DIN EN 1149-5 - Electrostatic dissipative clothing

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EN 1149-5

Norm for electrostatically dissipative protective clothing

DIN EN 1149-5 is a standard that deals with electrostatically dissipative protective clothing. Electrostatic charges can pose considerable risks in certain working environments, especially when they affect flammable atmospheres or sensitive electronic components. In order to minimise such risks, the standard DIN EN 1149-5 was developed to define requirements and test methods for protective clothing that is capable of safely dissipating electrostatic charges.

This standard plays a crucial role in various industries, including the chemical and electronics industries, where protection against electrostatic discharge is of great importance. In this introduction, we will take a closer look at the key aspects of DIN EN 1149-5 and understand why this standard plays an important role in the field of occupational safety and personal protection.

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Questions and answers about DIN EN 1149*

What is DIN EN 1149?

Protective clothing against electrostatic charge according to EN 1149 protects against ignitable discharges. Attention! This standard does not apply to protection against live parts.

The standard specifies the requirements for electrically conductive garments. According to the standard, the protective clothing is part of a fully earthed system (e.g. in combination with conductive footwear). It is intended to prevent sparking and thus also explosions.

Caution! This standard does not apply to protection against live parts.

A woman and a man in protective clothing work on a photovoltaic system.

The standard is a series of standards and is structured as follows:

EN 1149-1 Part 1: Test method for the measurement of surface resistance

EN 1149-2 Part 2: Test method for measuring contact resistance

EN 1149-3 Part 3: Test method for measurement of charge decay

EN1149-4: Test method for the garment (under development)

EN 1149-5 Part 5: Performance requirements for material and construction requirements.

EN 1149-5 is usually tested in combination with EN 1149-3.

Note: Part 3 is always tested together with part 5!

According to EN 1149-5, what are the most important requirements for protective clothing?

All garments without electrostatic dissipative properties underneath the protective clothing must always be completely covered.

The wearer of electrostatically dissipative protective clothing must be properly earthed (dissipation resistance < 108 ohms).

All chargeable materials (e.g. metal buttons) must be covered to the outside.

Individual garments must be combined with conductive equipment (e.g. conductive shoes).

What are the areas of application of DIN EN 1149-5?

Areas of application are industries or professions in which there is a risk of explosion and thus a risk of fire. These include:

Energy supplier, public utility, electrical installation

Electrical trade

Electroplating

Hazardous goods transport

Chemical industry

Mechanical and plant engineering

Solar plants, wind turbines

Combined and grid assemblers

Oil and gas production

An electrician wearing protective clothing in accordance with EN 1149-5 tests switches.

What does ATEX mean?

ATEX stands for ‘ATmosphères EXplosibles’ (potentially explosive atmospheres) and refers to the European Union directives regulating equipment and protective systems used in potentially explosive atmospheres. In ATEX environments, special safety precautions must be taken to minimise the risk of explosions.

For protective clothing, this means that only clothing that cannot generate sparks may be worn in a potentially explosive working environment. This applies to flame-retardant and antistatic protective clothing that complies with the EN ISO 11612 and EN 1149-5 standards.

* As these are abbreviated summaries of mandatory occupational health and safety standards, this article does not claim to fully reflect the requirements defined in the standards. Although this article is regularly revised by our experts, we cannot guarantee that the information is up-to-date and correct.