Law Enforcement PPE for Use in Violent Situations

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Law Enforcement PPE for Use in Violent Situations

• Alim Fatah, PhD
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
  (NIST) Office of Law Enforcements Standards
  (OLES)

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Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES)

• OLES is a program management organization that
  designs and manages standards-development and
  research projects on behalf of agencies such as
  the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the
  National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and others.
  Within OLES are six program areas
• Weapons and Protective Systems
• Detection, Inspection, and Enforcement
  Technologies
• Forensic Sciences
• Public Safety Communication Systems
• Critical Incident Technologies and
• Public Safety and Security Technologies.
• These program areas conduct a vast range of
  projects related to protective clothing,
  communication systems, investigative aids,
  security devices, traffic enforcement equipment,
  vehicles, firearms and ammunition, detection of
  concealed weapons and explosives, forensic
  science, homeland security, and domestic
  preparedness

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Office of Law Enforcement Standards (OLES)

• Examples of Standards in place
• NIJ 0101.04 Ballistic Resistance of Personal
  Body Armor
• NIJ 0115.00 Stab Resistance of Personal Body
  Armor
• NIJ 0601.02 Walk-Through Metal Detectors for
  Use in Concealed Weapon and Contraband Detection
• NIJ 0602.02 Hand-Held Metal Detectors

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Project Goals

• Define performance standards and testing methods
  for Law Enforcement PPE used in violent
  situations (Riot Gear)
• Develop a suite of standards that can be used for
  equipment testing certification to ensure it
  meets minimum performance requirements

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Project Description

• UK suite of standards serves as a model
• BS 7971 Protective Clothing for Use in Violent
  Situations and Training
• Utilizes UK testing standards
• Defines performance requirements based on
  attacker capabilities
• Force delivered, location of strike, method of
  delivery
• Base these standards on US testing standards and
  performance criteria
• ASTM
• OSHA

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Section 1 General Requirements

• Applies to all PPE
• Physically innocuous
• No sharp edges
• No rough surfaces
• Components can not harm user
• Chemically safe
• No allergens or toxins
• Must not degrade to form allergens

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Section 1 General Requirements

• Assessment of ergonomic performance and
  compatibility
• Defines activities performed while wearing PPE
  Combinations to evaluate compatibility
• Example Evaluation of Personal Defense Shields
• Wear the following
• Shoulder Protector
• Elbow and forearm protector
• Gloves
• Coverall
• Do the following activities
• Standing with arm movements
• Walking and running
• Assessment of physical discomfort and
  psychological irritations

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Section 2 Risk Assessment

• General method of performing a risk assessment
• Stage 1 Determine who is responsible
• Identify who is supposed to make relevant
  decisions
• Stage 2 Determine what the hazards and risks
  are
• Stage 3 Determine how hazards can be eliminated
  and the risks can be controlled
• Stage 4 Deciding what actions are to be taken
• Stage 5 Implementation
• Stage 6 Continuous evaluation
• Never completed
• Establish a timetable for a full re-assessment

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Section 2 Risk Assessment

• Stage 1 Determine what the protective clothing
  and equipment need to do
• Stage 2 Collect information about the PPE that
  is available
• Stage 3 User trials
• Stage 4 Establish procedures
• Storing
• Issuing
• Maintaining
• Record keeping
• Stage 5 Introduction of the PPE
• Stage 6 Continuous evaluation

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Section 3 Personal Defense Shields

• First line of defense that prevents or reduces
  the risk of injury from commonly faced hazards
• Metal bars
• Timbers
• Baseball bats
• Axes
• Spikes and knives
• Bricks, bottles other lofted weapons
• Gasoline bombs
• Can also serve as a means of restraining an
  individual

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Physical Inspection and Assessment of Surface
Condition

• Sample Physical requirements
• All materials, fixings, fasteners and surfaces
  must be free of sharp edges and rough surfaces
• The radius of curvature for all edges must be
  greater than 0.060 in (1.5 mm)
• The maximum height of any step is 0.240 in (6 mm)
• The maximum height of any projection consisting
  of a number of steps is 0.4 in (10 mm)

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Shield Flame Resistance and Flame Preconditioning

• Shield is covered with flammable liquid
• Burn for 25 sec
• Pass / fail criteria
• No drips due to melting
• No excessive warping
• This is done prior to all impact testing

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Shield Blunt impact test

• Large, blunt striker
• mass 15 lb
• drop height 6.5 ft
• Pass / fail criteria
• No cracking of shield blade
• No fragments on the splinter sheet

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Shield Impact Deformation Test

• ASTM F736
• Rounded tip striker
• Mass 6.613 lbs
• Drop height 3.3 ft
• Pass / fail criteria
• Maximum deformation lt 1in
• No fragmentation

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Shield blade cut resistance

• Impactor
• Simulate machete striking top edge of shield
• 30 Blade
• Mass 11 lbs
• Drop height 6.7 ft
• Pass / fail criteria
• No cut or crack can extend more than 2 in from
  top edge of shield

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Section 4 Limb Protectors

• Shoulder
• Upper arm
• Elbow and forearm
• Thigh
• Knee and shin

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Limb Protectors Zones of Protection

• Define protection zone as a function of a control
  dimension
• Example Shin protector
• Length 25 users height

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Limb Protectors Impact Tests

• Impactor
• 5.5 lbs
• Drop height
• Determined by designated protection level of
  protector
• 1 ft 4 ft
• Pass fail criteria
• Maximum peak transmitted force
• Differs according to item being tested

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Limb Protectors Blade Impact Tests

• Striker
• Simulate skipped tile
• Mass 5.5 lb (2.5 kg)
• Drop height 8 48 in depending on protector
  being tested.
• Pass/fail criteria
• Maximum transmitted force
• No cuts longer than 0.020 inch through all layers

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Section 5 Footwear

• Standard footwear must protect from slipping and
  electrical hazards
• Footwear for use in situations where violence is
  expected must meet relevant ASTM requirements
• ASTM F 2412 Standard Test Methods for Foot
  Protection
• ASTM F 2413 Standard Specification for
  Performance Requirements for Foot Protection

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Footwear ASTM Requirements

• Required of all protective footwear
• Toe impact resistance
• 50 ft lbs force
• Compression resistance
• 50 ftlbs force

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Additional requirements

• Abrasion resistant non-leather outsoles
• ASTM D 1630
• NFPA 1971 7.10.10
• Abrasion index gt 100
• Cracking resistance of soles under flexing
• ASTM D 1052
• lt 0.157 in crack growth after 30,000 flexes
• Resistance of soles to fuel oils
• ASTM D 471
• Slip resistance of outsoles
• ASTM F 609 05
• Tear resistance of outsoles
• ASTM D 624

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Additional Requirements (Cont)

• Resistance of sole to hot contact
• Heating element is brought into contact with sole
• 572 F
• Pass / fail criteria
• No melting or cracking in polymeric soles

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Section 6 Gloves for mechanical chemical and
thermal protection

• Abrasion resistance
• ASTM D4966 (Martindale Abrasion)
• No breakthrough after 500 cycles at 1.3 psi
• Blade cut resistance
• ASTM F 1790
• Must be 2.5 X as resistant to cuts as canvas
• Tearing resistance
• ASTM D 2261 (Tongue rip procedure)
• Must resist tearing at 11.25 lbf

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Section 6 Gloves for mechanical chemical and
thermal protection

• Puncture resistance
• ASTM F 1342
• Must not be penetrated with 13.5 lbf applied to
  probe

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Section 6 Gloves for mechanical chemical and
thermal protection

• Dexterity test
• ASTM F 2010 00 Standard Test Method for
  Evaluation of Glove Effects on Wearer Hand
  Dexterity Using a Modified Pegboard Test
• Test of thermal protection
• ISO 17493 Clothing and equipment for protection
  against heat - Test method for convective heat
  resistance using a hot air circulating oven
• Must not allow a second degree burn according to
  evaluation criteria described in ASTM F 1060
  Standard Test Method for Thermal Protective
  Performance of Materials for Protective Clothing
  for Hot Surface Contact

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Section 6 Gloves for mechanical chemical and
thermal protection

• Impact resistance
• Striker
• Mass 5.5 lbs
• Drop height 8 in
• Pass / fail criteria
• No sharp edges created on glove
• Maximum peak transmitted force 900 lbf

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Section 7 Slash resistant gloves

• Must meet similar requirements as other gloves
  for
• Abrasion resistance
• Tear resistance
• Puncture resistance
• Dexterity
• Blade cut resistance
• 20 X as resistant as canvas material

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Section 8 Blunt trauma body protectors

• Torso protectors
• Equestrian
• Must comply with ASTM F 1937
• Impact tests
• Defines zones of protection
• Pedestrian
• Must comply with ASTM F 1937 with different zones
  of protection

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Abdomen and Genital Protectors

• Specifies
• Zones of protection
• Impact tests
• Brick edge impactor
• Ball impactor
• Restraint tests
• Defines maximum displacement under load and after
  load is withdrawn

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Sections under development

• Training suits and equipment
• Coveralls