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Selection and Designing of Appropriate Work Wear

Safety and Comfort Rule Supreme in Selection and Designing of Appropriate Work Wear

 

What you wear at the workplace assumes immense importance because the choice of work-wear affects productivity. Employers would, therefore, prefer that employees choose the right workwear so that they feel completely comfortable.

If the person does not feel comfortable with what he wears, he is less likely to do a good job. Inability to do the work well adversely affects productivity.

 

welders-protective-work-wear

Besides comfort, safety in the workplace must be assured. The clothing choices you make can affect your safety. If a welder wears a shirt made from flammable fabric, for example, he is exposed to high risk of fire. The welding flame or spark falling on the clothing can ignite. Welders need flame resistant apparel. In addition to the aspects of safety and productivity, the health of workers needs to be considered when making these choices.

Design

 

hard-hat-designIf the choice of material is important for work wear, the design is almost equally important. Since work-wear is meant to be worn at workplaces, only the working parameters drive its design elements. A person who works with machinery that has moving parts like a lathe, for example. They should wear half sleeve shirts or aprons with short sleeves. Since he uses both hands to access rotating machine parts, this is a necessity for safety. Clothes with full sleeves would increase the risk of an entanglement. This could result in serious injury.

The work environment is the prime consideration for design as it is linked to the safety issues related to work wear. The fashion angle is also captured in design, but it comes next. Workwear for men is available in fashionable designs like T-shirts, jackets, vests and button-up shirts. Since work-wear requirements are unique according to the work done, these are always customized.

Material selection

 

  • Material or fabric that is chosen for work-wear depends on the work environment where it will be worn. Safety and comfort rank very high when choosing the appropriate material. Since every workplace has the potential to turn dangerous, this aspect has to be factored when selecting the fabric.
  • The best way is to first identify the substances present in the workplace. Few examples include particulates, gases, and liquids. Then you need to assess the hazard that these materials can cause. Consider the environmental and physical hazards too. The assimilation of the findings will direct towards the right kind of fabric that counters the risks effectively.
  • The material that is chosen has to be lightweight. The fabric has to be comfortable to wear and be able to prevent heat stress. Above all, the fabric has to be breathable. Depending on the environment, fabrics are also selected according to its holdout properties of particulate materials.
  • Some work areas require that workmen should be visible to all even in the dark. This could be important from the safety perspective. Reflective safety clothing like vests and jackets are the perfect solution for such places.

 

Size

Besides the material and design of work-wear, getting the right size is also important. Wearing oversized safety clothing defeats its very purpose of providing safety. Excessively loose fitting would tend to increase the risks of accidents and other dangers. Overhanging loose clothing can become uncontrollable and can cause accidents. Workmen also feel uncomfortable in work-wear that does not fit properly.

Remember all safety apparel has to comply with the legal stipulations set by regulatory authorities of the country. There are different regulations according to the type of industry and applicable hazards. These have to be understood properly before selecting safety clothing.