Cosalt FIRE HOSES  (2)

Ballyclare is well placed to meet the requirements of the regulatory changes that will come into force in April 2018 Workwear garment manufacturer Ballyclare Limited has confirmed the process used to manufacture life-saving workwear supplied to the fire, rail, general industrial and oil and gas sectors is accredited to Article 11B of the PPE Directive. This ensures Ballyclare is already well placed to meet the requirements of the regulatory changes covering complex PPE garments that will come into force in April next year. New PPE Regulations The regulation changes will require garment manufacturers such as Ballyclare to move from compliance with the current PPE Directive, and satisfy the more stringent requirements of the new and mandatory PPE Regulations. “Essentially, Article 11B is an externally-audited accreditation system which monitors the production of complex, life-saving PPE to ensure the quality of the finished garment,” explains Ballyclare Operations Director, Dawn Scott. “We have held Article 11B accreditation since 2011, and so we’re perfectly placed to satisfy the new regulations, and have been for a considerable time.” Strict quality control “Article 11B provides confidence that products such as our structural firefighter suits and other life-saving garments are produced under our strict quality controls. To achieve compliance, our various manufacturing, design and head office facilities are independently assessed by BSI.” adds Dawn. “These assessments cover many different aspects of our operations, such as the actual manufacturing processes and the quality control measures we use. Fortunately, our existing operating methods mean we’ll easily be able to provide the information required for next year’s assessment. The new regulations will also put a strong emphasis on the technical files which a manufacturer such as ourselves must provide for scrutiny, but we’re proud to say our own technical files already meet the requirements for the forthcoming changes. “We are ahead of the game and fully prepared for the changes in the market. As a result, our customers know they can continue to purchase and use Ballyclare products, safe in the knowledge they are already, and will continue to be, fully compliant.”

Ballyclare will display Xenon fire garments range at A+A 2017 Europe’s leading trade exhibition covering safety, security and health at work gave specialist workwear manufacturer Ballyclare an excellent opportunity to highlight the breadth of its offering to these different sectors. At the A + A event in Dusseldorf. the company displayed examples of both its multi-norm and flame-retardant Pionér workwear, and its Xenon multi-layered and multifunctional fire garments, underlining the extensive experience that the company has as a major manufacturer and supplier to these and other workwear markets. New Pionér garments Examples of Ballyclare’s newly extended Pionér range were shown at the exhibition. Specifically designed to provide outstanding protection to those working in dangerous conditions and demanding weather environments, the heat-resistant and flame-retardant garments in the Pionér range include a wide choice of coveralls. cargo trousers, jackets, salopettes and base layer garments. “We have recently added various new items to this range, including multi-norm high visibility jackets and trousers that have already proved to be very popular in other sectors such as the rail industry, plus various new, flame retardant multi-use jacket and trouser options,” says Ballyclare Managing Director, Carlton Greener. Xenon thermal protection Also prominent on the Ballyclare stand was the company’s range of Xenon fire garments which have been developed with a strong focus on health and safety matters. “While the issue of free and easy movement for the wearer was a requirement for the Xenon range, we were primarily concerned to develop garments which provided maximum levels of health and safety protection,” adds Carlton.  The Xenon fire suitcombines all the standard Xenon benefits to createthe ultimate firefighting kit “The Xenon with GORE PARALLON System garments deliver high levels of thermal protection and help to prevent dangerously high body temperatures. Crucially, they also maintain that level of protection when wet. This reduces the likelihood of heat stress and exhaustion that can impact the firefighter’s decision-making process. It also gives firefighters more time to escape from dangerous situations. Once away from the heat sources, Xenon garments also allow the wearer to cool down quickly, making them more comfortable to wear over long periods.” A key feature of the Xenon display was a new concept Xenon fire suit which Ballyclare has developed. It combines all the standard Xenon benefits with new fabric, fastenings and design features to create the ultimate in protective, comfortable and reliable firefighting kit.

The engine was being donated to a fire brigade in San Juan by the International Fire and Rescue Association (IFRA) Workwear and specialist protective clothing manufacturer Ballyclare Limited played host to a special ceremony recently, when a fire engine bound for Argentina was named in the company’s honour. The engine was being donated to a fire brigade in San Juan by the International Fire and Rescue Association (IFRA) - a charity to which Ballyclare has made numerous donations in recent years. Donation of 4500 sets of Personal Protective Equipment “Ballyclare has long been one of our major supporters, and two years ago the company gave us a huge donation of 4,500 sets of Personal Protective Equipment, which we then distributed to Paraguay, Argentina, Albania, Bosnia and Mexico,” says IFRA representative Davie Kay. “That generous gesture involved a lot of hard work from the people at Ballyclare’s Distribution Centre in Barnsley who packed four containers with equipment for us in just one day, and it created the foundation for our relationship with the company. That relationship continues to go from strength to strength, so when we had to opportunity to deliver a fire engine to the San Juan force we wanted to continue our tradition of naming the vehicle to reflect the people who help us.” The Ballyclare vehicle visited the company’s headquarters in Stockport for the naming ceremony. “The appliance is set to replace one that was written off in a road traffic collision, so we are delighted that IFRA chose it to bear our name,” says Ballyclare Managing Director, Carlton Greener. “This is the 83rd appliance we have provided for fire services overseas,” concludes Davie Kay. “Ballyclare is one of Britain’s leading suppliers of PPE, and without the generous support which they and our other supporters provide we simply wouldn’t be able to help our firefighter colleagues around the world in the way that we do”.