Guys,
Does leather burn?
I must admit, this may sound like a strange question, but, there is a method in my madness.
In our new Regulations (for Pole-top Live Glove and Barrier work), it states that flammable (or non-self-extinguishing) clothing and equipment SHALL NOT be worn.
I have a toolbelt that is made out of leather and never having set it on fire, wondered if I could ask you guys what is your theory on Leather as a flammable material?.
Thanks,
Trumpy.

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 05-15-2003).]

Everything is flammable at some point. The key is knowing how the product is manufactured, what is is composed of, and if it has been treaty with any chemicals. This should be readily available from the manufacturer of the glove.

Generally, leather is practically ignition proof, and the clothes you are wearing will most likely ignite before the belt does.

Everything, but water...

Trumpy raises a good point that needs some differentiation. Leather may not burn in the conventional sense like synthetic fabrics, but it will probably weaken when exposed to significant heat from, say, an arc blast.

It may seem obvious, but a “tool belt” for the sole purpose of strapping hand tools at your waist would not be evaluated the same as a safety restraint holding one to a pole or ladder. Clearly though, there are “combination” belts that will do both.

klein.sgsnet.com/images/previewphotos/5207L.jpg


klein.sgsnet.com/images/previewphotos/5249N.jpg


Hugh Hoagland—a safety consultant in the US—has a site with some data on arc-blast performance of occupational gear at www.arcwear.com In his online movies, it is not hard to imagine that leather under stress would likely “flunk” miserably.

I would say that leather in its natural form is flammable, but due to chemical treatments it is possible to make it inflammable. One thing to keep in mind is that some firefighter PPE is made of leather, boots and helmets, I have never seen a helmet catch fire, and mine has served me well. I am not sure is FDNY still issues leather helmets, they are quite a bit heavier than the new plastic ones but there is more tradation behind the leather. There are also numerous tests that have been done with leather treatments in the automotive and airline industry to do with leather flammability and the vapors it produces when ignited.

That raises the question: How good an insulator is leather? It's skin....and our skin isn't all that good at insulating us from electric currents.

Wonder if leather is any better because it's thicker...and since it's dead...it doesn't sweat...

Aren't some wiremen's gloves made out of leather or are they all rubber?

Sven, the gloves I have are leather outside,with rubber liners. They're old,but in good shape.

Sven,
I use two types of gloves, depending on what sort of work I'm doing.
Cowhide gloves for general work where splinters or cuts may be a problem.
For Live work, I use 36kV rubber gauntlets and leather overgloves(these also cover the gauntlets).
The last thing you want to do, is damage your rubber gloves.

Guess I may be well protected in this outfit:
[img}http://home.netcom.com/~wa2ise/radios/rfc.jpg[/img]

Give the wrong conditions, everything will burn, as NASA found out to everyone's dismay with Apollo 1. Pure oxygen atmosphere at around 17 psi inside that capsule.

Guess I may be well protected in this outfit:



(I keep forgetting to not use the shift key when looking for "]")

‘ise — You’ve heard why women love leather on men so much? It’s that irresistible “new-car smell.” [Teevee comedian line. Sorry.]

To see if something is self extinguishing, do the same test that fire marshals do to test interior finish materials for the same thing...try to burn it. If it goes out once you remove the flame, it's fine.

Bjarney, that may be why all the women take me for test drives.....

Bjarney,
I checked out that Arcwear site.
And I must say that it's quite amazing, the difference in performance of the two rain jackets, under Arc Flash conditions.
The jacket on the left, should be banned for use around linework and High Voltages!.
Can't remember what it was made of, but I would sooner be wearing the one on the right.