Respirex™ a Proud Heritage in Chemical Protection
WorkMaster™ Hazmax™ boots are manufactured by Respirex™, a leading global manufacturer of chemical PPE including, gloves, clothing and boots. With 60 years experience in the supply and support of protective equipment to industry and the emergency services we have a wealth of knowledge on the safe handling of chemicals and our representatives sit on numerous international standards committees.
With extensive experience backed by our in-house chemical permeation testing laboratory, if you are unsure about what boots (or other PPE) will be safe to use with a particular chemical or mix of chemicals, or how to safely clean or decontaminate your PPE after use, just ask us.
BOOTS ARE JUST PART OF A PPE SOLUTION
Boots are part of an overall PPE solution for the wearer that can incorporate respiratory protection, hand and body protection and head, face and eye protection. The relevant standards are:
EN 13832 FOOTWEAR PROTECTING AGAINST CHEMICALS
This is the European safety standard for chemical protective footwear and is divided into three parts. Part 1 deals with terminology and test methods, Part 2 with requirements for limited contact with chemicals and Part 3 with requirements for prolonged contact with chemicals. The standard is intended for use in conjunction with EN ISO 20345 (Safety footwear standard), EN ISO 20346 and EN ISO 20347 (Occupational footwear standard)
EN 943: GAS-TIGHT SUITS
Type 1 Suits provide protection from gaseous chemicals (as well as solid & liquid chemicals) and are worn with self contained breathing apparatus or supplied with breathing air by an air-line for the highest degree of respiratory protection. These will generally include sock feet or boots that are attached to the suit and gloves either permanently attached or attached via a locking ring arrangement.
EN 943: NON GAS-TIGHT SUITS
Type 2 Suits are similar in construction to Type 1 suits but are not fully gas-tight. Instead they use breathable air to provide positive pressure in the suit to prevent ingress of dusts, liquids and vapours.
EN 14605 LIQUID AND SPRAY TIGHT SUITS
Type 3 Liquid tight suits provide protection from liquid chemical jets, while Type 4 provides protection from chemical spray. Type 3 is a far more demanding test and this is reflected in the more sophisticated design of seams, openings and connections for gloves etc.
EN 374 CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE GLOVES
Gloves to EN3674 provide protection against chemicals and micro-organisms. Gloves are classified into three types - Type A: Protective gloves with permeation resistance of at least 30 minutes each for at least 6 test chemicals, Type B: Protective gloves with permeation resistance of at least 30 minutes each for at least 3 test chemicals and Type C: Protective gloves with permeation resistance of at least 10 minutes for at least 1 test chemical.
EN 529 RESPIRATORY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
There are numerous European standards for respiratory protection, but EN 529 provides guidance on the best practice for establishing and implementing a suitable respiratory protective device programme and is a good starting point
Chemical Testing at Respirex™
Respirex are one of the few PPE manufacturers with our own chemical permeation testing laboratory. Having a testing lab on-site allows us to comprehensively test our products against a wide range of common chemical hazards; we can also test our products against specific chemicals or combinations of chemicals for customers if we do not currently have results available.
The Respirex Testing Laboratory is UKAS accredited and offers a range of chemical permeation and physical testing of chemical protective clothing, including suits, gloves and boots to European, American and international standards.
Based in Redhill, Surrey, the laboratory has been operating since 1994 and was accredited in 1996. The laboratory tests for chemical permeation according to standards such as: ASTM F739, EN 374-3, EN 16523-1, EN 16523-2 and ISO 6529.
We are experienced at testing gases as well as a wide range of liquid chemicals including most organic or inorganic liquids, mixtures and commercial formulations. We perform tests on all of the chemicals required by standards such as EN374-1 or EN 943-2, but also on many other chemicals or mixtures, depending on their properties or formulation.