PERSONAL PROTECTION
BESPOKE BARRIERS
Global defence company BAE Systems has collaborated with DuPont to develop the first custom- built safety garment for the munitions industry. Tomorrow’s Health & Safety finds out more about protecting workers from explosive risks.
Every day, employees at BAE Systems’ munitions facility in South Wales are handling explosive substances that present a risk of combustion if not handled correctly. This makes safety management a top priority. Employees working at the facility require the highest level of personal protection against this ever-present danger.
BAE Systems recently charged DuPont, and members of the DuPont™ Nomex® Partner Program, Hainsworth and Alsico, with the task of developing one complete protection solution for its 1,200 UK based munitions workers. The result was a collaborative design that offers both comfort and a high level of protection to workers in a high-risk workplace.
HARSH ENVIRONMENT Handling and working with potentially explosive substances on a daily basis is central to the role of a munitions employee. An explosive substance is defined by the Control of Explosives Regulations Act 1991 (COER) as something “which is in itself capable by chemical reaction of producing gas at such a temperature and pressure and at such a speed as to cause damage to the surroundings; or which is designed to produce an effect by heat, light, sound, gas or smoke, or a combination of these as a result of a non-detonative, self-sustaining, exothermic chemical reaction.” The risk posed by some of these materials is so significant that combustion can even be triggered by the static charge released when they come into contact with human skin.
BAE Systems regularly reviews its risk assessment detailing the potential hazards faced by munitions employees and the steps required to decrease or eliminate potential risk. This focus on
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safety demands compliance with strict internal safety standards as well as with UK legislation.
Any potential risk present in the munitions environment requires a bespoke approach to garment design and construction in order to ensure the highest level of protection. BAE Systems requested that DuPont worked in collaboration with front line munitions employees to develop a coverall that would protect them in the event of an explosive incident.
The collective expertise and experience of BAE Systems’ employees, DuPont’s experts and Alsico and Hainsworth’s specialists offered significant benefits throughout the development process – from the garment design stage, through to manufacture and testing. The partner- led approach resulted in a solution that offers both wearer comfort and a high level of protection against fire.
DESIGNING TO PROTECT The experience of DuPont and its partners allowed for an expert review of BAE Systems’ current garment solution based on the level of protection, comfort and ease of use provided. Industry- wide incidents where garments had failed to protect the wearer were also considered and lessons taken on board in the design of the new coverall.
As BAE Systems is one of only a handful of companies in the UK to hold licences for explosives testing, each potential fabric solution was put through its paces in rigorous, real-life conditions on BAE Systems’ in-house mannequin. This provided the data required to select the optimum fibre blends for further thermal burn injury evaluation on the DuPont™ Thermo-Man®.
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“DUPONT AND THE DESIGN TEAM WERE ACUTELY AWARE OF THE NEED FOR WORKERS TO HAVE FULL MOTOR CONTROL WHEN WORKING WITH MINUTE MEASUREMENTS.”
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