How to Choose the Right Protective Clothing for Your Workplace

Wearing protective clothing in industrial or hazardous workplaces is a task and a requirement enforced under British law. And yet, despite the clarity of this law, many workers find themselves subverting this law and wearing inadequate protective clothing – or none at all – whilst performing their dangerous tasks.

Most of the time, it is not the workers’ fault at all. Would anyone in his or her right mind walk into harm’s way unprotected? However, there are many cases where the protective gear worn by people in industrial worksites serves more as an impediment to the performance of tasks rather than as protection. Inasmuch as employees in such workplaces need to be protected, they should feel comfortable in what they are wearing as well.

It is the employers’ responsibility to find the appropriate protective clothing that will not only provide ample protection for their employees but also allow them to work in comfort. But many employers put their faith in the so-called fact that full overalls are more than enough. There is, after all, such a thing called overprotection, and that can be as dangerous as inadequate protection.

How can employers choose the right protective clothing for their employees who work in hasardous conditions? There are a number of standards that need to be followed, but these three tips are the simplest to remember.

1. Assess the conditions in your workplace. What kind of conditions do one’s employees have to face in doing their day-to-day tasks at work? Are they exposed to extreme temperatures? Do they dip their hands in chemicals or can they just expect a splash or two? Is the place well-ventilated? The best way to answer these questions is to have a team conduct a hasard analysis and risk assessment of the workplace.

2. Know that overprotection is not the answer. As mentioned above, many employers believe that throwing a full body suit at their employees for them to wear at work is enough of an answer to the need to provide protection at the workplace. Unfortunately, this is never true. Many employees end up refusing to wear it or modifying the protective clothing issued to them to make them more comfortable. Rather than achieve the goal of keeping workers safe with full body suits, it instead goes the other way and compromises safety in the workplace.

3. Consider employee comfort. When all the conditions in the workplace have been considered, an employer can assess correctly exactly what kind of protective clothing is necessary at the workplace. For example, if only minimal splashing is expected in the chemical lab, maybe protective gloves, sleeves and a special apron are necessary instead of a full body suit. The employees working at the lab can work in comfort, without their protective clothing hampering their performance.

It is all too easy to issue full body suits as protective clothing for one’s employees working in a hasardous industrial work setting. But it is also far too easy to defeat the purpose of such clothing when workers’ comfort and performance is put at stake.