ASTM_F_1296_-_08_2015.pdf

Designation:F129608(Reapproved 2015)Standard Guide forEvaluating Chemical Protective Clothing1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F1296;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.INTRODUCTIONASTM Committee F23 was established in 1976 for the purpose of producing standards for use inthe evaluation of protective clothing.A significant number of these standards have applied toprotection against chemicals.Chemical protective clothing ranges from aprons and gloves to totallyencapsulating ensembles.Chemical protective clothing is widely used throughout in several differentapplications including the general industry,the chemical process industry,oil refining,agriculture,hazardous materials remediation,and emergency response.The effective development and selection of chemical protective clothing requires information onseveral aspects of the clothing,including chemical resistance,physical integrity,comfort,and fit.Some of these characteristics can be evaluated using swatches of the materials from which the clothingis fabricated.Other characteristics require testing of the finished items of clothing.Committee F23 hasdeveloped test methods for both types of evaluations.The successful use of Committee F23s standards requires an awareness and understanding of eachstandard as well as the interrelationship of the standards.The successful application of chemical protective clothing requires the careful matching of theproper level of protection and performance characteristics of clothing with the potential hazard and thefunctional requirements of the tasks to be performed while wearing the clothing.1.Scope1.1 This guide is intended to aid in the application ofstandards for the development,specification,and selection ofchemical protective clothing with the ultimate goal of main-taining the safety and health of workers who come into contactwith hazardous chemicals.1.2 This guide provides a short description of each refer-enced standard and then makes specific recommendations forthe use of these standards.The referenced standards areorganized under the following headings:Material ChemicalResistance,Material Physical Properties,Seam and ClosurePerformance,and Overall Clothing Performance.1.3 No protocol can ensure the selection of protectiveclothing that guarantees worker protection.The purpose oftesting is to generate data and information that will allow theselection of the most appropriate clothing.Ultimately,clothingselection is based on technical evaluation of available infor-mation and professional assessment of risk.1.4 The values stated in SI units or in other units shall beregarded separately as standard.The values stated in eachsystem must be used independently of the other,withoutcombining values in any way.1.5 This standard does not purport to address the safetyconcerns,if any,associated with its use.It is the responsibilityof the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety andhealth practices and determine the applicability of regulatorylimitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D747 Test Method for Apparent Bending Modulus of Plas-tics by Means of a Cantilever BeamD751 Test Methods for Coated FabricsD1630 Test Method for Rubber PropertyAbrasion Resis-tance(Footwear Abrader)D2582 Test Method for Puncture-Propagation Tear Resis-tance of Plastic Film and Thin Sheeting1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F23 on PersonalProtective Clothing and Equipment and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF23.30 on Chemicals.Current edition approved Feb.1,2015.Published February 2015.Originallyapproved in 1991.Last previous edition approved in 2008 as F1296 08.DOI:10.1520/F1296-08R15.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 D3389 Test Method for Coated Fabrics Abrasion Resistance(Rotary Platform Abrader)D4157 Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of TextileFabrics(Oscillatory Cylinder Method)D4966 Test Method for Abrasion Resistance of TextileFabrics(Martindale Abrasion Tester Method)D5034 Test Method for Breaking Strength and Elongation ofTextile Fabrics(Grab Test)D5151 Test Method for Detection of Holes in MedicalGlovesD5587 Test Method for Tearing Strength of Fabrics byTrapezoid ProcedureD6413 Test Method for Flame Resistance of Textiles(Ver-tical Test)F392 Test Method for Flex Durability of Flexible BarrierMaterialsF739 Test Method for Permeation of Liquids and Gasesthrough Protective Clothing Materials under Con