The temperature in Norwegian waters is cold most of the year. Very cold. If there’s an accident and you end up in the water, thermal shock and a rapid fall in core body temperature can cause death by drowning in minutes. At Hansen Protection, we know that the best thermal protection is achieved using an insulated work or survival suit. Depending on the water temperature, wearing one gives the user a 10 to 20 times greater chance of surviving in cold water, compared to wearing only a lifejacket.
We wanted to test one of our most popular and durable work suits against SOLAS's most stringent thermal protection requirements, namely the 6-hour test. In this test, six test subjects, all wearing the suit and a multitude of sensors, are left floating in water maintained at a temperature of 2 °C. As the name of the test implies, they must stay in the water for 6 hours. The sensors continuously monitor everyone’s core body and skin temperatures.
If the core temperature drops by more than 2 degrees in some of the subjects during the six hours in the water, the suit will not be approved. The same applies if the skin temperature drops below 15 degrees for more than 15 minutes.
Approved by good margin
SeaWork passed the test by a good margin. During the test, the core temperature fall averaged a mere 1.03 °C in all six test subjects. We can, therefore, safely conclude that the suit provides the user with very good insulation against the cold. Should an accident happen, this could be a crucial factor to save lives. Furthermore, the suit is specially designed for working in exposed areas, such as when doing maintenance work on board ships or offshore installations. The suit's ergonomics, modern design and materials make it very comfortable to work in.
We cannot make guarantees for every situation, but probably the best life insurance at sea is to wear a properly sized survival suit tailored to the kind of activities you are engaged in.
Multiple approvals
With this certification, SeaWork is approved in accordance with five major standards.
SOLAS LSA-Code:
- Insulated immersion suit (6-hours in water temperature <2 °C) with lining
- Non-insulated immersion suit (1-hour in water temperature <5 °C) without lining
- AES (Anti-Exposure Suit) (1-hour in water temperature <5 °C) with lining
ISO 15027 Approvals:
- Immersion Suit, thermal class B (4-hours in water temperature <2 °C) with lining
- Immersion Suit, thermal class D (2-hours in water temperature <10 °C) without lining
At Hansen Protection your safety comes first!