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Technical Data

Standards: CEN

Organizations

EN 943-1 (Type 1 & 2)
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EN 943-2 (Type 1 ET)
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EN 13034 (Type 6)
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EN 14126 (for Bio Hazard)
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EN 14605 (Type 3 & 4)
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ISO 13982-1 (Type 5)
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More About the CEN and European Standardization

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The European Standards on protective clothing are being prepared by the CEN/TC 162, the Technical Committee for Protective Clothing, under a mandate given to CEN by the Commission of the European Communities (EC) and the European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of European Communities Directives. These European Standards are being given the status of national standards, and conflicting national standards are being withdrawn at that time. A few of these standards are final but most are still under construction. These are the standards currently existing and the "Types" or type of garments they correlate with.

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EN 943-1 (Type 1 & 2)

 

"Protective clothing against liquid and gaseous chemicals, including liquid aerosols and solid particles - Part 1: Performance requirements for ventilated and non-ventilated gas-tight (Type 1) and non-gas-tight (Type 2) chemical protective suits"

EN 943-2 (Type 1 ET)

 

Protective clothing against liquid and gaseous chemicals, including liquid aerosols and solid particles - Part 2: Performance requirements for gas-tight (Type 1) chemical protective suits for emergency teams (ET)"

EN 13034 (Type 6)

 

"Protective clothing against liquid chemicals - Performance requirements for chemical protective suits offering limited protective performance against liquid chemicals (type 6 equipment)"

EN 14126 (for Bio Hazard)

 

"Protective clothing - Performance requirements and test methods for protective clothing against infective agents"

EN 14605 (Type 3 & 4)

 

"Protective clothing against liquid chemicals. Performance requirements for clothing with liquid-tight (Type 3) or spray-tight (Type 4) connections, including items providing protection to parts of the body only. (Types PB [3] and PB [4])"

ISO 13982-1 (Type 5)

 

"Protective clothing for use against solid particulates. Part 1: Performance requirements for chemical protective clothing providing protection to the full body against airborne solid particulates (Type 5 clothing)"

At present, there are ten categories for full coveralls and two categories for Partial Body Equipment. These are as follows:

Type 1 & Type 1 Emergency Team (ET)
- gas tight coveralls with SCBA worn inside suit
- gas tight coveralls with SCBA worn outside suit
- gas tight coveralls with external air supply

Type 2
- non-gas tight coveralls with breathable air

Type 3,Type 3 ET & Type 3 reusable
- chemical suits with liquid tight connections

Type 4 & Type 4 reusable
- chemical suits with spray tight connections

Type 5
- coveralls with particle tight connections

Type 6
- coveralls with splash tight connections

Partial Body & Partial Body reusable

- garments providing chemical protection to parts of the body

The suits in these 10 categories must be subjected to the following performance characteristics:

  • performance of the fabric
  • sizing of the garment
  • quality of manufacture
  • whole suit performance

For each category there is a written standard to specify documentation, design criteria, performance criteria, and test methods.

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More About the CEN and European Standardization 

When the European Community decided to establish a European internal market with most of the countries in the European Free Trade organization, (EFTA) the so called European Economic Area (EEA) and "new approach" was formulated. The philosophy of the "new approach" is that the EEA does not establish detailed legislation on the rules of the common market. Instead it restricts itself on the edition of the "new approach" directives which set out the essential requirements which must be fulfilled in order to guarantee the free exchange of goods in the EEA. All the details have then to be regulated by harmonized European standards and national legislation. In the field of personal protective equipment (PPE) there exist two directives, one for the manufacture and one for the use of PPE.

As a consequence of the "new approach" a mandate was given to the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) by EG and EFTA to establish harmonized European standards in the field of PPE, and in 1989, the CEN/TC 162, "Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets" was formed. The Technical Committee (TC) is comprised of Working Groups (WG) in the following areas:

  • WG1 - General Requirements for Protective Clothing
  • WG2 - Protective Clothing against Heat and Flame
  • WG3 - Chemical Protective Clothing
  • WG4 - Protective Clothing against Foul, Wind and Cold
  • WG5 - Protective Clothing against Mechanical Impact
  • WG6 - Lifejackets
  • WG7 - Various
  • WG8 - Gloves
  • WG9 - Motor cycle Riders Protective Clothing
  • WG10- Swimming Aids

The Working Group (WG3) is divided into five Task Groups (TG) as follows:

  • TG1 - Reusable
  • TG2 - Test Methods
  • TG3 - Limited-Use
  • TG4 - Infection Control
  • TG5 - Special Use

Effective July of 1995, all PPE manufactured is required to have a CE mark identifying the standard the clothing falls under. Protective clothing used as a barrier against hazards falls under the heading of PPE and, depending on its use, the clothing may carry one of three marks:

  • Simple Design
  • Intermediate Design
  • Complex Design