Safety outerwear with fire resistant mesh

Abstract

An article of safety outerwear has a main body piece that receives a portion of the body of a wearer in use. The main body piece includes a garment wall that defines inside and outside wall portions. The inside wall portion presents a smooth surface to the body of the wearer in use. The outside wall portion is adapted for constant exposure to environmental conditions and to protect against abrasion during working and / or athletic activity. The garment wall is formed at least in part from a vent portion, such that at least a portion of each of the inside and outside wall portions is defined thereby. The vent portion is constructed solely from one or more layers of a mesh material, and is safety rated with a flame resistant rating qualifying same for flame resistant use in hazardous environments. The mesh material operatively has an open texture for high breathability.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of safety clothing, and more particularly, at least to the use of open-textured materials and fabrics in secondary flame resistant garments that satisfy the safety standards for workers exposed to risks of flash fires and / or electrical arc hazards. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Each and every day, workers in the electrical maintenance, Utilities, oil, gas, petrochemical and steel industries work in environments that may expose them to hazards that could cause severe and / or fatal burn injuries. In the event of a momentary electric arc, flash fire, and / or molten metal splash exposure, standard work clothes that are not flame resistant may ignite and may continue to burn even after the source of ignition has been removed. Untreated natural fabrics may continue to burn until the fabric is totally consumed. Synthetic fabrics that are not flame resistant will also burn, with melting and dripping causing severe c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0044] In accordance with the present invention, there is disclosed an article of safety, outerwear that includes a main body piece adapted to receive in encompassing relation at least a portion of the body of a wearer in use. The main body piece includes a garment wall that defines an inside wall portion and an outside wall portion. The inside wall portion is adapted to present a substantially smooth surface to the body of the wearer in use. The outside wall portion is adapted for substantially constant exposure to environmental conditions and to provide the wearer with protection against abrasion during normal activity selected from the group consisting of working activity and athletic activity. The garment wall is formed at least in part from a vent portion, such that at least a portion of each of the inside wall portion and the outside wall portion of the garment wall is defined by the vent portion. The vent portion is constructed solely from at least one layer of a mesh material. The vent portion is safety-rated with a flame resistant rating that qualifies the vent portion for flame resistant use in hazardous environments. The mesh material operatively has a substantially open texture for high breathability.

[0049] According to a further aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, the synthetic flame resistant material may preferably, but need not necessarily, comprise a synthetic flame resistant fiber that may preferably, but need not necessarily, be characterized by low stiffness and high elongation, so as to preferably, but not necessarily, provide textile-like characteristics, and so as to preferably, but not necessarily, enable processing of the fiber on conventional textile equipment.

[0076] Preferably, the mesh material may be adapted to provide the wearer with protection against burn and / or flame hazards, and / or electrical arc hazards.

Problems solved by technology

Each and every day, workers in the electrical maintenance, Utilities, oil, gas, petrochemical and steel industries work in environments that may expose them to hazards that could cause severe and / or fatal burn injuries.

In the event of a momentary electric arc, flash fire, and / or molten metal splash exposure, standard work clothes that are not flame resistant may ignite and may continue to burn even after the source of ignition has been removed.

Untreated natural fabrics may continue to burn until the fabric is totally consumed.

Synthetic fabrics that are not flame resistant will also burn, with melting and dripping causing severe contact burns to the skin.

In fact, various government reports may note that the vast majority of severe and / or fatal burn injuries may be due to the ignition and / or continued burning of an individual's clothing, and possibly not to exposure to the source of ignition itself.

Unfortunately, comfort and protection may long have been perceived to be mutually exclusive when it comes to flame resistant work clothing.

Since higher fabric weights and / or thicknesses, combined with a general lack of breathability in a tightly woven fabric texture, may be commonly associated with poor comfort, it may not have been easy, in the prior art, to find protective clothing with both the highest level of protection and comfort, offered in the same garment, particularly as the issue of comfort may relate to worker heat prostration issues.

As a result, managers and / or purchasers may long have struggled to find an acceptable balance between the two in the prior art, and manufacturers may even have taken tremendous steps to provide garment choices that are softer, lighter in weight, more breathable, and / or more comfortable.

However, knee breeches and / or such other breathable and / or exposing articles of clothing may not constitute suitable apparel in circumstances wherein, inter alia, there is a risk of momentary electric arc, flash fire, and / or molten metal splash exposure, and / or where the knees of persons wearing such apparel may be apt to come into contact with rough surfaces.

Indeed, and as aforesaid, in many such settings, applicable legislation may prohibit the use of knee breeches and / or other such potentially exposing articles clothing.

Moreover, in some environments, temperatures may plummet significantly, possibly in a relatively short period, in which case, persons wearing shorts and / or other exposing articles of clothing as an outer layer of clothing may become uncomfortably cool.

However, in circumstances when the wearer may not be able to anticipate when his or her lower legs and / or other exposed body portions may be exposed to injury, convertible trousers and / or other convertible clothing represents no particular advantage, since, possibly for safety, the wearer may be mandated to wear the clothing with the leg portions and / or other covering portions in place at all times, possibly with consequent discomfort.

The resulting flame resistance afforded to the fabric and / or fiber in this manner may generally not have been a permanent feature, and / or it may have washed out and / or have been worn off.

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