What is ISO 11611- Protective clothing for welding about?
ISO 11611 is a safety standard on protective clothing for use in welding and allied processes. ISO 11611 specifies minimum basic safety requirements and test methods for protective clothing including hoods, aprons, sleeves, and gaiters that are designed to protect the wearer’s body including head (hoods) and feet (gaiters) and that are to be worn during welding and allied processes. For the protection of the wearer’s head and feet, ISO 11611 is only applicable to hoods and gaiters.
This type of protective clothing is intended to protect the wearer against spatter (small splashes of molten metal), short contact time with flame, radiant heat from an electric arc used for welding and allied processes, and minimizes the possibility of electrical shock by short-term, accidental contact with live electrical conductors at voltages up to approximately 100 V d. c. in normal conditions of welding. Sweat, soiling, or other contaminants can affect the level of protection provided. Guidance for the selection of the type of welders clothing for different welding activities is also detailed in ISO 11611.
Note: ISO 11611 does not cover requirements for feet, hand, face, and/or eye protectors.
Who is ISO 11611- Protective clothing for welding for?
ISO 11611 on protective clothing for welding and allied processes is useful for:
- Sectors that use welding processes (construction, automotive, shipping, etc.)
- Manufacturers of personal protective equipment and garments
- Product development teams / protective garment design teams
- Quality control personnel
- Health and safety bodies
Why should you use ISO 11611- Protective clothing for welding?
For complete protection against exposure to heat and flame, it is necessary to protect the head, face, hands, and/or feet with suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) and in some cases, appropriate respiratory protection might also be considered necessary. The purpose of ISO 11611 is to provide minimum performance requirements for clothing for use in welding and allied processes. Attention is drawn to ISO/TR 2801:2007, which sets out guidelines for selection, use, care, and maintenance of protective clothing against heat and flame. Nothing in ISO 11611 is intended to restrict any authority, end-user, or manufacturer from exceeding these minimum requirements. ISO 11611 specifies two classes with specific performance requirements, i.e., Class 1 being the lower level and Class 2 the higher level:
- Class 1 is protection against less hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing lower levels of spatter and radiant heat
- Class 2 is protection against more hazardous welding techniques and situations, causing higher levels of spatter and radiant heat
ISO 11611 also provides information on the welder’s protective garments that can be designed to provide extra protection for specific areas of the body when worn in addition to a suit e.g., neck curtain, hoods, sleeves, apron, and gaiters.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN ISO 11611:2015 supersedes BS EN ISO 11611:2007 which is withdrawn. BS EN ISO 11611:2015 includes technical and editorial changes with reference to ISO 11611:2007. These include:
- Include an introduction
- Include a definition for hole
- Modify the clause in design requirements regarding garment overlaps
- Modify the clause in design requirements regarding garment sizes
- Modify the clause on sampling requirements