ASTM_F_2878_-_10.pdf

Designation:F287810Standard Test Method forProtective Clothing Material Resistance to HypodermicNeedle Puncture1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2878;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.INTRODUCTIONOccupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens(BBP)caused by needlestick injuries are aconcern for healthcare professionals,law enforcement officers,first responders and others.Transmission of diseases such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV)and Hepatitis C(Hep C)as a result of percutaneous needlestick injuries have been documented worldwide.These diseases canlead to life-long chronic health problems and possibly death.Work practice safety procedures,including the use of personal protective equipment(PPE)such asgloves,aprons,and sleeves,are used to diminish the risk of occupational exposure to BBPs throughneedlestick injury.The purpose of this standard is to measure relative hypodermic needle puncture resistance offeredby various materials based on the conditions specified within the standard.This standard does notattempt to simulate all use conditions.Anumber of variables which impact puncture resistance are notaddressed by this standard.For example,stiffness of backing materials,presence of lubricants,andtension on the specimen may all impact puncture resistance,but are not considered by this standard.This standard defines three common hypodermic needles to evaluate puncture resistance.Throughdevelopment of this standard,it has been observed that needle diameter has an effect on punctureresistance.Therefore needles of various diameters have been specified.Users of this method mayspecify testing with one or more of the needles defined within the standard.The hypodermic needles referenced have been selected with consideration to three main points:(1)As needle gauge increases the load required to puncture materials taken from commonlyavailable hypodermic needle resistant PPE increases.The performance is not linear and thereforerelatively large gauge(21 g)and small gauge(28 g)needles are provided to better understand amaterials performance against one end of the spectrum or the other.(2)Certain end-use applications are concerned with protection from either large gauge needles orsmall gauge needles.For example,police officers searching suspected intravenous drug users are mostcommonly at risk of injury from fine gauge needles(28 g),but not large gauge needles.Whereas,workers inoculating poultry on commercial farms may be concerned with large gauge needles(21 g),but not small gauge needles.(3)Certain materials are optimized to resist either large gauge or small gauge needles and testingagainst the other would not be useful.Other materials may be engineered for resistance to the fullbreadth of the gauge spectrum.For example,in applications,such as healthcare,where a broad rangeof needle gauges are expected,testing against both ends of the spectrum allows for a betterunderstanding of robustness.1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee F23 on PersonalProtective Clothing and Equipment and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF23.20 on Physical.Current edition approved Nov.1,2010.Published January 2011.DOI:10.1520/F2878-10.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 1.Scope1.1 This test method is used to determine the force requiredto cause a sharp-edged puncture probe(hypodermic needle)topenetrate through protective clothing material.The standarddescribes three test probes that may be used:21-,25-,or28-gauge needles.1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D1776 Practice for Conditioning and Testing TextilesD1777 Test Method for Thickness of Textile MaterialsD2000 Classification System for Rubber Products in Auto-motive ApplicationsD2582 Test Method for Puncture-Propagation Tear Resis-tance of Plastic Film and Thin SheetingE4 Practices for Force Verification of Testing MachinesF1342 Test Method for Protective Clothing Material Resis-tance to Puncture3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 protective clothing material,nany material or com-bination of materials used in an item of clothing for the purposeof isolating parts of the wearers body from a potential hazard.3.1.2 hypodermic needle,na hollow bore stainless steelcylinder with a beveled tip used to penetrate th