FprCEN/TR 17620

Guidelines for selection, use, care and maintenance of smart garments protecting against heat and flame

The purpose of this document is to assist employers (or the person who advises the employer such as suppliers of PPE or services, inspection, insurance companies, etc.) in taking the necessary decisions regarding the selection, use, care and maintenance (SUCAM) of advanced garments and ensembles of garments that provide protection against heat and flame, with integrated smart textiles and smart non-textile elements for enhanced health, safety and survival capabilities that are compliant with the European legislation.
This document supports developers and manufacturers in designing and producing garments with smart textiles and smart non-textile elements that will meet the user’s needs during the whole life cycle of the garment and comply with standard requirements set for protective clothing on use, care and maintenance up to and including the disposal of the protective gear.
This document is not exhaustive in addressing all the safety concerns associated with the use of compliant protective equipment for protection against heat and flames and other related risks.
It is essential not to construe this document as addressing all the safety concerns, if any, associated with the use of this document by testing or repair facilities. It is the responsibility of the persons and organizations that use this document and any other standards or technical report related to PPE:
-   to conduct a risk assessment at the workplace;
-   to select the protective clothing and other PPE, including those with smart (intelligent) features, and to verify that the manufacturer has indicated the selected PPE to be suitable for the identified risks at the workplace;
-   as well as to ensure that these provide a holistic protection, only when the compatibility has been assessed including understanding the workplace and the work environment to determine the properties of protective clothing against heat and flames to establish health and safety practices;
-   to verify that the manufacturer has provided information for risk assessment of the potential risks that may occur due to the smart (intelligent) features in the intended working environment, and that the manufacturer has suggested measurements to compensate such new risks, whilst the employer has to ensure that these measurements are brought to action;
-   and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to using this document for any designing, manufacturing, and testing.
This document is meant for all end users that are using smart garments for protection against heat and flame. It contains information that can also be useful to other people, such as manufacturers, designers, service providers and educators who may be confronted with smart garments used to protect against heat and flame risks although it will focus on the first four in the list below:
-   petrochemical and chemical industry;
-   welders and foundries;
-   utilities (electrical, gas, water);
-   fire fighters and emergency response;
-   sports (motor sports, boating, etc.);
-   security forces (military, police and private).
It is essential that nothing herein restricts any jurisdiction from exceeding the minimum requirements as provided in the relevant standards.
This document is not intended to cover the aspects related to data security and privacy. For employers using smart garments that monitor and/or collect data, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and national regulations can apply. It is essential that the smart protective garments are selected, used, taken care and maintained in a way that will neither compromise the safety and privacy of the user nor the security of the enterprise or authority using the smart garment systems.

Leitfaden für Auswahl, Gebrauch, Pflege und Instandhaltung von smarter Schutzkleidung gegen Hitze und Flammen

Lignes directrices relatives à la sélection, l'utilisation, l'entretien et la maintenance des vêtements intelligents contre la chaleur et la flamme

Smernice za izbiro, uporabo, nego in vzdrževanje pametnih oblačil, ki varujejo pred učinki toplote in ognja

Standards Content (sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17620:2021
01-januar-2021
Smernice za izbiro, uporabo, nego in vzdrževanje pametnih oblačil, ki varujejo
pred učinki toplote in ognja
Guidelines for selection, use, care and maintenance of smart garments protecting
against heat and flame

Leitfaden für Auswahl, Gebrauch, Pflege und Instandhaltung von smarter Schutzkleidung

gegen Hitze und Flammen

Lignes directrices relatives à la sélection, l'utilisation, l'entretien et la maintenance des

vêtements intelligents contre la chaleur et la flamme
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: FprCEN/TR 17620
ICS:
13.340.10 Varovalna obleka Protective clothing
59.080.80 Inteligentne tekstilije Smart textiles
kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17620:2021 en,fr,de

2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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kSIST-TP FprCEN/TR 17620:2021
FINAL DRAFT
TECHNICAL REPORT
FprCEN/TR 17620
RAPPORT TECHNIQUE
TECHNISCHER BERICHT
November 2020
ICS 13.340.10; 59.080.80
English Version
Guidelines for selection, use, care and maintenance of
smart garments protecting against heat and flame

Lignes directrices relatives à la sélection, l'utilisation, Leitfaden für Auswahl, Gebrauch, Pflege und

l'entretien et la maintenance des vêtements intelligents Instandhaltung von smarter Schutzkleidung gegen

contre la chaleur et la flamme Hitze und Flammen

This draft Technical Report is submitted to CEN members for Vote. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC

162.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,

Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and

United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are

aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a Technical Report. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without

notice and shall not be referred to as a Technical Report.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels

© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. FprCEN/TR 17620:2020 E

worldwide for CEN national Members.
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Contents Page

European foreword ...................................................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

1 Scope .................................................................................................................................................................... 7

2 Normative references .................................................................................................................................... 8

3 Terms and definitions ................................................................................................................................... 8

4 Total process .................................................................................................................................................. 13

4.1 Introduction flow charts ............................................................................................................................ 13

4.2 Flow chart diagram ...................................................................................................................................... 14

4.3 Types of smart elements ............................................................................................................................ 15

5 Selection ........................................................................................................................................................... 16

5.1 General.............................................................................................................................................................. 16

5.2 Risk assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 19

5.3 Defining the level of protection required for each activity from the protective

clothing ............................................................................................................................................................. 20

5.4 Optimal protective clothing ...................................................................................................................... 20

5.5 Request for information ............................................................................................................................. 22

5.6 Wearer trials................................................................................................................................................... 23

5.7 Additional testing to assist selection process ..................................................................................... 24

5.8 Other considerations ................................................................................................................................... 26

5.9 Compatibility .................................................................................................................................................. 28

6 Use ...................................................................................................................................................................... 28

6.1 General.............................................................................................................................................................. 28

6.2 Training ............................................................................................................................................................ 31

6.3 Introducing protective clothing into service ...................................................................................... 31

6.4 Record keeping .............................................................................................................................................. 32

6.5 Routine examination ................................................................................................................................... 32

6.6 In service evaluation and monitoring ................................................................................................... 33

6.7 Frequency of cleaning on type of smart garment .............................................................................. 34

7 Care .................................................................................................................................................................... 34

7.1 General.............................................................................................................................................................. 34

7.2 Label, marking and instruction for use/manufacturer’s instructions/user

instructions ..................................................................................................................................................... 37

7.3 Cleaning ............................................................................................................................................................ 37

7.4 Drying ................................................................................................................................................................ 38

7.5 Decontamination........................................................................................................................................... 39

7.6 Storage .............................................................................................................................................................. 39

8 Maintenance ................................................................................................................................................... 40

8.1 General.............................................................................................................................................................. 40

8.2 Inspection ........................................................................................................................................................ 42

8.3 Repairs and alterations .............................................................................................................................. 45

8.4 Disposal ............................................................................................................................................................ 45

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Annex A (informative) Performance levels relating to clothing designed to provide

protection from heat and flame ............................................................................................................... 47

Annex B (informative) Risk assessment ............................................................................................................ 60

Annex C (informative) Examples: Relationship between type of activity, the heat/flame

hazard linked to the activity and clothing to be chosen for protection based on the

existing product standards ....................................................................................................................... 63

Annex D (informative) Practical performance tests related to firefighter clothing .......................... 66

Annex E (informative) Description of burn injury risks .............................................................................. 74

Annex F (informative) Label, marking and instruction for use/manufacturer’s

instructions/user instructions (for procurement) .......................................................................... 76

Annex G (informative) Examples of scenarios of heat and flame exposure ......................................... 80

Annex H (informative) Examples of SUCAM procedures for smart solutions in garments ............. 84

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................. 89

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European foreword

This document (FprCEN/TR 17620:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 162

“Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets”, the secretariat of which is held

by NBN.
This document is currently submitted to the Vote on TR.

This document has been prepared under mandate M/553 given to CEN by the European Commission

and the European Free Trade Association.
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Introduction

For manufacturers and users of personal protective equipment (PPE) the following European

Regulation and Directive are important:

— Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Council of 9th March 2016 on personal protective

equipment;
— Directive 89/656/EEC on use of personal protective equipment.

Regulation (EU) 2016/425 indicates that in order to place PPE on the market it shall meet essential

health and safety requirements, and not necessarily the various relevant EN or EN ISO standards.

Nevertheless, nearly all PPE meet the essential requirements through standards, as harmonized

standards give presumption of conformity with the requirements of the directive. This is the reason

why we will spend some time explaining certain standards and what information they provide on smart

garments protecting against heat and flame.

The interest in and the use of smart or electronic solutions in professional garments increases

exponentially. Individual smart (intelligent) solutions integrated into garments have a large variety of

functions, e.g. improving protection against various risks, in-built communication systems etc., but also

drawbacks, e.g. connection cables acting as heat transfer medium, risks of a protective system failure

due to damage in a component, data security risks during communication, etc. The smart equipment

that employ a variety of physical functions and response effects integrated into garments allow

reduction of workplace risks. Requirements and test methods should, as far as possible, be

representative of the risks posed to the user under the foreseeable conditions.

The reader should be aware that for most PPE intended for use in a place of work, national and Union

legislation towards ensuring the safety of employees applies. When one mentions PPE, it is essential

that it meets the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Based on the above mentioned regulation

and directive, the national legislations may postulate that if the employer fails to provide suitable PPE

then it may be considered as a criminal offence, and an employee suffering foreseeable injury may

trigger liability. Conversely, if the employee, after proper training and instructions, fails to wear the

suitable PPE, the employee may also be prosecuted and/or dismissed and if injured or suffering disease

in consequence may lose right to all or certain part of the reimbursement for damages.

For non-textile elements containing active medical devices, radio and electrical operated components,

which might be integrated in the finished advanced garments or ensembles of garments that provide

protection against heat and flame, the relevant Union legislation may apply, notably with Directive

2007/47/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2011/65/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council, Directive 2014/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council,

Directive 2014/35/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive 2014/53/EU of the

European Parliament and of the Council.

The provisions of other legal acts are also applicable to advanced garments and ensembles of garments

that provide protection against heat and flame, notably Directive 2014/34/EU of the European

Parliament and of the Council.

The information in this document has been produced to assist users, employers and purchasers (or the

person advising the users, employers and/or purchasers) in making the necessary decisions regarding

the selection, use, care and maintenance of protective clothing, for employees exposed to risks related

to heat and flame (e.g. industrial welding, fire-fighting, first response). This information may also be of

interest to manufacturers for designing their products and resellers to identify the products their

clients need.
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This guideline will furthermore be a basis for those who are committed to the development and

conformity assessment of novel PPE for protection from heat and flame, hence including research and

technology organizations (RTOs), notified bodies and other third parties that support activities in

development and conformity assessment. Further groups of stakeholders involved in the life cycle of

smart PPE against heat and flame include textile service providers (leasing and washing) as well as

companies providing the labelling of smart PPE (care instructions).

The purpose of this document is to establish a guidance document for smart garments for protecting

against heat and flames with the goal to evaluate and reduce the safety risks and potential health risks

associated with poorly maintained, contaminated or damaged protective garments with integrated

smart solutions. This selection use, care and maintenance guidance provides basic answers, criteria, and

options for the persons that are selecting or using smart protective garments through their life cycle

with respect to the protection they provide, guidance related to heat and flame or damaged protective

clothing.

The main topics that an employer needs to consider are highlighted in this document. Many paragraphs

of the document contain bullet-lists as thought provokers and options that may need to be considered.

A number of flowcharts have been created to help understand the flow of this document and these can

be used as a process in the life cycle of smart garments for protection against heat and flame from

selection to disposal. These flowchart(s) may need to be reiterated a number of times to come to the

optimum solution or to ensure continued adequate protection. The Annexes A to H include additional

details that would make the main body too complicated to read, but are necessary to describe hazards

and risks, the value of the test methods for the end user, etc.

Annex A gives details of the current European Standards relating to clothing designed to provide

protection from heat and flame, smart textiles and solutions that may be integrated into the garments.

In the areas where European Standards are not yet available, for example, testing smart systems in

harsh environments, some other documents are listed for reference.

Compatibility with other items of PPE that protect against heat and flames and integrate smart features

should be considered. Simultaneously, other risks in the related jobs, e.g. exposure to UV radiation,

pollutants, mechanical impact, etc., should also be taken into account.

Selection of smart garments for protection against heat and flames should be based on your own risk

assessment and should not be copied from other procurement documents.
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1 Scope

The purpose of this document is to assist employers (or the person who advises the employer such as

suppliers of PPE or services, inspection, insurance companies, etc.) in taking the necessary decisions

regarding the selection, use, care and maintenance (SUCAM) of advanced garments and ensembles of

garments that provide protection against heat and flame, with integrated smart textiles and smart non-

textile elements for enhanced health, safety and survival capabilities that are compliant with the

European legislation.

This document supports developers and manufacturers in designing and producing garments with

smart textiles and smart non-textile elements that will meet the user’s needs during the whole life cycle

of the garment and comply with standard requirements set for protective clothing on use, care and

maintenance up to and including the disposal of the protective gear.

This document is not exhaustive in addressing all the safety concerns associated with the use of

compliant protective equipment for protection against heat and flames and other related risks.

It is essential not to construe this document as addressing all the safety concerns, if any, associated with

the use of this document by testing or repair facilities. It is the responsibility of the persons and

organizations that use this document and any other standards or technical report related to PPE:

— to conduct a risk assessment at the workplace;

— to select the protective clothing and other PPE, including those with smart (intelligent) features,

and to verify that the manufacturer has indicated the selected PPE to be suitable for the identified

risks at the workplace;

— as well as to ensure that these provide a holistic protection, only when the compatibility has been

assessed including understanding the workplace and the work environment to determine the

properties of protective clothing against heat and flames to establish health and safety practices;

— to verify that the manufacturer has provided information for risk assessment of the potential risks

that may occur due to the smart (intelligent) features in the intended working environment, and

that the manufacturer has suggested measurements to compensate such new risks, whilst the

employer has to ensure that these measurements are brought to action;

— and to determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to using this document for any

designing, manufacturing, and testing.

This document is meant for all end users that are using smart garments for protection against heat and

flame. It contains information that can also be useful to other people, such as manufacturers, designers,

service providers and educators who may be confronted with smart garments used to protect against

heat and flame risks although it will focus on the first four in the list below:
— petrochemical and chemical industry;
— welders and foundries;
— utilities (electrical, gas, water);
— fire fighters and emergency response;
— sports (motor sports, boating, etc.);
— security forces (military, police and private).
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It is essential that nothing herein restricts any jurisdiction from exceeding the minimum requirements

as provided in the relevant standards.

This document is not intended to cover the aspects related to data security and privacy. For employers

using smart garments that monitor and/or collect data, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

and national regulations can apply. It is essential that the smart protective garments are selected, used,

taken care and maintained in a way that will neither compromise the safety and privacy of the user nor

the security of the enterprise or authority using the smart garment systems.
2 Normative references

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content

constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For

undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

CEN/TR 17512, Personal protective equipment - Smart garments - Terms and definitions

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in CEN/TR 17512 and the following

apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1
aging

change of one or more initial properties of the materials during the passage of time

3.2
component assembly

combination of all materials of a multi-layer garment presented exactly as the finished garment

construction
3.3
care

to keep protective clothing in good condition, including procedures for cleaning, decontamination,

storage and registration
3.4
char
formation of a brittle residue when material is exposed to thermal energy
3.5
cleaning

act of removing soils and contaminants from ensembles and ensemble elements by mechanical,

chemical, thermal, or combined processes
3.6
coat

element of the protective ensemble that provides protection to the upper torso and arms, excluding the

hands and head
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3.7
compatibility

ability of clothing (protective clothing and other clothing) to be used in conjunction with other parts of

PPE
3.8
contamination/contaminated

process by which ensembles and ensemble elements are exposed to hazardous materials, body fluids, or

CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear) agents
3.9
coverall

element of the protective ensemble that provides protection to the torso, arms, and legs, excluding the

head, hands, and feet
3.10
cross-contamination
transfer of contamination from one item to another or to the environment
3.11
decontamination

act of removing contaminates from protective clothing and equipment by a physical, chemical, or

combined process
Note 1 to entry: See also 3.5 cleaning.
3.12
deterioration

downgrading of the effectiveness or physical characteristics of textile materials due to use, care,

maintenance or storage conditions
3.13
disinfectant

agent that destroys, neutralizes, or inhibits the growth of harmful biological agents

3.14
ensemble

combination or assembly of multiple items that are individually compliant and provide protection to

the head, upper torso together with arms and hands, the lower torso (below waist) together with feet,

and respiratory protection, and that together fulfil all the requirements
3.15
ergonomics

scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among human and other

elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in

order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance
3.16
field evaluation
non-laboratory assessment of an ensemble, ensemble element, or item
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3.17
fit

quality, state, and manner in which clothing, when worn, relate to the individual human body or other

PPE
3.18
flame resistance

(protective clothing and equipment property) of a material whereby combustion is prevented,

terminated, or inhibited following the application of a flaming or non-flaming source of ignition, with or

without subsequent removal of the ignition source
3.19
functional

ability of an ensemble element or component of an ensemble element to continue to be utilized for its

intended purpose
3.20
garment
single item of clothing which may consist of single or multiple layers
3.21
hardware

non-fabric items used in protective clothing including those made of metal or plastic

Note 1 to entry: Examples for hardware are fasteners, rank markings, buttons.
3.22
hazard

situation which can be the cause of harm or damage to the health of the human body

3.23
hazardous substance

substance (solid, liquid, or gas) that when released is capable of creating harm to people, the

environment, and property
3.24
hygiene

any practice or activity that you do to keep protective clothing healthy and clean

3.25
inherent flame resistance

flame resistance that is derived from the essential characteristics of the fibre or polymer

3.26
inner liner

inner garment designed to be attached or to be worn separately under an outer garment and filling a

special function, e.g. providing thermal insulation, moisture transport
3.27
integrity

construction of the protective clothing that guarantees the proper functioning of the protective clothing

Note 1 to entry: Seams, zippers and other closures should provide solid barriers to provide suitable protection as

well as be constructed in a manner which provides some flexibility.
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3.28
levels of care and maintenance

four levels of care and maintenance are recognized, level one is inspection by the user before use, level

two is care after use, level three is regular periodically maintenance by trained personnel and level four

is professional maintenance by specialists
3.29
liner

optional component layer that provides added protection, e.g. against rain or chemicals and/or against

cold
3.30
maintenance

to preserve from loss or deterioration to include procedures for inspection, repair and ultimate removal

from service
3.31
multilayer garment

garment consisting of different material layers intimately combined prior to the garment manufacturing

stage, e.g. by weaving, quilting, coating or gluing, or of individual separable layers mechanically

connected to each other, e.g. by zippers, buttons, etc.
3.32
protective clothing

clothing which covers or replaces personal clothing, and which is designed to provide protection

against one or more hazards
3.33
rapid deterioration
unexpected loss of the essential requirements listed in the PPE regulation
3.34
risk
probability of a specific undesired event occurring so that a hazard is realized
3.35
risk assessment

overall process that identifies hazards, estimates the potential severity of injury or damage to health,

estimates the likelihood of occurrence of injury or danger to health determines the protective clothing

against heat and flame risks and other protection measures required
3.36
selection

process of determining the type of protective equipment (garments) that is necessary for the required

protection
3.37
single layer

individual layer of material being a part of a multilayer assembly or used separately

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3.38
smart garment
intelligent garment

functional garment, which interacts actively with its environment, i.e. it responds or adapts to changes

in the environment
Note 1 to entry: The term
...