EN 14058:2017
PROTECTION AGAINST COLD – GARMENTS FOR PROTECTION IN COOL ENVIRONMENTS
(EN 14058:2017 supersedes EN 14058:2004)
This standard specifies the requirements and test methods for evaluating the performance of single garments that provide protection against the cooling of the wearer’s body in areas where the air temperature can be as low as -5 °C. The standard does not include specific requirements for headwear, footwear, or gloves.
Many work activities are carried out in cool environments. For example, outdoor construction work or indoor food processing jobs. The type of clothing tested to EN 14058 includes waistcoats, jackets, and trousers, and separate thermal linings that can be added to a garment.
A “cool environment” is characterized by a combination of humidity, wind, and temperatures as low as -5°C. Some garments provide adequate protection against local body cooling (for ensembles, see EN 342) relative to the length of the wearer’s exposure to the cold, the wearer’s physiology, the composition of the wearer’s overall outfit, and specific environmental features (e.g., wind speed, temperature, humidity).
At moderate to low temperatures, garments that protect against local body cooling can be used for outdoor and indoor activities. In these instances, garments need not be made of watertight or air impermeable materials; these requirements are, then, optional for this standard. EN 14058 defines 1 criterion to ensure the proper functioning of protective clothing against the hazards of cool environments:
Thermal resistance (Rct) represents a quantity specific to textiles and indicates the amount of dry heat that can pass through a textile layer in a steady state condition as a result of a temperature gradient.
Performance requirements for air permeability (AP), thermal insulation (Icler) and resistance to water penetration (WP) are optional and measured with the same criteria as EN 342.
Parameters:
a: thermal resistance (Rct), classes 1 – 4
b: air permeability (AP), classes 1 – 3 (optional, only for outdoor clothing)
c: thermal insulation value (Icler) in m²K/W (optional for thermal resistance classes 1-3, mandatory if Rct exceeds class 4)
d: water penetration resistance (WP) min 8000Pa (optional)
