Workers in certain industries face real dangers when they’re around flammable gases, vapors, or dust. Even a tiny spark from static electricity can set off an explosion.
That’s exactly why EN 1149-5 protective clothing standards exist. This European standard spells out rules for clothing that safely disperses static electricity.
The clothing has to meet strict material and design requirements to keep workers safe in explosive atmospheres—what most folks call ATEX zones. When someone wears antistatic PPE for ATEX zones, the garments work with a grounded system to stop dangerous sparks from forming.
Understanding the EN 1149-5 Standard
The EN 1149-5 standard acts as the main framework for certifying antistatic protective clothing. It doesn’t actually list the testing procedures—instead, it lays out the requirements that clothing must meet to get certified.
The big idea here: protective garments must dissipate electrostatic charges well enough to keep sparks from forming in explosive environments. When workers are around flammable gases or dust, static buildup becomes a real threat.
EN 1149-5 protective clothing helps prevent charges from sticking to the fabric. For a garment to get the Antistatic CE marking, it has to pass material tests in EN 1149-1 or EN 1149-3 and follow specific design rules.
How EN 1149-5 Differs from Other Safety Standards
People should realize that EN 1149-5 antistatic clothing usually works with other standards, not alone. This one only stops spark ignition—it won’t protect you from heat or flames.
| Standard Type | What It Protects Against | Important Notes |
|---|---|---|
| EN 1149-5 | Static sparks in explosive areas | Needs pairing: Only stops ignition sparks but offers no heat defense. Often combined with EN ISO 11612. |
| EN ISO 11612 | Heat and flame exposure | Works independently: Guards against direct flames and radiant heat sources. |
| EN ISO 11611 | Welding hazards | Works independently: Shields from welding sparks and hot metal splatter. |
| EN 61340 | Sensitive electronics damage | Different purpose: Protects circuit boards and chips, not worker safety. |
Industries That Require This Protection and Their Risk Areas
1. Main Industry Sectors:
Lots of workplaces need clothing that prevents electrostatic discharge to keep people safe. Energy and petrochemical jobs—think oil platforms, refineries, and gas facilities—are big ones for this gear.
Chemical processing sites and fuel storage areas also require it. Manufacturing spots with high risks include battery plants where flammable stuff is everywhere.
Semiconductor and electronics facilities that use combustible cleaning agents need this protection as well. Automotive painting shops and places that handle solvents rely on antistatic clothing, too.
Anywhere dust could cause an explosion—like flour mills, grain silos, sugar plants, coal mines, woodworking shops, or metal powder sites—demands this kind of gear.
2. Designated Risk Zones:
Anti-static garments marked EN 1149-5 are made for specific zones. For spots with gases or vapors, workers need protection in Zone 0, Zone 1, and Zone 2.
For areas with combustible dust, the clothing covers Zone 20, Zone 21, and Zone 22.
How the EN 1149 Series Works
The EN 1149 series splits into two main buckets: requirements and testing procedures. EN 1149-5 sets the performance and design requirements for antistatic clothing to get certified.
Testing checks how materials handle static. EN 1149-1 measures surface resistance—basically, does the material conduct electricity well enough? This test works best for uniform or coated fabrics.
EN 1149-3 measures charge decay. That tells you how quickly static charges vanish from the surface. Workers use this test for woven fabrics with conductive threads inside.
EN 1149-2 checks vertical resistance, but honestly, most manufacturers use it as an extra—not as a main test for EN 1149-5 certification.
Material Performance Standards
To get certified, fabrics have to pass at least one approved test. The test depends on how each material conducts electricity.
1. Testing Resistance Across the Surface (EN 1149-1)
This method checks how easily electrical current moves across the fabric’s surface. It’s great for materials that use surface conductivity for static protection.
How it works: They measure resistance between electrodes at a set voltage.
Requirements to pass: Surface resistance must be ≤ 2.5 × 10⁹ Ω on at least one side of the material.
2. Testing How Fast Charges Disappear (EN 1149-3)
This is the go-to for everyday workwear made from woven fabrics—like cotton or poly-cotton blends. These usually have carbon fiber threads woven in to get rid of static buildup by induction.
How it works: The test clocks how fast an electric charge fades from the fabric surface.
Requirements to pass: The material must meet one of these:
- Half decay time (t50) < 4 seconds
- Shielding factor (S) > 0.2
3. Spacing Rules for Conductive Threads: The 10mm Standard
If you’re using materials with conductive yarns like carbon fiber, there’s a spacing rule you can’t ignore.
The rule: Conductive threads must be no more than 10mm apart in any direction.
Two common patterns:
| Pattern | Description | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Parallel threads spaced ≤ 10mm | Cheaper, meets basic standards |
| Grid | Intersecting threads spaced ≤ 10mm | Better performance, removes static in all directions |
Required Construction Features
Picking the right fabric is only the start. How you build the garment matters just as much for safety.
Coverage Rules
The antistatic outer layer has to cover any regular clothes underneath. If you bend or reach, your underlayers shouldn’t show. Protective clothing with electrostatic properties needs to keep everything covered during normal movement.
Metal Component Protection
All metal parts—zippers, buttons, snaps—must stay hidden under fabric flaps. If metal gets exposed, it can spark and ignite flammable stuff nearby.
Essential Design Elements
- The garment must touch the wearer’s skin to transfer static charge to their body
- Workers need conductive shoes and flooring to finish the grounding path
- Seams, cuffs, and hems should block static from building up
- Outside attachments aren’t allowed in explosive environments
Workers shouldn’t clip plastic ID badges or non-antistatic tools to the outside of their protective gear in hazardous areas.
Common Questions About Antistatic Workwear
Does washing remove the antistatic properties?
The antistatic features in workwear certified to EN 1149-3 stick around after washing. These garments use conductive threads—like carbon fiber—woven right into the fabric, not just a chemical finish on the surface.
The conductive fibers are a permanent part of the material. As long as the fabric isn’t torn or ruined, the antistatic effect stays put. You can wash your protective clothing plenty of times without losing the safety benefits.
Are antistatic shoes necessary with EN 1149-5 garments?
Workers need to wear antistatic footwear, even if they’re already in EN 1149-5 certified clothing. The whole protection system only works when every part is in play:
- Body connection
- Protective clothing
- Conductive footwear
- Ground connection
These garments move electrical charges through the body. But if you throw on regular shoes with rubber or plastic soles, those charges never reach the ground.
That basically breaks the safety chain, leaving workers exposed. For real protection, footwear should hit the EN ISO 20345 standard.
Why do some fabrics show black grid patterns?
Those black lines you see are actually conductive carbon fiber threads woven right into the fabric. This grid look pops up a lot in fabrics that meet EN 1149-3 requirements.
The physical threads stick around for the long haul—they won’t wash out like some chemical coatings. Some brands use steel fibers or even less obvious conductive stuff, but honestly, the carbon grid is still the industry favorite.
Why? Workers can spot it easily, which just feels reassuring.
Does the standard apply to gloves and hard hats?
EN 1149-5 only covers protective clothing items like coveralls, jackets, and pants.
Gloves have their own certification rules under EN 16350. Safety footwear? That uses EN ISO 20345 standards instead.
If you want full protection in hazardous areas, all your equipment really should have electrostatic dissipative features.
Every piece of safety gear needs its own proper certification—there’s no one-size-fits-all here.