Canadian Occupational Safety

18 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com Mount Vernon FR, as the cost of having a service can be high. However, employers tend to under- estimate the costs of maintaining, laundering and replacing owned gar- ments over time, says Dave Rehm, regional manager for protective apparel for Ontario and Quebec at Missis- sauga, Ont.-based Cintas Canada. For some companies, owning FR garments could be the more expensive option. To determine whether a purchase or rental program will be more economi- cal, safety managers need to consider the long-term cost of purchasing, he says. This cost is based mainly on the original cost, plus the estimated life span of the garments. "Some fabrics last longer than others and companies need to under- stand what the wear life of a particular fabric might be. Some synthetics out in the marketplace today can last 130 to 150 uses and/or launderings. And gar- ments should be laundered after each use," he says. To fi gure out the long-term cost of owning, Rehm says, determine fi rst the daily or "per use" cost by dividing the original cost of the FR garments by the number of uses and launderings. For example, if a garment costs $120 and it's expected to last for 130 uses and launderings, then the "per use" cost is about 92 cents. This fi gure can be used to compare the relative costs of renting versus buying FR clothing. However, the actual lifespan of a garment is dependent upon how many times it is worn and laundered, wear-and-tear conditions, soil con- ditions, turnover of personnel and weight gains and losses, says Rehm. "All of these may require purchase of replacement garments prior to a garment's expected wear life." Thus, while the manufacturer's expected life span of a garment may be one year, specifi c work tasks and environments may in fact require more frequent replacement of the garments, pushing up the long-term cost of owned PPE. For example, workplaces where workers come into contact with fl ammable substances, such as grease, oils and fuel, which degrade the performance of the FR fabric, will see a higher turnover of clothing than other work sites. In Alberta, one reason employers may choose to buy FR garments is that they are not responsible for paying for Buying renting By Linda Johnson O ne of the key items of personal protec- tive equipment worn at Edmonton-based Epcor Utilities is its specialized grade of fl ame resistant (FR) clothing that is arc rated. The PPE is designed to protect the 800 fi eld workers who wear it every day against the hazard of electric arc fl ash. "Arc fl ash creates a tremendous amount of heat, thermal energy, noise, and there's also potential for shrap- nel. But it's the heat we're primarily interested in," says Ray Cislo, senior adviser, work methods at Epcor, which serves about one million people in the Edmonton area. "Arc-rated clothing offers the highest level of protection. It prevents fi rst-, second- and third-degree burns, so it is absolutely essential." While fl ame resistant PPE is often critical to workers' safety — protecting them from fl ash fi res and arc fl ash and blast — providing clean, high-perfor- mance FR garments to a workforce can be expensive. Generally, companies can choose to purchase FR garments out- right, rent them or choose a "hybrid" option, buying some items and renting others. The various options each have advantages, and safety managers need to know how to select the option that will provide effective FR protection in the most economical way. All of Epcor's arc rated clothing is acquired through a purchase program and was originally chosen by workers after a four-month trial of a few short- listed varieties. "The clothing that we wanted to provide to our workers, and that they chose, was simply not part of a rental program," Cislo says. The fi rst step in deciding which approach to take is to determine what kind of FR fabric will best protect your workers against the hazards present in your particular workplace. COSTS Buying FR PPE is often less expensive than renting, says Carolyn Black, FR technical specialist at Calgary-based the PPE. While OHS regulation states that if a worker could be exposed to a fl ash fi re or electrical equipment fl ashover, the employer must ensure the worker wears FR outerwear, the employer is not required to pay for and provide fl ame resistant outerwear. Cislo says Epcor, like most large util- ities in the province, pays for workers' safety clothing. With contractors, how- ever, some employers provide partial subsidies; others provide none at all. "It really is all over the map, depend- ing upon employer, municipality and the utility," he says. MAINTENANCE When FR garments are purchased directly from the manufacturer, the company — or in some cases, the employees — are responsible for the maintenance and care of the gar- ments. Employees working around heavy machinery or tight spaces will have more rips and tears in their garments, necessitating repairs and premature replacement. Consider laundering, repairs, replacement when determining how to structure a fl ame resistant clothing program

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