When Bryan Johnson and Jim Bacon made their way to Watford City, North Dakota, to see the oil industry boom for themselves, they recognized an opportunity, but it wasn’t working in the oil fields.

The flame-resistant (FR) clothing market has soared in the past five to ten years, paralleling the nation’s booming oil and gas industry.

Getting a better grasp on the phenomena of arc flashes and a better understanding of how to protect electrical workers against these potential killers in the workplace is the objective of a multi-year, $6.5-million program launched late last year by the IEEE and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

Every year, more than 2,000 people are admitted to burn centers with severe arc-flash burns.