Improved protective clothing with harness access

Abstract

To provide a protective garment capable of reducing the possibility of injury to a worker during or after a fall from a high place due to a combination of a suit and a harness.SOLUTION: A protective garment 1 has a support harness conduit 7 including a flexible transition duct and a flexible rope cover forming a sleeve 4 located centrally and vertically on the back face of the garment. The transition duct is attached to both the arm portion 4 and the torso portion of the garment or attached to the back face below the neck portion, and extends to the top of the waist portion of the garment. The end of the trunk portion of the transition duct has a greater width than the back face of the garment. The tip side closure end of the rope cover has a closure device for closing the conduit and reducing fluid or particulate exchange between the inside and the outside of the garment. The end of the rope cover of the transition duct has a width of at least 30% of the width of the back face of the garment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Field of the Invention. The present invention relates to protective clothing for workers that can be worn on a safety harness such that upon a fall, the protective clothing does not increase the risk of injury to the worker. Preferably, the clothing maintains a degree of seal between the inside and outside of the suit.

Background Art

[0002] Description of the Prior Art. U.S. Patent No. 5,548,842 (Wiseman) discloses protective clothing having a support harness conduit for safety harness access while maintaining a reduced fluid flow between the inside and outside of the clothing.

[0003] Wiseman discloses protective clothing that can be worn by a worker in conjunction with the use of a safety harness. However, the design of the clothing is focused on providing a suit that can be used with a safety harness worn by the worker under the suit while providing a reasonable seal around the safety rope passing through the protective clothing, i.e., a reasonable seal within the protective clothing.

[0004] However, it has been suggested that in addition to environmental threats, there may be other potential threats to workers working at heights while wearing combinations such as safety harnesses and protective clothing. One thing to consider is to reduce the possibility of injury to the worker caused by the combination of the suit and the harness during or after a fall through an improved clothing design. A fallen worker may potentially experience further significant tension in the area under the arm or in the upper body region while suspended from a safety rope waiting for rescue, or may experience something even worse. Therefore, an improvement in the clothing design that significantly reduces or eliminates potential work-related injuries is desirable.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention is a protective garment having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body, the protective garment including two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit, the support harness conduit including a flexible transfer duct and a flexible rope cover, the flexible transfer duct and the flexible rope cover forming a sleeve centrally located vertically on the torso portion of the back of the garment, the transfer duct having a torso end and a rope cover end, the flexible rope cover having a base end attached to the transfer duct rope cover end and a tip end, The torso end of the transfer duct is attached to both the arm portion and the torso portion, whereby the torso end has a width wider than the back of the garment extending across the back of the garment from one arm portion to the other arm portion. The torso end of the transfer duct provides an opening in the torso portion between the arm portion and under the neck portion, and the rope cover end of the transfer duct provides an opening in the transfer duct for the base end of the rope cover. The tip-side closure end of the rope cover has a closure device for closing the conduit and reducing the exchange of fluids or particles between the inside and outside of the garment. Relates to a protective garment in which the rope cover end of the transfer duct has a width of at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the garment.

[0006] In some other embodiments, the present invention is a protective garment having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body, the protective garment including two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit, the support harness conduit including a flexible transfer duct and a flexible rope cover, the flexible transfer duct and the flexible rope cover forming a sleeve centrally located vertically on the torso portion of the back of the garment, the transfer duct having a torso end and a rope cover end, the flexible rope cover having a base end attached to the transfer duct rope cover end and a tip end, The body end of the transition duct is attached to the back under the neck part and extends vertically up to above the waist of the garment. The body end has a vertical length wider than the back of the garment. The body end of the transition duct provides an opening in the body part between the arm part and under the neck part. The rope cover end of the transition duct provides an opening in the transition duct for the base end of the rope cover. The tip-side closure end of the rope cover has a closure device for closing the duct and reducing the exchange of fluids or particles between the inside and outside of the garment. The rope cover end of the transition duct has a width of at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the protective garment.

[0007] In one embodiment, the garment is an overall cover with an attached hood, and may be provided with attached foot covers.

[0008] In another embodiment, the protective garment further comprises fasteners for attaching to the garment when not using the support harness duct.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention relates to a protective garment that not only enables an operator to wear a safety harness under the suit, but also has features that help ensure that the protective garment does not increase the risk of injury to the wearer in the event of a fall. The protective garment has an inner side, an outer side, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body. The protective garment includes two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit. The support harness conduit includes a flexible transition duct and a flexible rope cover that may include a closure device. These features can be described, without limitation, by reference to the drawings.

[0011] In particular, FIG. 1 is an overall view of the back 3 of one possible protective garment 1, and FIG. 2 is an overall view of the front 2 of the same garment 1. The garment has an inner side and an outer side and includes a protective fabric as the outer surface of the garment. In some embodiments, the garment may have a fabric liner on the inner side of the garment.

[0012] The garment includes a torso portion 6 for covering at least a part of a person's torso and a neck portion 5 for covering a person's neck. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the garment may include a hood 8 attached to the neck portion. The protective garment further includes two arm portions 4 and a support harness conduit 7. As shown in FIG. 1, below the support harness conduit, the back of the garment may further include a waist gather 32. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back of the garment with the support harness conduit 7 extending away from the garment to better show this feature and the waist gather 32. As shown in FIG. 3, the support harness conduit 7 essentially forms an additional sleeve for a harness safety rope in the garment and is vertically centered on the torso portion of the back of the garment.

[0013] The torso portion further includes a plurality of openings including at least an opening for the head and neck, an opening for receiving a person's arm when the person is wearing the garment and terminating at the arm portion, and an opening for the support harness conduit for passing a safety rope from a support harness worn by the wearer to the outside of the garment. Each end of the arm portion may have an opening for a person's wrist and hand. If desired, the sleeve can be provided with a sleeve closure feature (not shown) for closing the sleeve around the wearer's wrist. If desired, a cord fastener or tape, a hook-and-loop fastener, an elastic material, or other closure options can be used as the sleeve closure feature.

[0014] The garment 1 has an inner surface that is defined as the surface that faces a person's body when the person is wearing the garment, i.e., any surface of the garment that is closest to the wearer when the garment is being worn, and is generally considered the inner surface of the garment. The outer surface of the garment is defined as the surface that faces a potentially harmful environment or threat, i.e., is generally considered the outer surface of the garment.

[0015] The support harness conduit includes a flexible transition duct and a flexible rope cover, and the flexible transition duct and the flexible rope form a sleeve vertically centered on the torso portion of the back of the garment. In some embodiments, the center of this vertically centered sleeve is horizontally disposed at a distance of about 15 to 30 percent of the total straight-line distance between the neckline and the waistline of the garment from the neckline.

[0016] FIG. 4 is a view of section AA' of FIG. 3 showing some of the features of the support harness conduit 7. As shown in FIG. 4, the support harness conduit includes a flexible transition duct 10 and a flexible rope cover 11. The transition duct further has a torso end 12 and a rope cover end 14. The flexible rope cover has a base end 15 attached to the transition duct rope cover end and a tip end 16 that can be provided with a closure device (not shown).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the torso end 12 of the transition duct is attached to both arm portions 4 in addition to the torso portion. Thereby, the torso end 12 has a width 20 that is wider than the width 21 of the back of the garment, and the torso end extends across the back of the garment from one arm portion to the other arm portion.

[0018] The width of the torso end and the back of the garment can be measured by laying the garment flat on a table and measuring the straight-line distance. The width 21 of the back of the garment is the straight-line horizontal distance from end to end of the flat garment at chest height. When the garment is laid flat, the arm portions are extended in opposite directions and flattened, and an additional fabric provided by the torso end causes the fabric to overlap in the arm portions. The first contact point of the torso end is the starting end of this overlap of the fabric in the arm portion. Thus, in this embodiment, the width 20 of the torso end 12 is the straight-line horizontal distance from the first contact point of the torso end with one arm portion to the first contact point of the torso end in the other arm portion when the arms of the garment are laid horizontally flat and extend in opposite directions from the garment. In some embodiments, the torso end is at least 115% wider than the width of the back of the garment, and in some embodiments, the torso end is at least 150% wider than the width of the back of the garment.

[0019] In the support harness conduit, the transition duct is a tubular or hollow duct for passing the safety rope from the safety harness to the rope cover, and the rope cover is also a tubular or hollow duct for passing the safety rope outside the garment. The torso end of the transition duct provides an opening between the arm portion and under the neck portion of the torso portion, and the rope cover end of the transition duct provides an opening in the transition duct for the base end of the rope cover. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the rope cover end of the transition duct has a width 22 that is at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the garment when measured in a flat state. In some embodiments, the rope cover end of the transition duct has a width that is 80 percent of the width of the back of the garment.

[0020] In some embodiments, the transition duct is a tubular or hollow duct having a trapezoidal shape where the torso end is wider than the rope cover end. This trapezoidal shape may have essentially straight sides 23 as shown in FIG. 4, or alternatively, in a more preferred embodiment, this trapezoidal shape may have curved sides 24 as also shown in FIG. 4. (Both are shown in FIG. 4 for comparison.) Further, in some embodiments, the height of the trapezoidal transition duct measured vertically from the torso end (in the plane of the back of the garment) to the rope cover end is preferably 20 to 50 percent of the total length of the support harness conduit 7.

[0021] In some preferred embodiments, the shape of the opening in the back of the garment formed by the torso end is preferably a simple straight slit extending from one arm portion to the other arm portion, or an elongated oval extending from one arm portion to the other arm portion.

[0022] In some other embodiments, the shape of the opening in the back of the garment formed by the torso end can be a simple straight slit oriented vertically and centered on the back of the garment, or an elongated oval (not shown) centered and oriented vertically on the back of the garment. In these embodiments, the opening extends vertically from below the neck portion to above the waist portion of the garment. Also, in these embodiments, the torso end has a vertical length that is wider than the back of the garment. Further, in these vertically oriented embodiments, the center of the torso end is horizontally positioned at a distance of about 20 to 65 percent of the total straight-line distance between the neckline and the waist of the garment from the neckline.

[0023] The rope cover is essentially a hollow sleeve or tube. FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams of two general rope cover shapes that are possible, with the hollow sleeve or tube shown in a flat state on a table. The flexible rope cover has a base end 15 that is attached to the rope cover end of the transition duct and a tip end 16 that has a closure device (not shown). The tip end of the flexible rope cover need only be wide enough to pass the end of the safety rope, but from a practical perspective, the tip end is preferably wide enough for a person's hand to reach inside the rope cover to grip the safety rope.

[0024] The width of the base end of the rope cover, when measured in a flat state, is the same as the width of the rope cover end of the transition duct, i.e., at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the garment. In some embodiments, the width of the base end of the rope cover is at least 80 percent of the width of the back of the garment.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the rope cover also has a length 26 that is measured by placing the rope cover flat on a table and measuring the straight-line distance from the edge of the base end to the edge of the tip end. In some embodiments, the rope cover length is at least 20 cm. In some embodiments, the rope cover has a length of at least 1 meter. As shown in the figures, the rope cover preferably has a conical shape with either straight or curved sides, and a conical shape with curved sides is preferred.

[0026] The tip 16 of the rope cover 11 has a closure device for compressing the conduit around the safety rope, closing the conduit, and reducing the exchange of fluids or particles between the inside and outside of the garment. FIG. 7 details one representative example of a rope cover closure device in the form of a non-woven fastener. As shown, a particular preferred embodiment is a fastener having two straps 31 sewn to the rope cover. Thus, after the harness rope is inserted, the two straps can be wrapped around the rope cover and used to fit the rope cover tightly around the rope by simply tying the two ends together.

[0027] When used, the fastener can be made from many different types of durable woven or non-woven or webbing materials, as long as it has the appropriate strength in use. For example, the fastener can be made from a fabric such as DuPont Tychem® F fabric, which features Tyvek® fabric laminated with a film. One useful feature is that the fastener is made from a fabric that has a different color than the fabric of the protective garment so that it can be easily recognized.

[0028] The protective garment can have still more features that may be desirable. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the back of the garment can further include a gather 32 at the waist. This prevents the excess fabric of the garment above the waist from hanging down and interfering with the use of the garment. Various types of gathers may be used. One particularly desirable gather is an elastic band sewn or adhered to the garment in a tensioned state.

[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the protective garment can be an overall with legs attached to the torso portion and an attached hood 8.

[0030] FIGS. 8 and 9 show the back and sides of a garment in the form of an overall with a hood, worn on a safety harness, including the use of a non-woven fastener to close the tip of the rope cover against the safety harness rope.

[0031] Figure 10 shows a mannequin test of a garment where the garment is in the form of an overall with a hood, worn on a safety harness, and the mannequin is shown suspended by a safety harness rope. This figure further shows the beneficial effect of the waist gathers 32 that can help address excess fabric above the waist during use of the garment. In some embodiments, the excess fabric is created by using a pattern that gives a distinct convex outward shape to the center back seam of the overall. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the center back seam of the overall measured from the neckline to the waistline gathers is at least 150% longer than the back of a standard design protective garment.

[0032] Figure 11 shows the back 3 of a garment that further includes a final fastener 40 for attachment to the garment when not using a support harness conduit. Preferably, the support harness conduit is wrapped or folded back above the waist gathers 32 and then secured with fasteners. Preferably, there are at least two fasteners 40 symmetrically spaced on the support harness. The fasteners maintain the support harness conduit in place and give the user the flexibility to use the suit with or without a harness without concern for the chemical protection of the suit. Many types of fasteners may be used as long as they do not create holes in the protective fabric that would affect chemical performance. Various useful types of fasteners include hook-and-loop fasteners, adhesive hook-and-loop fasteners, sewn-in magnets, adhesive magnets, snaps, clasps, zippers, buttons, and combinations thereof.

[0033] Figure 11 also shows a protective garment that may further include an attached foot cover 9. Such foot covers may include overshoes or socks sewn to the ends of the legs of the overall.

[0034] Any part or feature of the protective clothing described herein may further include a lining fabric. In the clothing, the lining fabric is preferably disposed between the wearer and any outer protective fabric. The lining can be any suitable fabric that is comfortable against the skin, but particularly useful are woven or non-woven fabrics. Preferably, the lining is a spunlace or spunbond non-woven fabric containing fibers or filaments made from synthetic polymers.

[0035] The protective clothing preferably includes a protective fabric. The term "protective fabric" includes various protective fabrics, barrier fabrics, laminates, and films. The term "protective fabric" also includes nonwovens and / or woven fabrics and laminates thereof with films or multilayer films of such materials. In some embodiments, the protective fabric includes a chemical-resistant outer layer. In some preferred embodiments, the protective fabric, and thus the material of the clothing, is a laminate of a multilayer film and a nonwoven fabric. In some embodiments, the material of the clothing is a nonwoven fabric that prevents penetration of liquids and / or fine particles, such as a nonwoven fabric such as Tyvek® spunbond polyethylene. One preferred protective fabric is DuPont Tychem® C fabric, which features a coated Tyvek® fabric. These fabrics provide barrier protection against a wide range of inorganic chemical and biological hazards and are lightweight and comfortable. Another useful fabric is DuPont Tychem® F fabric, which features a Tyvek® fabric laminated with a film. In addition, other useful protective fabrics for protecting against various threats can be used, including but not limited to those generally disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,626,947 (Hauer et al.), U.S. Patent No. 4,855,178 (Langley), U.S. Patent No. 4,272,851 (Goldstein), U.S. Patent No. 4,772,510 (McClure), U.S. Patent No. 5,035,941 (Blackburn), U.S. Patent No. 4,214,321 (Nuwayser), U.S. Patent No. 4,920,575 (Bartasis), U.S. Patent No. 5,162,148 (Boye), and U.S. Patent No. 4,833,010 (Langley).

[0036] The features of the clothing described in this specification are considered to be applicable as part of protective clothing of Level A, B, C, or D. Level A clothing is used in situations that require the highest level of skin, respiratory, and eye protection and is generally a fully encapsulated vapor protective suit. Level B clothing is used in situations that require the highest level of respiratory protection but a lower level of skin protection. Level C clothing is used in situations where air contaminants, liquid droplets, and other direct contact do not adversely affect or are not absorbed by exposed skin. Level D clothing is used in situations where the contamination is merely unpleasant. There may be some cases where combinations of protective clothing classified as Level A, B, C, or D may be used together. In some embodiments, the clothing is part of a fully encapsulated chemical protective suit, and in some embodiments, it is part of an overall, or part of any type of shirt or coat or pants, or a combination of these.

[0037] The inventive features of the protective clothing described in this specification are considered to help ensure that in the event of a fall, the clothing itself does not increase the risk of injury to the wearer. These features allow the safety harness equipment to move with little restraint under the overall. This is thought to reduce the possibility of excessive tension being applied to the body by the protective clothing at the moment of impact, i.e., the moment the safety equipment stops the fall. Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown. 1. A protective garment having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body, the protective garment including two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit, the support harness conduit including a flexible transition duct and a flexible rope cover, the flexible transition duct and the flexible rope cover forming a sleeve centrally positioned vertically on the torso portion of the back of the garment, the transition duct having a torso end and a rope cover end, the flexible rope cover having a base end attached to the transition duct rope cover end and a tip end, the torso end of the transition duct being attached to both the arm portion and the torso portion, whereby the torso end has a width wider than the back of the garment extending across the back of the garment from one arm portion to the other arm portion, the torso end of the transition duct providing an opening in the torso portion between the arm portion and below the neck portion, the rope cover end of the transition duct providing an opening in the transition duct for the base end of the rope cover, the tip side closure end of the rope cover closing the conduit and having a closure device for reducing the exchange of fluid or particles between the inside and the outside of the garment, the rope cover end of the transition duct having a width of at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the garment. Protective garment. 2. The protective garment according to 1 above, wherein the rope cover has a length of at least 20 centimeters. 3. The protective garment according to 2 above, wherein the rope cover has a length of at least 1 meter. 4. The protective garment according to 1 above, wherein the transition duct has a trapezoidal shape with the torso end wider than the rope cover end. 5. The protective garment according to 4 above, wherein the trapezoidal shape has curved sides. 6. The protective garment according to 1 above, wherein the back of the garment further includes a gather at the waist. 7. The protective garment according to 6 above, wherein the gather is an elastic band. 8. The protective garment according to 1 above, further comprising a fastener for attaching to the garment when not using the support harness conduit. 9. The protective clothing according to item 1 above, wherein the clothing is an overall with an attached hood. 10. The protective clothing according to item 9 above, further including attached foot covers. 11. The protective clothing according to item 1 above, wherein the rope cover closure device is a non-woven fastener. 12. A protective clothing having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body, the protective clothing including two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit, the support harness conduit including a flexible transition duct and a flexible rope cover, the flexible transition duct and the flexible rope cover forming a sleeve centrally positioned vertically on the torso portion of the back of the clothing, the transition duct having a torso end and a rope cover end, the flexible rope cover having a base end attached to the transition duct rope cover end and a tip end, the torso end of the transition duct being attached to the back under the neck portion and extending vertically up to above the waist of the clothing, the torso end having a vertical length wider than the back of the clothing, the torso end of the transition duct providing an opening between the arm portion and under the neck portion of the torso portion, the rope cover end of the transition duct providing an opening in the transition duct for the base end of the rope cover, the tip-side closure end of the rope cover having a closure device for closing the conduit and reducing the exchange of fluid or particles between the inside and the outside of the clothing, the rope cover end of the transition duct having a width of at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the clothing. Protective clothing. 13. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, wherein the rope cover has a length of at least 20 centimeters. 14. The protective clothing according to item 13 above, wherein the rope cover has a length of at least 1 meter. 15. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, wherein the transition duct has a trapezoidal shape with the torso end wider than the rope cover end. 16. The protective clothing according to item 15 above, wherein the trapezoidal shape has curved sides. 17. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, wherein the back of the clothing further includes gathers at the waist. 18. The protective clothing according to item 17 above, wherein the gathers are elastic bands. 19. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, further comprising a fastener for attaching to the clothing when the support harness conduit is not being used. 20. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, wherein the clothing is an overall with an attached hood. 21. The protective clothing according to item 20 above, further including an attached foot cover. 22. The protective clothing according to item 12 above, wherein the rope cover closure device is a non-woven fastener.

Claims

1. A protective garment having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front for covering the front of the body, and a back for covering the back of the body, the protective garment including two arm portions, a neck portion, a torso portion, and a support harness conduit, the support harness conduit including a flexible transfer duct and a flexible rope cover, the flexible transfer duct and the flexible rope cover being oriented vertically on the torso portion of the back of the garment and forming a sleeve positioned centrally with respect to the horizontal direction, the flexible transfer duct having a torso end and a rope cover end, the flexible rope cover having a base end attached to the rope cover end of the flexible transfer duct and a tip end, the torso end of the flexible transfer duct being attached to the back under the neck portion, the torso end extending vertically, the torso end having a vertical length longer than the width of the back of the garment, the torso end of the flexible transfer duct providing an opening under the neck portion between the arm portions of the torso portion, the rope cover end of the flexible transfer duct providing an opening in the flexible transfer duct for the base end of the flexible rope cover, the tip end of the flexible rope cover having a closure device for closing the conduit and reducing the exchange of fluids or particles between the inside and the outside of the garment, the rope cover end of the flexible transfer duct having a width of at least 30 percent of the width of the back of the garment, Protective garment.

2. The shape of the opening formed in the back of the garment by the torso end is a straight slit oriented vertically on the back of the garment and positioned centrally with respect to the horizontal direction, or an elongated ellipse positioned centrally with respect to the horizontal direction and oriented vertically on the back of the garment, the protective garment according to claim 1.

3. The flexible rope cover has a length of at least 20 centimeters, the protective garment according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The protective clothing according to claim 3, wherein the flexible rope cover has a length of at least 1 meter.

5. The protective clothing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flexible transition duct has a trapezoidal shape in which the end of the body part is wider than the end of the rope cover.

Images