EN343 standard: protective clothing against bad weather, snow, fog and ground humidity
A standard for waterproofing
European standard EN343 specifies requirements and test methods for materials and seams for protective clothing against bad weather, snow, fog and ground humidity. It should be noted that these PPE are subject to different standards. In addition, this standard can be associated with standard EN342 or standard 471, which concerns high visibility clothing. These additional regulations allow you to select the workwear best suited to the conditions and thus combine clothing that allows you to evolve in cold + dangerous conditions the worker may face.
More concretely, the EN343 standard concerns the characteristics of clothing against the influence of bad weather, mainly wind and cold above -5°C. It is determined by two values:
- X which designates the resistance to water penetration
- Y which specifies the degree of evaporative resistance
The rule is simple: the higher the class for each value, the more efficient, resistant and comfortable the material.
Rain protection, clothing complies with EN343
EN343-certified clothing is marked with a specific pictogram. This is represented by an umbrella next to which the X and Y criteria are noted. This symbol also explains the term "rainproof clothing" for EN343 regulated clothing.
The letter X corresponds to water impermeability, with a level ranging from 1 to 3. This type of performance aims to guarantee the user excellent protection. A certain amount of water is poured under pressure on the fabric, the category then varies according to the amount of pressure supported by the fabric. It is a precipitation in the form of a test, to ensure the impermeability of the product in real conditions and to have the degree of tightness and its resistance to penetration. In short, this gives a clear indication as to the tightness of the PPE, thus allowing rainproof work. The pressure is expressed in Pa applied by the material to the passage of water before and after treatment.
The Y value indicates the breathability of the fabric(s) (level of breathability), i.e. its ability to evacuate water vapor from the wearer. It is subdivided into 3 classes, 1 being the lowest value and 3 the highest class. The higher the resistance, the more the garment is able to evacuate the sweat that accumulates at the level of the body. Beyond comfort, this measurement will determine the duration of continuous wear. In fact, when a model falls under category 1, it is advisable not to wear it for more than x minutes.
In principle, the tensile strength, tear strength and shrinkage of PPE seams must not exceed the values set by the standards. women's or men's professional clothing compliant with the EN343 standard must also meet the conditions set by the EN340 standard . Note also that as rain protective clothing, are intended for provide optimal protection against the influence of precipitation by resisting penetration and other weather hazards.