Ohio Administrative Code › Title 4123:1 - Division of Safety and Hygiene › Chapter 4123:1-21 - Fire Fighting › Section 4123:1-21-02 - Personal protective clothing and equipment for structural fire fighting

Current through all regulations passed and filed through July 1, 2024
(A) The employer
			 shall provide and require the use of personal protective clothing and
			 equipment, as specified in this rule, when employees are required to work in a
			 hazardous environment that may be encountered during structural fire fighting
			 activities and under similar conditions during training activities.
(B) The employer shall assure that protective
			 clothing protects the head, body, and extremities and consists of at least the
			 following components: foot protection; hand protection; body protection; eye,
			 face, and head protection; and respiratory protection.
(C) Personal protective clothing and
			 equipment shall be properly sized for the wearer.
(D) Personal protective clothing and
			 equipment that is damaged or otherwise defective to the point of voiding its
			 intended protection shall be removed from service.
(E) Employers shall develop and require use
			 of a written plan covering the safe use, limitations, care, inspection,
			 maintenance, and replacement of the clothing and equipment required by this
			 rule, and all affected employees shall be trained in accordance with such
			 plan.
(F) Employers shall develop
			 and retain records for the life of the protective clothing and
			 equipment.
(G) Employer shall
			 provide for the cleaning of personal protective clothing.
(H) Where employees choose to provide their
			 own protective clothing and equipment, such clothing and equipment shall give
			 equal or greater protection than that provided by the employer.
(I) It shall be the responsibility of the
			 employee to properly use the equipment provided by the employer, as required in
			 this rule.
(J) Body protection.
(1) Body protection shall consist of a
			 protective coat and trousers, or equivalent protection.
(2) Protective clothing shall be
			 flame-resistant, durable, light-weight, water-resistant, nonirritating to the
			 skin, and cleanable as set forth in paragraph (J) of this rule.
(3) Protective clothing shall be cleaned per
			 the manufacturer's recommendations.
(4) Protective clothing for structural fire
			 fighting shall be repaired in accordance with manufacturer's requirements.
If protective clothing cannot be repaired properly without
				decreasing the protective qualities, it shall be replaced.
(5) Protective clothing shall be designed to
			 give minimum interference to physical movement, the use of fire-fighting tools,
			 and protective breathing apparatus.
(6) There shall be at least a two inch
			 overlap of all layers of the protective coat and the protective trousers so
			 there is no gaping of the total thermal protection when the protective garments
			 are worn. The minimum overlap shall be determined by measuring the garments on
			 the wearer, without SCBA, in both of the following positions:
(a) "Position A": standing, hands together,
			 reaching overhead, as high as possible.
(b) "Position B": standing, hands together,
			 reaching overhead, with body bent forward, to the side, and to the back, as
			 much as possible.
(7)
			 Employers that provide protective coats with protective resilient wristlets
			 secured through a thumb opening shall be permitted to provide gloves of the
			 gauntlet type for use with these protective coats. Employers that do not
			 provide such wristlets attached to the protective coats shall provide gloves of
			 the wristlet type for use with these protective coats.
(8) Design requirements.
(a) Protective clothing shall consist of an
			 outer shell, moisture barrier, and thermal barrier.
(b) A means shall be provided to secure the
			 moisture barrier and thermal barrier to the outer shell.
(c) Garments, including the front closure,
			 shall be constructed in a manner that provides secure and complete moisture and
			 thermal protection. Closure systems shall be secured with positive locking
			 fasteners including, but not limited to, hooks and dees or zippers. Nonpositive
			 fasteners, such as snaps or hook and pile tape, shall not be used as positive
			 locking fasteners but shall be permitted to be utilized as supplementary
			 garment closure devices.
(d)
			 Moisture barriers and thermal barriers shall extend to within three inches
			 (seventy-five mm) of the outer shell at the cuffs and hems of protective
			 garments. At the neck, the coat moisture barrier and thermal barrier shall
			 extend to the neckline seam. At the waist, the trouser moisture barrier and
			 thermal barrier shall extend to the waistline seam. In coats, the moisture
			 barriers and thermal barriers shall also extend to within one inch (twenty-five
			 mm) of the sleeve end of the outer shell, and in trousers shall extend to
			 within three inches (seventy-five mm) of the bottom outer shell hems. The liner
			 system shall be attached at or adjacent to the end of the coat sleeves or the
			 end of the trouser legs. Any mechanism used to attach the liner system at or
			 adjacent to the end of the coat sleeves and the end of the trouser legs shall
			 not be greater than one inch (twenty-five mm) between the attachment points,
			 and shall not be expandable. Moisture barriers and thermal barriers shall be
			 configured in a manner that provides continuous moisture and thermal
			 protection.
(e) Cargo pockets,
			 where provided, shall have a means of drainage of water and shall have flaps
			 with a means of fastening them in the closed position.
(f) Trim used to meet visibility requirements
			 shall be no less than two inches (fifty mm) wide and shall have retroreflective
			 and fluorescent areas. Retroreflective areas of trim shall be no less than
			 five-eighths inch (sixteen mm) wide. Fluorescent areas of trim shall have a
			 minimum surface of two inches2/linear inch (fifty
			 mm2/linear mm). Fluorescent and retroreflective
			 areas of trim shall appear to be continuous at a distance of one hundred feet (
			 30.5 m) for the length of the trim, with gaps between areas of
			 retroreflectivity of no more than one-eighth inch (3mm).
(g) Trim affixed to protective garments for
			 the purpose of meeting visibility requirements specified in paragraph
			 (J)(12)(q) of this rule may be obscured by garment components such as, but not
			 limited to, pockets, storm flaps, and reinforcing patches, as long as the
			 minimum trim required in paragraphs (J)(8)(f), (J)(9)(e), and (J)(10)(c) of
			 this rule is not obscured.
(h) The
			 outer shell and each separable layer of protective garments shall have a label
			 permanently and conspicuously attached to the inside upon which at least the
			 following warnings and information are is printed:
(i) "This structural fire fighting garment
			 meets the garment requirements of NFPA 1971, 2013 Edition."
(ii) Manufacturer's name, identification, or
			 designation.
(iii) Manufacturer's
			 address.
(iv) Country of
			 manufacture.
(v) Manufacturer's
			 element identification number, lot number, or serial number.
(vi) Date of manufacture (not
			 coded).
(vii) Model name, number,
			 or design.
(viii) Size.
(ix) Principal material(s) of
			 construction.
(x) Cleaning
			 precautions.
(xi) Certification
			 organization's label, symbol, or identifying mark.
(i) The manufacturer shall provide a user
			 information guide that describes the care, use, inspection, maintenance,
			 limitations, and replacement of personal protective clothing.
(9) Additional requirements for
			 protective coats.
(a) Protective coats shall
			 provide protection to the upper torso, neck, arms, and wrists, excluding the
			 hands and head.
(b) Protective coat
			 hardware shall not penetrate through the outer shell, moisture barrier, and
			 thermal barrier to contact the wearer's body when the coat is worn with
			 closures fastened, unless the hardware is completely covered by external
			 closure flaps.
(c) Each protective
			 coat sleeve shall have a permanent protective wristlet, made of an inherently
			 flame-resistant fiber, meeting requirements as specified in paragraph (J)(12)
			 of this rule. The wristlet shall be attached to the protective coat sleeve in a
			 manner that will not permit a gap in the thermal protection.
(d) Protective coats shall have a composite
			 collar no less than three inches (seventy-five mm) in height at any point with
			 a closure system. The collar and closure system shall consist of an outer
			 shell, moisture barrier, and thermal barrier that meet all performance
			 requirements as specified in paragraph (J)(12) of this rule.
(e) Each protective coat shall have a drag
			 rescue device (DRD) installed in the upper torso portion of the coat. It shall
			 be accessible from the exterior of the garment. It shall be designed so that
			 when deployed, the DRD secures the fire fighter by the upper torso or shoulders
			 so that the DRD pulls directly on the body and shall not pull only the
			 garment.
(f) The trim configuration
			 for the coat shall be in accordance with figure 1. The minimum trim pattern for
			 the coat shall have one circumferential band of trim or a staggered three
			 hundred sixty-degree visibility pattern meeting or exceeding the surface area
			 of a continuous circumferential band around the bottom of the coat. Where a
			 staggered pattern is used in the lower circumferential trim band, the lower
			 edge of the upper trim piece shall not be higher than the upper edge of the
			 lower trim piece. The lower edge of the circumferential band on the lower part
			 of the coat shall be within one inch (twenty-five mm) of the coat hem's highest
			 point. The front of the coat shall also have at least one band of horizontal
			 trim at the chest level. No vertical stripes of trim shall be permitted on the
			 front of the coat. The back of the coat shall also have a minimum of either two
			 vertical stripes of trim, perpendicular to the bottom band and with one strip
			 located on both the left and right sides of the of the back of the coat, or a
			 minimum of one horizontal band of trim at the chest/shoulder blade level. The
			 minimum trim configuration for each sleeve shall be one circumferential band,
			 or a staggered three hundred sixty-degree visibility pattern meeting or
			 exceeding the surface area of a continuous circumferential band, between the
			 wrist and elbow level. Where trim on the coat intersects a zipper, a maximum
			 gap in the trim of one inch (twenty-five mm) shall be permitted.
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(10) Additional requirements for protective
			 trousers.
(a) Protective trousers shall
			 provide protection to the lower torso and legs, excluding the ankles and
			 feet.
(b) Protective trouser
			 hardware shall not penetrate through the outer shell, moisture barrier, and
			 thermal barrier to contact the wearer's body when the trouser is worn with
			 closures fastened, unless the hardware is located on or above the waistline or
			 the hardware is completely covered by external closure flaps.
(c) The trim configuration for the trousers
			 shall be in accordance with figure 2. Protective trouser trim shall include a
			 circumferential band around each leg between the hem and knee. Where trim on
			 the trousers intersects a zipper, a maximum gap in the trim of one inch
			 (twenty-five mm) shall be permitted.
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(11) Additional requirements for protective
			 coveralls.
(a) That portion of the protective
			 coverall which corresponds to the protective coat shall meet all requirements
			 of paragraph (J)(9) of this rule.
(b) That portion of the protective coverall
			 which corresponds to the protective trouser shall meet all requirements of
			 paragraph (J)(10) of this rule.
(12) Performance requirements.
Protective garments shall be capable of withstanding all tests
				specified in NFPA 1971, "Protective Ensemble for Structural Fire Fighting, 2013
				Edition."