PROBAN

Pioneers in the Flame Resistant Fabric Industry

Our long history began more than 60 years ago with the invention of the PROBAN^® process, based on natural fibers. Our journey is ongoing today as we continue to play a pivotal role in protecting millions of lives worldwide with solutions engineered for flame resistant (FR) clothing.

Solvay offers customers across various industries technical solutions for manufacturing comfortable and durable flame resistant workwear ౼  ranging from lightweight to insulated. With PROBAN^®  technology at the core of FR garments, workers in high-risk environments ౼ including oil and gas, electrical utilities, metalworking, steel, chemicals and industrial applications ౼ can feel confident about staying safe and comfortable. PROBAN^® workwear can withstand arc flash, molten metal splash and deliver flash fire protection.

When safety is of the utmost importance, we understand the critical need to ensure protective clothing is carefully selected and worn properly. Our committed teams are dedicated to managing our customers’ protective clothing programs around the world.

High Standards for Your Peace of Mind

We are the only company that provides independently accredited quality control, garment traceability back to where the textile was manufactured and compliance with international standards. Our high standards provide peace of mind to purchasers and wearers alike. While we operate on a global scale, our network of core partners meets the needs of local markets in more than 100 countries, providing coast-to-coast solutions across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. 

Behind the scenes, Solvay’s ISO 17025 accredited labs in the United Kingdom test and profile several millions of samples every year to verify flame resistant performance. Every yard of PROBAN^® fabric delivers unquestionable FR performance and provides unparalleled protection to workforces around the world.

It’s simple. If an article of flame resistant clothing carries our label and name, it carries our performance promise: PROBAN^® is engineered to work as hard as you do while providing safety and peace of mind. This commitment to safety is deeply personal, as our own employees rely on the performance of PROBAN^®-enabled flame resistant fabrics.  Nothing is more important than getting those who wear PROBAN^® garments back home to their families, day in and day out.

Protecting Workers Across Industries

Flame resistant protective clothing is a vital part of workplace safety across several industries. Ensuring that every worker is protected in compliance with the right standards and with the proper garments can save lives.

PROBAN^® FR Clothing Aces the Tests

Handling hazardous materials and/or working under hazardous conditions provides the potential to create more than a million risk scenarios that can lead to a thermal injury from exposure to electric arc, flammable gas or liquid, hot metal or flash fire. Because we all are responsible for safety, we all must work to minimize work-related accidents. PROBAN^® FR clothing provides protection for people working in diverse industries ౼ from oil and gas to utilities, wildland firefighting or in the manufacturing of chemicals, steel, and industrial processes.

PROBAN® Will Get You Home Safely

Flash Fire Protection

Molten Metal Splash Protection

Electric Arc Flash Protection

PROBAN® FR Clothing Delivers Unquestionable Protection From Risks of Molten Metal Splash

With the co-existence of moisture and hot metal in a steel mill environment, molten metal splash represents an inherent risk across all production phases of iron and steel. These hot metal splashes act like a vapor explosion with the projection of liquid metal that arises at temperatures exceeding 1,500°C. When hot metal is exposed to open air, the water or vapor transformation can lead to a volume increase by a factor of 1,700 to create pressure waves. When reducing metal comes into contact with moisture, it can lead to oxidation of the metal and generate hydrogen in the environment. Hydrogen burns as it is being produced and can cause a powerful explosion. Explosions also can result from combustion with the oxygen contained in the air.

The latest versions of PROBAN^® FR clothing engineered for steel mill workers are designed to deliver unquestionable protection from risks of molten metal splash. They also address obvious heat stress-related issues occurring in steel mills where surrounding temperatures can be above 50^oC in the mill regardless of hail, snow, rain, or storm outside.

PROBAN^® is The Proven Choice of Arc Rated Clothing

Arc-flash and arc-blast can lead to severe burn injuries.

In an arc-flash environment air temperatures can reach up to 20,000°C, and toxic vapors can be released and cause skin burns and respiratory damage. Arc-blast, on the other hand, can cause high pressure and extreme sound concussion (up to 165 decibels), propelling materials and molten metals away from the arcing fault location at speeds of over 1,000km/hr.

When the risks are severe and damage can be intense, it is important to select trusted and established brands. PROBAN^® is the proven choice of arc-rated clothing available to deal with specialized protection for such incidents. From switch gears to electric arc protection, our core channel partners provide reliable solutions that protect people dealing with electricity throughout their working day.

The most critical part in selecting the right protective clothing starts at an effective job hazard analysis. PROBAN^® arc-rated and flame resistant protective clothing can deliver 7cal/cm² from ultra-lightweight everyday solutions to more than 40cal/cm² encompassing all risk scenarios when dealing with electricity in industrial manufacturing, power stations, substations and transmission lines.

Regardless of the exposure scenario, our promise across the PROBAN^® protective clothing line is to deliver unquestionable performance matched to any job hazard analysis.