Saudi Aramco

Safety Management Guide

Flame Resistant Clothing (FRC)

Guide Number 06-001-2010

Table of Contents
1.

Purpose and Scope ...................................................................................... 1

2.

General Guidelines ....................................................................................... 1

3.

Application .................................................................................................... 2

4.

Specifications ................................................................................................ 3

5.

Administration ............................................................................................... 3

6.

Grounding ..................................................................................................... 3

7.

Training ......................................................................................................... 4

8.

Servicing and Replacement .......................................................................... 4

Attachment
A1

NOMEX Flame Resistant Clothing (FRC) Specifications ............................ 5

Prepared by the Loss Prevention Department

March 8, 2010

Copyright 2010 Saudi Aramco. All Rights Reserved.

Flame Resistant Clothing (FRC) Guide

CONDITIONS OF USE
No portion of this material may be reproduced, copied, or redistributed either
electronically or by any other means without the express written permission of Saudi
Aramco.

This information is provided as a part of Saudi Aramcos safety management program.

The information contained herein describes some of Saudi Aramcos safe work
practices. These work practices, however, may not be applicable elsewhere. Saudi
Aramco does not warrant the accuracy, thoroughness, or applicability of this information
and shall accept no responsibility or liability for any use of or reliance upon the
information contained herein. Saudi Aramco expressly waives all responsibility and
liability for the use of this information and no warranty is either implied or expressed.

This information is not to be modified from its current form and may not be offered for
resale or other commercial purposes without the express written permission of Saudi
Aramco.

Retention of this material shall constitute acceptance on the part of any third-party to the
Conditions of Use stated herein.

Copyright 2010 Saudi Aramco. All Rights Reserved.

Flame Resistant Clothing (FRC) Guide

1.

2.

Purpose and Scope

1.1

This Safety Management Guide contains recommendations for selection and use of
flame resistant clothing (FRC) in Saudi Aramco operations and its facilities. This
information is being provided to assist Saudi Aramco proponent organizations in
evaluating their need to implement or improve an FRC program.

1.2

The primary function of FRC is to reduce the effects of burning clothing in contact
with the skin and to provide protection while the wearer escapes a fire incident.

1.3

Personnel assigned to fire fighting duties are to be provided with their specific
protective clothing, which is outside the scope of this guide. FRC alone is not
intended for approaching or fighting fires, nor does it provide effective protection
against extremely severe burn hazards.

General Guidelines
2.1

FRC is to be worn over or instead of ordinary clothing in order to reduce the

severity of burns resulting from flash fires, jet fires, electrical arc flashes, etc., and
to provide protection while the wearer escapes a fire incident. FRC for electrical arc
flash protection is covered in GI 2.721, Electrical Arc Flash Hazard Mitigation.

2.2

If ordinary clothes are worn under the FRC, then these garments are to be made of
100% cotton fabric, and never polyester or other meltable synthetic fabric, due to
the possibility that melting clothing would increase injury severity.

2.3

The determination of whether employees, contractors and/or visitors need to wear

FRC should be made similar to the requirements for wearing any Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE), such as safety goggles, hard hats, gloves and
respirators. Basically, if personnel may potentially be exposed to a flash fire, jet
fire, electrical arc flash, or similar fire hazard, then FRC should be worn.

2.4

Proponent management should perform an FRC needs assessment to determine the

potential for personnel exposure to fire hazards. If all practical engineering, design,
or procedural controls are insufficient to reduce the risk to tolerable levels,
management should establish appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
requirements, including the need for FRC. Management should update this FRC
needs assessment after major facility construction, process modification, or new
facility acquisition, and periodically thereafter.

2.5

Due to the difficulty in administering variable FRC requirements within a facility,

many international oil and gas companies require everyone inside the plant fence
to wear FRC. If a proponent department adopts this approach, an FRC needs
assessment may not be necessary, except for more hazardous exposures such as
welding activities outside the plant.

2.6

Once a proponent department decides upon an FRC program, it should update its
operating instructions (e.g., OIM, RIM, GOI) and/or safety management program
accordingly. At a minimum, the FRC program should address FRC selection, areas
where required, distribution, use, laundering, repair, replacement, and training.

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Flame Resistant Clothing Safety Management Guide

3.

Issue Date: March 8, 2010

Application
3.1

FRC is recommended in the following areas:

When personnel are required to work within a fire hazardous zone (FHZ) as
defined by SAES-B-006, Fireproofing for Plants.

In locations where operations, maintenance, or other activities (e.g., inspections,

assessments) are conducted and where the possibility for the release of
flammable materials exists.
Specific examples include areas with:
hydrocarbon vessels, tanks, containers and/or piping;
natural gas compression and associated valves and fittings;
liquid hydrocarbon processing, storage, and transfer;
hydrocarbon gathering, unloading, measurement, dehydration, and other
associated equipment operations;
pipelines - repairs, replacement, and hot tap installations on flammable
product lines;
within flare (radiation zones) fenced enclosures;
live wellheads;
furnaces, boilers, and other high temperature plants; or
any other area where the possibility of a flash fire or similar fire hazard
exists.

3.2

Areas where welding or cutting operations are being conducted or where open
flame is being used. Note: normal FRC needs to be used in conjunction with a
welding apron and gloves to prevent garment damage or injuries resulting from
welding splatter/slag.

When performing maintenance or operations tasks that could expose personnel

to a release of flammable materials; specific examples of such tasks include:
truck loading/unloading of flammable materials;
aircraft refueling;
tasks requiring deliberate hydrocarbon releases; or
opening hydrocarbon equipment and piping.

When performing sampling of flammable materials.

When working on electrical systems that operate at more than 240 volts, such as
substations or Motor Control Centers (see GI 2.721).

When working in hot utility areas, such as when igniting a fired heater.

All polyester, nylon, and similar meltable synthetic fabrics and blends should be
prohibited at the identified areas and work tasks, as well as inside the plant fence
of any facility that produces, receives, processes, stores, or transports hydrocarbons
or other flammable product (e.g., hydrogen).

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Flame Resistant Clothing Safety Management Guide

4.

5.

Issue Date: March 8, 2010

Specifications
4.1

There are many types of FRC available in the market. For flash fire and jet fire
protection, Saudi Aramco has standardized on FRC constructed of NOMEX
fabric. The selection of NOMEX FRC was based upon a systematic and
comprehensive study conducted by the Loss Prevention Department, which
included field testing of several types of FRC. NOMEX fabric was determined to
provide acceptable flame resistance, while being the most suitable for Saudi
Arabian climatic conditions. NOMEX is the brand name of an inherently flameresistant aramid fiber manufactured by DuPont. When exposed to flame, the aramid
fiber swells to form a protective barrier between the heat source and skin.

4.2

NOMEX ComfortTM garments are available in the Saudi Aramco SAP B2B
Materials System in a range of sizes and colors. See the Loss Prevention Intranet
website (http://lp.aramco.com.sa) for a list of available FRC garments. Other
styles and sizes of NOMEX clothing (e.g., pants, shirts, jackets) may be purchased
commercially, but are subject to technical review and approval in accordance with
Materials Supply Organization procedures (see Attachment A1 for Saudi Aramcos
FRC specifications).

Administration
Once FRC needs have been determined by proponent department management, personnel
need to be issued FRC as follows:
Saudi Aramco employees: Should be provided FRC for use in facilities and operations
as required for their jobs or departmental policy. The number of sets issued to each
employee should be determined based upon reasonable use criteria, including allowing
for proper and timely laundering. It is recommended that personnel working full-time in
areas where FRC is required be issued a workweeks supply of FRC, including coveralls
(e.g., 2 each) or pants/shirts (e.g., 45 each) and FRC jackets (if required). FRC garments
for regular employees may be obtained through the Saudi Aramco Materials System.
Visitors: May be loaned FRC when required or they may provide their own, provided it
meets or exceeds Saudi Aramcos specifications (see Attachment A1).
Contractor Companies: Responsible for providing to their personnel the proper size and
quantity of FRC garments that meet or exceed Saudi Aramcos specifications (see
Attachment A1), as well as arranging proper laundering and servicing. This should be
enforced by the proponent organization.

6.

Grounding
6.1

When used with proper grounding procedures, NOMEX limits sparking due to
fabric-to-fabric and fabric-to-surface rubbing, even in low humidity.

6.2

Proper personnel grounding is the best defense against explosions caused by static
electricity. NOMEX does not replace proper grounding procedures, such as:

Touching a grounded metal object to discharge static electricity from the body
before entering a potentially explosive atmosphere; and

Using conductive footwear and flooring.

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Flame Resistant Clothing Safety Management Guide

6.3
7.

As an added safeguard, workers should not put on or take off a garment in an

explosive atmosphere, even if the garment is antistatic.

Training
7.1

8.

Issue Date: March 8, 2010

Employees utilizing FRC need to be provided training on the following:

purpose and function of FRC;

static electricity precautions; and

proper use and care of FRC.

7.2

Training is to be done when a new employee is hired, whenever new hazards are
introduced into the work area, or when identified by the Management of Change
(MOC) process.

7.3

Contractor personnel need to have equivalent training to the extent required by their
jobs. The proponent organization should ensure proper training is provided by the
contractor.

Servicing and Replacement

8.1

Provisions for proper laundering and repair services for FRC garments should be
established. FRC garments provided through the Saudi Aramco Materials System
are required to be labeled with general laundering instructions. Proponent
department management should make provisions to ensure that these instructions
are followed; for example, by providing contracted laundry services or facilities to
appropriately clean FRC garments. To preserve garment strength and prolong its
life, chlorine bleach should not be used.

8.2

It should be clearly stated that coveralls, pants, shirts and other garments are not to
be cleaned or laundered at the employees home if they are contaminated with
hazardous materials. Thats because home laundering could expose an employees
family members to these hazardous materials. Also, there have been several
documented instances where garments that were heavily soiled with hydrocarbons
and then placed in a laundry dryer after washing started a fire in the dryer. Thats
because the embedded hydrocarbons were not adequately removed during washing
and combustible vapors were released during drying. Garments that are heavily
soiled with hydrocarbon material should be disposed of properly. Contracted
laundry services need to use proper laundering procedures for FRC, including
eliminating the chance of exposing other customers clothing to hazardous materials
during cleaning. These handling procedures include having dedicated equipment
used only to clean Saudi Aramcos FRC garments.

8.3

Torn or ripped FRC garments should be repaired with components made from
Nomex brand fabric, sewing thread, zipper tapes, patches, etc.

8.4

FRC garments should be replaced when worn out or after 2 years of regular use.

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Flame Resistant Clothing Safety Management Guide

Issue Date: March 8, 2010

Attachment A1
NOMEX Flame Resistant Clothing (FRC) Specifications

Garment

Fabric Weight

Fabric

Coveralls

4.5 oz./yard2

NOMEX ComfortTM

Pants

6.0 oz./yard2

NOMEX IIIA or ComfortTM

Shirts

4.5 oz./yard2

NOMEX ComfortTM

Jackets

At least 4.5 oz./yard2 outershell

and 7.0 oz./yard2 quilted lining
for the innershell, covered by
3.0 oz./yard2 NOMEX fabric

NOMEX IIIA or ComfortTM

Gloves

Two layers of 6.0 oz./yard2

Knitted NOMEX ComfortTM

For more information on NOMEX FRC, including garment manufacturers and specific
washing/drying guidelines, see: http://www.dupontpersonalprotection.com.

Guide Number 06-001-2010

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