Buyer Beware! Could Your FRC Be Counterfeit?

You wear FR clothing to stay safe on the job. But what if your FRC isn’t providing the protection you think it is? We’ve noted a growing and alarming online trend in recent months. Online companies – often based overseas – are selling what they claim to be flame resistant clothing at unbelievably low prices.

The problem is, these garments are not flame resistant!

Watch the brief video below for a dramatic demonstration of the risk of wearing fake FRC:

The special FR fabrics that offer you the protection you count on are costly to manufacture. Many of these counterfeit garments are being sold for considerably less than the cost of the actual FR fabric it would take to create them.

Worst of all, some of these unscrupulous sellers are attaching fake labels from reputable FRC manufacturers, trying to generate sales by offering what they claim to be name brand FRC for considerably less than it costs to make a legitimate FR garment.

These counterfeit garments are often sold on large retail sites, such as Amazon, and show up in searches for major brands of FR clothing.

So how can you protect yourself and make sure the FR garments you’re buying actually provide you with the flame-resistant protection you need? Here are a few easy steps you can take to help ensure your safety:

1. First and foremost, if a deal seems too good to be true, it almost certainly is. If you conduct a search, and receive results priced at $10 through $50, for instance, you can be pretty sure the $10 item is not going to provide you with reliable FR protection.
2. Check out the seller. All major manufacturers of true FR clothing carefully vet the companies they allow to sell their products. If the seller offering low-cost FR clothing seems to be little more than an email address, and does not have a professional website or offer a warranty or returns process, it’s unlikely that they are an authorized seller of legitimate FRC.
3. Check the ratings. Most major retail sites allow users to rate their purchases. If you find multiple comments suggesting the item is not genuine FRC, stay away.

The reason you wear FRC is that it can save your life in the event of a flash fire or arc flash incident. When it comes to your safety and well-being, it’s not worth taking a risk just to save a few dollars. So, take the time to look into what seem like great deals on FRC. Chances are, they’re anything but great.