North Dakota’s oil boom has sparked business development for those specializing in fire proof clothing. Working on a rig or well site is a dangerous job, and requires certain uniforms and standards to reduce the impact of a flash fire.
The company Dupont was promoting their demonstration on the hottest event of the day and they weren’t kidding. On May 21 they tested a variety of clothing from street wear to coveralls in a chamber with eight propane tanks that will create a 3,000 degree blaze for four seconds to a special mannequin with sensors. The sensors can provide the company with the type of burn a worker would sustain from a flash fire, and demonstrated that it’s important to choose the right fire resistant clothing for the industry.
“Every single job pretty much out there involving work in the oil and gas industry needs flame resistant uniforms,” says Travis McHaul of G&K Services.
“What a company needs to do is understand what are there hazards are and how they’re going to protect their workers from hazards. Different technologies are going to perform differently so if they do that assessment they will be choosing the right product for the application to make sure their employees can go home each and everyday,” says Thermal Education Specialist Brad Eaton.
