predominantly work in hazardous environments under conditions of poor visibility and in bad weather.

 

DuPont is also working on a chemical protection coverall with an integrated feedthrough for fall-protection systems. In normal use, the feedthrough is stored in a pocket with a leakproof hook and loop closure on the back of the garment. If fall protection is required for specific tasks, the feedthrough can be taken out of the pocket and the safety rope passed out through it. A loop which is clipped into the safety rope carabiner prevents the feedthrough from slipping down.

 

As Chloe Caux-Wetherell concludes: "As in the past, we are working closely with end users on the development of these two products to make sure we supply protective garments which meet their desires and requirements as closely as possible."