Hazardous areas and safety
ROUND UP
Fire protective gear with NFPA approval
Locally developed IS barriers for mines
T
he
Centa Group
’s extensive range of fire protection
equipment, which encompasses nearly 3 000 fire
protection line items, is designed to protect people and
property from the devastating affects of a fire.
The company’s range of fire protection equipment
includes electronic fire detection and sprinkler systems,
as well as standard fire equipment, encompassing fire
extinguishers, hose reels and hoses and emergency
signage. The company also supplies cabinets, fittings,
accessories and a wide range of spares.
Key to this range, is fire protective gear, which meets
stringent quality and safety specifications, including
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) approval.
“Fire fighters are exposed to harsh conditions, often for
long periods and need the protection of reliable clothing
that can withstand the effects of elevated temperatures
and thermal flux,” says Siva Govender, director, Centa
Group. “The Centa Group’s range of fire protection cloth-
ing is designed to offer protection to fire fighters from
thermal environments experienced during fire fighting.”
This fire protective gear encompasses durable bunker
and arc flash suits, fire fighting boots, helmets, balaclavas,
goggles and protective gloves.
Centa’s fire fighting combat suits, which consist of a
coat and pull-on strap trousers, are manufactured from
four layers of fabric, ensuring optimum protection and
enhanced comfort.
The outer shell of the suit is a blended anti-tearing rip
stop fabric of Nomex and Kevlar, with a moisture and
thermal barrier quilted onto an aramid-FR viscose flame
retardant lining.
The moisture barrier prevents the ingress of water, but
allows through moisture, making the suit breathable and
comfortable to wear.The thermal barrier offers flame and
thermal protection. These suits have specially designed
inner ribs and cuffs to prevent fire incursion. For added
safety, retro reflective sewing thread and trim enhances
visibility.
Fire fighters’ helmets are manufactured from an
integrated assembly of advanced materials and qual-
ity components for reliable
protection, comfort and ex-
tended service life. These
durable helmets are avail-
able in yellow, red, black
and white.
Centa’s fire fight-
ing boots, with a
vulcanised rubber
upper and sole, have
been air pressure
tested to 50 kPa for
water leakage. The
steel toe cap has been
tested to withstand an
impact of 200 Joules
and a compression of
15 000 Newtons. The
steel midsole, which of-
fers footstep protection
against punctures, has a
resistance of 1,5-million
flexes without cracking.
Enquiries: Siva Govender.
Tel. 031 569 1175 or email
S
tringent occupational health and safety
(OHS) regulations prohibit the use of
non-compliant equipment on coal mines,
chemical and petro-chemical plants.With the
risk of explosions always top of mind, man-
agement complies with legal requirements
by use of intrinsically safe (IS) technology
within the working environment.
“Booyco Electronics supplies a range of
intrinsically safe barriers, tailored to the
specific needs of these extremely safety con-
scious industries. As demands increase for
more advanced technology, we are now im-
plementingmore Ethernet-based equipment
in the mining, chemical and petro-chemical
environments,” says managing director of
Booyco Electronics
, Anton Lourens.
This new range of intrinsically safe barri-
ers, which are approved for ETH, USB and
RS485 based equipment, complement the
company’s ISS (Intrinsically Safe Solutions)
product range for customers with a high
requirement for IS equipment.
Lourens points out that these barriers are
designed, engineered and built specifically
for the South African mining industry. “It
is important to consider the idiosyncrasies
and rugged conditions of the local mining
sector. Most available barriers are fully
imported and are not specifically designed
for local conditions. Not only do we custom
manufacture our barriers, but we are able
to contain costs and provide instantaneous
support for our products.”
The intrinsically safe barriers are suitable
for use in all hazardous areas and are engi-
neered to be compact, easy to use and robust
enough for the surface and underground
mining sectors.
Enquiries: Anton Lourens. Email anton@
booyco-electronics.co.za.
Top: Arc flash suit.
Left: Fire suit.
Electricity+Control
December ‘13
26
