Procedure and safety clothing for the accreditation of safety clothing

Description

BE2024 / 5903 2 safety requirements corresponding to the identified electrical installation; the provision of information to the person, whereby the information relates at least to whether or not the safety clothing of the person complies with the safety requirements. 5 In a second aspect, the invention concerns safety clothing for work on electrical installations with a risk of generating an electric arc discharge, comprising a scannable data carrier configured to provide access, upon scanning, to information relating to safety requirements to which the said safety clothing complies.10 The invention eliminates the dependence on human interpretation and visual inspection, thereby significantly reducing the risk of errors. The method makes it possible to digitally receive information about the electrical installation and the safety clothing and automatically compare it with the relevant safety requirements,15 which are based on specific standards such as, for example, IEEE 1584 or ASTMF 1506.By consistent and accurate checking of the suitability of safety clothing, errors are prevented, and by the speed and user-friendliness of the invention, the willingness of users to check the safety of safety clothing is increased. Both these aspects contribute to the prevention of accidents. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as they are generally understood by the professional in the technical field of the invention. For a better assessment of the description of the invention, the following terms are explicitly explained. In this document, “a”, “the” and “the” refer to both the singular and the plural unless the context clearly implies otherwise. For example, “a segment” means one or more than a segment.The terms “include”, “including”, “consist of”, “consisting of”, “provided with”,35 “contain”, “containing”, “encompass”, “containing”, “include”, “containing” are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicate the presence of what follows, and that do not exclude or prevent the presence of other components, 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 3 characteristics, elements, members, steps, known from or described in the standard of technology. The term “electric arc discharge” refers to a powerful current discharge that takes place between two or more conductive surfaces or contacts through an ionized medium, such as air, which can cause extreme heat and light intensity. The term "safety requirements" refers to the specific standards, guidelines or technical specifications that determine which protective measures or means are required to minimize risks during work on an electrical installation.10 The term "safety parameters" refers to parameters in which safety requirements are expressed.The term "safety clothing" refers to protective equipment, comprising clothing, gloves, shoes and face protection accessories, which are specially designed to protect the wearer against electric arc discharges and other hazards, such as heat and radiation, and which meet established safety requirements. The term "identify" refers to the process by which specific characteristics of an electrical installation or safety clothing are determined. The term "user" refers to the person to whom information is provided, such as, for example, a technician performing work on an electrical installation. The term "scan" refers to the use of a device, such as a camera or RFID reader, to digitally read and process information from a scannable data carrier. The term "scannable data carrier" refers to a physical or visual label, such as a QR-30 code, barcode, or RFID tag, that can be scanned to obtain digital information.The term "visual data carrier" is a specific form of a scannable data carrier that displays information in a visual pattern, such as a QR code or a barcode, which can easily be scanned with a camera. 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 4 The term "limit values" refers to predetermined limits for safety parameters, such as energy or heat resistance, which indicate the extent to which a safety garment offers protection. The term "standard or norm" refers to an official guideline or series of specifications, such as IEC 61482 or IEEE 1584, which prescribes how electrical risks must be assessed and which measures are necessary for safety. The term "ELIM value" stands for Incident Energy Limit and is a measure that indicates how much energy a safety garment can withstand without causing injury to the wearer. The term "ATPV value" stands for ArcThermalPerformanceValue and is a measure that represents the amount of energy a garment can absorb before second-degree burns occur.15 The term "ARC classification" is a classification that indicates the level of protection a garment offers against electric arc discharges, based on test results. The term "risk parameters" refers to variables, such as the probability of an incident or the severity of potential consequences, that are used to assess the safety of a work situation. The term "material composition" refers to the composition of the substances and materials from which safety clothing is made, which determine the protective properties. The term "registration process" refers to a procedure whereby information about an electrical installation or safety clothing is recorded, including relevant parameters and / or safety requirements, to be consulted or checked later, possibly when identifying electrical installations and / or safety clothing.In a first aspect, the invention concerns a method for accrediting safety clothing prior to work on electrical installations with a risk of arc discharge, in accordance with Conclusion 1. 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 5 The method eliminates the dependence on human interpretation and visual inspection, thereby significantly reducing the risk of errors. The method makes it possible to digitally receive information about the electrical installation and the safety clothing and automatically compare it with the relevant safety requirements, which are based on specific standards such as, for example, IEEE 1584 or ASTMF 1506.5 This ensures a consistent, fast and accurate check of the suitability of the safety clothing. Traditional methods are often time-consuming, which in practice regularly leads to taking unnecessary risks by skipping or shortening checks to save time.This method prevents such situations by providing an automatic check that is not only accurate but also significantly speeds up the process. Direct feedback to the user not only increases safety by immediately confirming or rejecting the suitability of the safety clothing but also saves valuable time by eliminating the need for extensive prior supervision and repeated checks. The user is immediately informed whether the safety clothing meets the set requirements, allowing work to be carried out faster and more safely without compromising safety. In one implementation form, the information for identifying the electrical installation includes an identification number or identification signal, which serves as a reference to additional information needed to determine the corresponding safety requirements.In an implementation form, the information for identifying the electrical installation includes technical specifications of the electrical installation on the basis of which corresponding safety requirements are determined. In an implementation form, received information and provided information are communicated via a graphical user interface of an app for a mobile device. Through the visual interface, complex data, such as the suitability of safety clothing and the associated safety requirements, can be presented to the user in an intuitive and clear manner, thereby minimizing the risk of misinterpretation of crucial safety information. At the same time, the app makes it possible to receive real-time information, such as data from the electrical installation or changes thereto. Due to the portability of the device, the user can easily switch between different electrical installations, while both receiving and consulting information takes place directly on location.This not only increases the speed and efficiency of the process, but also ensures that safety regulations are adhered to better and more consistently. In one implementation form, information for identifying the electrical installation is received by scanning a first scannable data carrier,5 such as a QR code or an NFC tag. Scanning a scannable data carrier eliminates the need for manual data entry, which not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error. Additionally, the use of a scannable data carrier enables a standardized and uniform approach for registering and recognizing electrical installations.10 In a further implementation form, the first scannable data carrier is a visual data carrier, such as a QR code or barcode, and the method comprises the step of generating the first visual data carrier based on received information for identifying the electrical installation, where the provided information comprises the15 generated visual data carrier.This offers users the possibility to easily generate visual data carriers themselves, so that the information for identifying the electrical installation does not have to be manually entered repeatedly. In another or further implementation form, the first visual data carrier is located in the room of the electrical installation or on the electrical installation. This ensures that users can quickly and accurately retrieve the relevant information about an installation, which is particularly valuable in environments where multiple installations are located in the same room or production site. This method contributes to an efficient and safer work process because the necessary data is made available directly and without errors. In one implementation form, information for identifying the person's safety clothing is received by scanning a second scannable data carrier. This eliminates the need for manual entry of data about the safety clothing, which not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error.In addition, the use of a visual data carrier ensures a standardized and uniform approach to identifying safety clothing, enabling technicians to easily and reliably verify whether the clothing meets the established safety requirements for a specific electrical installation. In a further implementation form, the scannable data carrier is provided on safety clothing. This prevents the accidental scanning of the wrong data carrier, thereby significantly reducing the risk of errors. Moreover, placing the data carrier on the clothing ensures that it is always within reach of the user, allowing checks to be carried out more easily and quickly. This increases the user's willingness to regularly verify whether the safety clothing worn meets the requirements of the specific electrical installation. By making the accreditation of safety clothing as easy as possible in this way, the risk of accidents is further reduced and a safe working environment is promoted.In one implementation form, the safety requirements are pre-calculated in the form of limit values ​​during a registration process, whereby, at the step of determining whether the person's identified safety clothing meets the safety requirements, a safety value of the clothing is compared with these pre-calculated limit values. The advantage of pre-calculating the limit values ​​is that they can be retrieved immediately, thereby significantly accelerating the process. This is particularly essential for the willingness of users to use the system, as a quick and simple check lowers the threshold for regularly verifying whether the safety clothing meets the requirements. This not only increases efficiency but also ensures safety by preventing delays or the skipping of checks.In one implementation form, the safety requirements are based on a standard or norm, and the method further includes the step of receiving information regarding a choice of standard or norm, whereby the safety requirements correspond to the selected standard or norm. The advantage of this flexibility is that the user is given the freedom to work with standards that he or she trusts and is already accustomed to using, such as IEC, IEEE, or NFPA standards. This not only increases ease of use but also makes the user more willing to integrate the system into his or her work process, because it aligns with existing knowledge and preferences. This facilitates the adoption of the system, while the safety requirements are precisely tailored to the specific needs of the user. In one embodiment, the information provided includes specific parameters of an electrical installation. This provides users with a detailed insight into the installation, and ensures that any errors in the information can be easily spotted.2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 8 In a form of implementation, the provided information includes the characteristics of an electric arc discharge. This helps users to accurately assess the risks of an arc discharge. In a form of implementation, the provided information includes risk parameters. This enables users to perform risk analyses and set priorities when planning work. In a form of implementation, the provided information includes data regarding a standard or norm. This ensures that the user is aware of certain assumptions made for determining the safety requirements. In a form of implementation, the provided information includes advice on the distance to the electrical installation that must be maintained during the performance of work. This helps users to maintain a safe working distance, which significantly reduces the risk of injury. In a form of implementation, the provided information includes the ARC classification of the safety clothing.This makes it easy for users to verify the suitability of the clothing for specific risk levels.20 In one implementation form, the provided information includes the ELIM value (Incident Energy Limit) of the safety clothing. This helps determine whether the clothing offers sufficient protection against a specific arc energy.25 In one implementation form, the provided information includes the ATPV value (Arc Thermal Performance Value) of the safety clothing. This enables users to evaluate the thermal protection performance of the clothing and adapt it to the conditions.30 In one implementation form, the provided information includes the material composition of various components of the safety clothing. In one implementation form, the procedure further includes the step of determining a safe distance between an electrical installation and a person without safety clothing, based on the established safety requirements, whereby the determined safe distance is displayed at the step of providing information.During work on electrical installations, multiple persons are often present who perform supporting tasks or supervise, but do not themselves perform direct work on the installation and therefore do not wear safety clothing. It is essential that these persons are clearly informed of the safe distance they must maintain from the installation, so that they remain outside the risk area. By explicitly providing this information, the procedure contributes to a safe working environment for all involved, not only for those wearing safety clothing. In an implementation form, the procedure includes, at the step of providing information, one or more suggestions for safety clothing that meets the set safety requirements, preferably with conditions under which these requirements are met. It may occur that a user does not have the correct or safest safety clothing available for the specific work activities.By providing a clear and organized list of garments that meet safety requirements, it becomes easier for the user to make an informed choice and purchase the correct safety clothing. In one version, the app includes a feature for comparing different safety clothing in a single overview. This functionality enables users to easily view the properties of different garments side by side, such as ELIM values, ARC classifications, ATPV values, and material composition. This helps technicians make a quick and informed choice for the most suitable safety clothing, tailored to the specific requirements of the electrical installation. This clear comparison not only speeds up the selection of protective equipment but also minimizes the risk of errors or wrong choices, which contributes to a safer and more efficient working environment.In one implementation form, at the step of identifying an electrical installation and a person's safety clothing, the information originates from one or more databases containing data on different types of safety clothing and the corresponding safety requirements they meet, as well as data on different electrical installations and their associated safety requirements. The received information includes references to data in the said databases. This method makes it possible to retrieve relevant information quickly and efficiently, because the databases contain pre-calculated safety requirements that are directly accessible. In addition, the use of references instead of complete data ensures that the information cannot become outdated, because the current safety requirements and specifications are automatically updated in the database 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 10. This reduces the risk of errors and guarantees that the user always works with up-to-date data.In a second aspect, the invention concerns safety clothing for work on electrical installations with a risk of generating an electric arc discharge, comprising a scannable data carrier configured to provide access, upon scanning, to information relating to safety requirements to which the said safety clothing complies. In what follows, the invention is described by means of non-limiting examples that illustrate the invention and which are not intended or should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the invention. EXAMPLES A user arrives at the location where work must be performed on an electrical installation with a risk of generating an electric arc discharge. The user has brought the necessary safety clothing for this work. Upon arrival, the user opens a mobile application on a portable device, such as a smartphone or tablet, to identify the electrical installation. Identification can be performed by scanning a QR code present in room 20.This QR code can, for example, be affixed to the wall at the entrance of the room, or directly to the housing of the electrical installation. The electrical installation has been registered in the past, during which process the technical specifications of the electrical installation were received. Based on this information, the safety requirements corresponding to the electrical installation can be determined. This determination can take place during registration or during the identification of the electrical installation by the user. Based on the identified electrical installation, it is determined which safety requirements the user's safety clothing must meet. Subsequently, the user scans one or more scannable data carriers, such as a QR code or barcode, affixed to his / her safety clothing. These data carriers contain information with which the user's safety clothing can be identified.Based on this identification, it is determined which safety requirements the safety clothing meets, and whether these safety requirements at least meet the safety requirements set for the electrical installation. The mobile 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 11 application provides this information directly to the user, so that he / she knows for certain whether the correct safety clothing is being worn before performing the work. The scannable data carrier can be integrated into the safety clothing in various ways. For example, a QR code, an NFC tag, or an RFID tag can be attached to or inside the clothing, depending on the accessibility and the type of information to be scanned. The data carrier can be permanently attached during the production process of the clothing or added by means of a label that is applied to the clothing later. The safety clothing may be registered by a user themselves by manually entering technical specifications of the safety clothing into the mobile application, or by selecting safety clothing from a selection menu.This selection can subsequently be stored under an account to be selected more quickly in the future when identifying the user's safety clothing. Optionally, based on this registration, a visual data carrier can be provided to the user via the mobile application, which the user can attach to, for example, the safety clothing themselves. Another option is the use of Bluetooth beacons or Wi-Fi beacons, which continuously transmit a signal that can be detected by the mobile application. This offers a hands-free alternative whereby an electrical installation and / or safety clothing is automatically recognized without requiring any specific action from the user. The application may include an offline mode, which can be enabled when most of the contact data of the necessary information has been made available offline. Identification can also be based on location using GPS technology.In this 30 implementation, the mobile application uses the user's geographical coordinates to determine which electrical installation and / or safety clothing is located in the immediate vicinity. This method is particularly suitable for outdoor applications or for installations that are geographically dispersed. 35 If such technologies are not available, the user can manually enter identification data into the mobile application. This can be, for example, a unique 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 12 installation ID. This method offers a fallback option for situations where modern identification technologies are not available or do not function. The information for identifying part of the electrical installation and the user's safety clothing may comprise only one ID linked to corresponding information in one or more external databases. An external database may, for example, comprise the safety requirements of an electrical installation, as well as the standard on the basis of which these safety requirements are determined.Upon receiving a specific ID of an electrical installation, the relevant safety requirements can be retrieved directly from the external database. The same applies to safety clothing: the safety requirements that different types of safety clothing meet can be stored in an external database, linked to a corresponding ID. Furthermore, the information in the external database can be automatically updated when there are changes in the standards used for safety requirements or when the technical characteristics of the electrical installation or safety clothing are modified. This ensures that the safety requirements are always up to date and the user is assured of working with the most recent and accurate information. The safety requirements may have been established at the time of registration based on the characteristics of the electrical installation and a specific standard such as, for example, IEEE 1584, IEC 61482, or NFPA 70E.The user may be asked via the mobile application which standard should be used when determining the security requirements. 25 The safety requirements may involve an ELIM value (Incident Energy Limit). Here, the ELIM value of identified safety clothing is compared with the required ELIM limit value corresponding to the electrical installation. The ELIM value of the clothing indicates how much energy it can withstand before injury may occur. By comparing the ELIM value of the clothing with the required value for the specific installation, it can be determined whether the safety clothing offers sufficient protection. Also, alternative parameters that may be used in this regard, such as the ATPV value (Arc Thermal Performance Value), which indicates how much energy the clothing can absorb before a second-degree burn occurs, and the HAF value (Heat Attenuation Factor),35 which represents the degree of protection against radiant heat.2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 13 After identifying part of the electrical installation, technical information of part of the electrical installation may be made available in the mobile application. Optionally, a feature is provided in the mobile application for modifying this information, whereby the safety requirements of part of the electrical installation are calculated based on the modified information and, if necessary, updated in the relevant external database. After identifying part of the electrical installation and the user's safety clothing, information can be provided via the mobile application regarding the safe working distance that must be maintained when performing the work with the identified safety clothing. In addition, the arc characteristics of the corresponding electrical installation can also be displayed in the mobile application, based on a selected norm or standard for calculating the arc characteristics.The user can indicate which standard must be applied, such as IEEE 1584, IEC 61482, or another relevant standard. This information can include the intensity, duration, and energy of a potential electric arc. By displaying these arc characteristics, the user can gain a good insight into the risks associated with working with the specific installation. When registering a new electrical installation, the mobile application can be used to manually enter all relevant technical specifications and synchronize them with a database. After the data has been entered, the user can select which standards or norms the calculations must be performed to determine the safety requirements. After this registration, the safety requirements are stored in a database and labeled with an identification of the electrical installation. This label makes it possible to easily recognize the installation in the future and retrieve the associated safety requirements.A visual data carrier may be made available in the mobile application based on the identification or based on the entered technical specifications of the electrical installation. This visual data carrier can be printed by the users and placed in the room of the electrical installation to facilitate identification in the future. 35 Furthermore, the mobile application can provide various suggestions for safety clothing that meets the safety requirements of the identified electrical installation. The mobile application can display a list of available safety clothing that is suitable 2024 / 5903 BE2024 / 5903 14 for work on the specific electrical installation, displaying relevant details such as the ELIM value (Incident Energy Limit), ARC class, ATPV value (Arc Thermal Performance Value) and / or the material composition of the safety clothing. A function may be provided in the mobile application allowing different safety clothing to be compared in a single overview.5 The mobile application may also display a safe distance for persons without safety clothing located near the electrical installation. Preferably, this distance is determined during the registration of an electrical installation in the mobile application. This distance is calculated based on a selected norm or standard, such as IEEE or IEC, and the technical specifications of the installation. The calculated safe distance is preferably stored in a database and labeled with the identification of the associated electrical installation. The mobile application may be used to warn users about potential risks and safety issues during work on electrical installations. For example, the app can provide a warning when the scanned safety clothing does not meet the set safety requirements, with specific information such as "The ELIM value of the clothing is lower than required for this installation."In addition, the app can warn users if the technical parameters of the installation, such as current or voltage, do not match the registered data in the database, which may indicate an incorrect connection.