Utility workers can be exposed to an acute flammability hazard when they are working close to an arcing fault or flashover from electrical equipment or power lines. At the present time it is not possible to recommend the type of protective clothing that should be worn in these circumstances, because no standard flammability test method is available to measure the ability of textile fabrics and other laminae to provide heat and flammability protection against large heat fluxes originating from electrical flashovers. The objective of this study has been to develop such a standard laboratory test method. The design of a test facility that generates arcs under controlled conditions is described. The results of preliminary testing are reported. They demonstrate the validity and reliability of the method as well as indicating those variables that need to be controlled when performing the test.