# The Real reason For Flash Suits



## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

I have only heard that said of flash suits for over 40 cal/cm² where the physical force of the blast can kill.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> I have only heard that said of flash suits for over 40 cal/cm² where the physical force of the blast can kill.


Yeah, that gets thrown out there often. The truth is little is known about the pressures created, there are a lot of factors involved and IEEE 1584 is doing a huge research project on the subject now. Ralph Lees paper on pressures from arc blasts is the only real info out there for now.


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## Big John (May 23, 2010)

My understanding is that's why they removed HRC 5 that used to be listed in 70E (and I may have learned it from Zog): There wasn't enough data to support the efficacy, or lack thereof, for flash suits in that range.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Big John said:


> My understanding is that's why they removed HRC 5 that used to be listed in 70E (and I may have learned it from Zog): There wasn't enough data to support the efficacy, or lack thereof, for flash suits in that range.


There never was a HRC 5 in the 70E, there was a note in the 70E handbook, 2000 version I think, that mentioned the 40 cal/cm2 threshold.


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## FastFokker (Sep 18, 2012)

It definitely depends on the amount of live energy you're working on and it's ability to fault. 

But I've also heard that same thing from knowledgeable people.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

I've always heard it's the difference between going to the morgue and going to the hospital.


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

480sparky said:


> I've always heard it's the difference between going to the morgue and going to the hospital.


Correctly applied PPE is intended to limit the injury to a "curable" injury in the event of an arc flash/blast incident, so that statement is saying the same thing.


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