The 2023 Industrial Innovation Award of the Ministry of Economy
The 2023 Industrial Innovation Award of the Ministry of Economy was awarded to Electrostatics Ltd for the innovation of “InteGREATed protection – new generation of conductive clothing”
Brief description of the innovation:
Live working (LW) technology allows several maintenance and malfunction prevention operations to be performed safely on electrical equipment without being switched off, so they remain in operation. During barehand LW, the safety of the intervening personnel is ensured by unique conductive clothing, which has been a widespread personal protective equipment (PPE) worldwide since the middle of the 20th century. Conductive clothing works on the Faraday cage principle to protect workers from the adverse physiological effects of electric fields and electric shocks. In recent years of research and development, investigations by Electrostatics Ltd have revealed that although some conductive clothing meets the requirements of the internationally applicable IEC 60895 standard, in real conditions, they do not fully ensure the safety of employees and ergonomic work. Based on this, Electrostatics Ltd developed, tested, and introduced three main innovations in the world market of conductive clothing: The first novelty of the LW clothing available in the Electrostatics Ltd range is that they are made of single-layer double-sided fabric (which is unique in the world). One of the main advantages of this design is that the corrosive effect of human sweat on metal fibers is less specific, and the part of the garment in contact with human skin results in more comfortable wear. The second crucial global innovation of conductive clothing is the introduction of face mesh as a mandatory element. The simulation results using the finite element method showed that if a conductive suit can meet the screening efficiency requirements of the IEC standard without a face mesh or with a sparse face mesh, it does not automatically mean that the directives regarding exposure to the electric field during work are fulfilled. The third main innovation of the conductive clothing developed by Electrostatics Ltd is providing resistance to the electric arc. In certain high-voltage transmission line operating conditions, processes can occur that form an electric arc. Electrostatics Ltd was the first to realize this source of danger in connection with conductive clothing, and the products it developed have a unique arc protection parameter of 11 cal/cm2, which can be increased up to 78 cal/cm2 with additional accessories.
The result of the innovation:
Based on recent research and development results, Electrostatics Ltd has created conductive clothing that enables safer and more ergonomic barehand work than other international manufacturers’ solutions. The former is ensured by using the face mesh as a mandatory accessory and protecting the entire clothing against electric arcs. The latter is achieved through the single-layer, double-sided structure of the garment fabric. The economic effects of the innovation are the increased lifespan of the clothing, reduced accident costs, and the continuity of the electricity supply. At the same time, the smaller ecological footprint of the electricity system, the increase in employment, the support of domestic suppliers, and support for diversity and unique needs can be highlighted among the social effects.
References:
Scientific appearance: https://elstatics.com/science/
Product presentation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfPXqKgQUm0
Product information: https://elstatics.com/products/#bare
At Electrostatics Ltd., we are working on developing our conductive clothes in light of the latest research findings. We continuously enhance them from ergonomic and regulatory perspectives. With our garments, we ensure safe and efficient bare-hand live work.
We are proud that our products can contribute to safe work, network operation, and fewer power outages worldwide.
For more information on Electrostatics conductive clothing visit our product page!
