IEC 61482
IEC 61482

PPE Regulation Type: Category III – Protection Against Electric Arc

This standard covers PPE garments designed to protect against Electric Arc hazards, typically encountered when working with live electrical equipment, during maintenance, or switching operations.

While traditionally associated with specialized electrical environments, many industries — including construction, industrial maintenance, and general groundworks — now recognize the potential risk of electric arc exposure in their operations.

Garments certified under this standard must meet strict requirements not only in the protective fabrics used, but also in their design and construction, ensuring reliable performance and maximum protection against arc flash incidents.

IEC 61482-2: 2009 & IEC 61482-2: 2018 – Protection Against Thermal Hazards of Electric Arc

During the transition period between these two standards, garments may carry either marking (2009 or 2018) as manufacturers update their certifications. This standard specifies the requirements and testing methods for materials and garments that protect electrical workers against the thermal effects of electric arc exposure.

Testing focuses on two main areas:

  • The general properties of the textile materials, tested through selected fabric test methods.

  • The arc thermal resistance of materials — including the Arc Rating (ATPV or EBT50) — determined using the Open Arc Method (IEC 61482-1-1) or the Box Test Method (IEC 61482-1-2) under controlled laboratory conditions.

There are two recognized test methods under this standard, each producing different types of results:

IEC 61482-1-1 – Open Arc Method

This method provides an Arc Thermal Performance Value (ATPV) or an Energy Breakopen Threshold (EBT50) rating.

  • ATPV indicates the level of incident energy that would cause a 50% probability of second-degree burns before fabric breakopen.

  • EBT50 indicates the level of energy that would cause a 50% probability of fabric breakopen.

These values help employers conduct accurate risk assessments to select garments that provide adequate protection against potential arc flash exposure.

IEC 61482-1-2 – Box Test Method

This method classifies garments into protection levels based on the current applied during testing:

  • Class 1 (4 kA) – Lower level of protection

  • Class 2 (7 kA) – Higher level of protection

Both methods ensure that garments meet the necessary safety standards to protect workers from thermal and burn injuries caused by electric arc incidents.