How Managed Flame-Resistant Clothing (FRC) Care Delivers
While employees may do their best to follow ASTM guidelines, washing flame-resistant clothing (FRC) at home can create safety risks and increase overall costs. In contrast, professionally managed FRC programs can reduce overall annual costs dramatically. Given that arc flash incidents can lead to expensive medical bills, investing in industrial-grade FR garment maintenance is a big win for both financial savings and worker safety.
Key Takeaways
- Most home laundering fails safety standards: Standard home water systems can’t reach the required 120-160°F temperatures needed to remove contamination from FR gear. This leaves workers vulnerable.
- Hidden costs add up quickly: Self-managed FRC programs can see cost increases due to premature replacements from improper cleaning, damage and employee turnover. As a result, these programs can end up being more expensive than they first seem.
- Professional management saves money: For a 50-employee team, a managed FRC program would cost less than purchase-and-clean alternatives while offering better protection and safety compliance.
- Industrial laundering is the only reliable solution: The ASTM F1449 standard highlights that industrial maintenance with specialized detergents, temperature control and professional inspection and repair are essential for preserving a garment’s flame-resistant properties throughout its life.
The Stakes are Higher Than You Think
When you’re responsible for outfitting employees in flame-resistant clothing, the choices you make about their protective gear can be a matter of life or death. Every day in the United States, there are between 5 and 10 arc flash explosions, leading to more than 2,000 people each year being treated for burn injuries¹.
According to OSHA regulations, employers have a duty to keep their employees safe, which includes ensuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is properly maintained. This means several important tasks: the clothing must fit well, be inspected before each use, be cleaned according to the manufacturer’s guidelines or industry standards, be repaired with flame-resistant materials and be replaced when necessary².
Why Common Approaches Create Hidden Dangers
Many companies are attracted to seemingly cost-effective ways to maintain flame-resistant (FR) clothing. Home laundering might seem simple since employees are given ASTM F2757 guidelines that specify how to properly wash these garments. For example, the guidelines recommend turning the clothes inside out, washing them separately and avoiding fabric softeners or chlorine bleach². Local cleaners provide convenient laundering services and purchase-and-clean programs appear easy to manage.
However, these methods can lead to serious gaps in protection that many safety managers may not realize until it’s too late.
The Flaws in Self-Managed Programs
Even when people with FRC assume they're following ASTM home-care guidelines, serious problems can crop up. Many workers don't have access to water that is hot enough or detergents that are strong enough to fully clean off contaminants that can remain on FR clothing². In industries where workers deal with heavy soil loads, they are often exposed to flammable materials such as fuel, grease and oil. These contaminants make it much harder to get FRC clean².
To effectively clean FR garments, you need water temperatures between 120 and 160°F, which regular home water heaters usually can't reach. If you don't use these higher temperatures and industrial-grade detergents, you could leave behind contaminants trapped in the fabric. Workers might not realize they’re wearing clothes that could catch fire, especially during electrical accidents, putting them at risk.
Local cleaners may seem like a convenient solution. While they might wash FR garments, very few of them can guarantee that the cleaning process will keep the flame-resistant properties intact. Most local cleaners don't specialize in personal protective equipment (PPE) and can't ensure that the flame-resistant properties will remain after washing.
The Hidden Cost of Improper Maintenance
Self-managed FRC care has important financial effects that extend well beyond the initial cost of clothing. Companies usually face an average annual increase of 20% in replacement costs. This includes 10% from damage that cannot be repaired, 6% from employee size changes requiring new garments and 4% from replacements needed due to employee turnover².
When workers can’t properly clean heavily soiled garments at home, they often throw away items that could be saved with proper industrial cleaning. Furthermore, tears and rips that could be repaired with FR materials and thread are often left unrepaired. This means the whole garment ends up getting replaced because employees don’t have access to flame-resistant repair materials.
Consider a typical scenario:
- Outfitting 50 employees with 5 AR/FR shirts and 5 AR/FR pants:
$550 per employee* → $27,500 total
- Cleaning Costs:
$260 per employee → $13,000 total
- Replacement cost increase:
$5,500
- Overall annual cost:
$46,000
*Pricing varies by market
The Cintas Solution: Why Professional Management Works
Cintas Apparel+ offers professional FRC management that addresses home laundering’s shortcomings. Our precise temperature control ensures that water reaches 120-160°F and special detergents remove contaminants that regular home washing can't handle.
Most importantly, our trained team carefully checks each piece of clothing by hand to find any tears or damage before your workers wear them again. When repairs are needed, Cintas Apparel+ uses FR fibers and thread to fix damaged clothing instead of throwing it away. This organized approach eliminates the uncertainty and safety risks associated with managing your own garment maintenance while controlling costs by including laundering, repairs and replacement through our all-in-one program.
The Numbers Don't Lie
When comparing a managed uniform rental program to traditional purchase-and-clean methods, the cost difference is huge. Remember the $46,000 annual cost for self-managed care from before? Let's go back to that 50-person company and instead of buying their FRC, let's say they use a managed program like Cintas Apparel+.
- Managed Cintas Apparel+ Program
- 5 clean shirts & pants per week
- $11.00 per employee*
- $28,600 annually
- 38% savings
- Traditional Purchase & Clean
- $46,000 annually
Their managed program of five clean shirts and pants each week is $11.00 per employee, totaling around $28,600 annually², which is a 38% savings compared to the $46,000 spent on the purchase-and-clean option.
*Pricing varies by market
But aside from the financial benefits, there are clear safety and organizational benefits: a managed program eliminates concerns about soil loads, tears, maintenance and turnover. Weekly route services collect soiled garments, inspect them for damage, launder according to industry standards and deliver clean replacements. Workers no longer face the risk of wearing contaminated garments and safety managers sleep better knowing their program meets safety regulations. It's a one-stop, no-hassle shop.
Making the Smart Choice: Protection Over Penny-Pinching
The evidence is clear: proper FRC care requires industrial-grade processes that most home laundering typically can't provide. While the upfront cost of professional management may seem higher, the total cost of ownership decreases while dramatically improving worker safety.
As Albert Einstein noted, "Concern for man himself and his safety must always be the chief interest of all technical endeavors.” When arc flash incidents can lead to life-threatening injuries or fatalities, cutting corners on the maintenance of protective equipment isn’t just poor business, it’s ethically wrong.
Smart companies recognize that worker safety depends on well-maintained FR garments. They choose proven industrial washing solutions that deliver both superior protection and cost savings. In an industry where lives hang in the balance, there's no room for compromise on protective equipment maintenance.
EHS Daily Advisor, "Don't Let Arc Flash Cost You," August 2015
Cintas Corporation, "Should I Rent or Purchase Flame-Resistant Clothing? Strategies for building a safer and more cost-effective protective apparel program"
ASTM F1449, "Standard Guide for Industrial Laundering Care and Maintenance of Flame Resistant or Arc Rated Clothing"