3 Aspects To Consider While Choosing Safety Garments
As a health and safety professional, you have many responsibilities - from selecting one type of outfit to ensuring the workers’ comfort in any condition. If they don’t like it, there is no point in having them wear it! It has to be comfortable and offers protection from hazards as well. Countless factors need consideration when picking out this important piece; norms like legality matter as well as preferences set by workers themselves on how they want to dress each day while maintaining all costs necessary for upkeeps too. Let us discuss 3 Aspects To Consider While Choosing Safety Garments.
The number one priority should be choosing a safe and comfortable material. Once again, it’s all personal preference but if your workers have sensitive skin then natural fibers (like cotton) may provide relief from irritating chemicals such as chlorine bleach which is commonly used in laundry facilities. There are also other options with great stretchability properties so clothes shouldn't feel restrictive, providing excellent protection against abrasion hazards and fire risks.
Things To Consider Before Buying Safety Garments
Safety
Protecting the workers from harm should be the first and foremost concern of any company. Several guidelines must be met to maintain workers' safety, but each company needs to ensure compliance with norms specific to their working environment because no two companies have the same needs when it comes to protecting employees.
That is why conducting a risk assessment at your different work areas, and not just one area of the factory will help determine safety threats. You're never alone with this process: don't hesitate to ask other partners in the value chain about how you can go about doing a proper risk assessment!
Safety standards for protective clothing can put stress on both your workers and the budget. When you are aware of what these requirements entail, it becomes much easier to find affordable options that comfortably meet all safety needs.
Comfort
It seems like a no-brainer, but if you can't wear your protective clothing comfortably then there's not much of a point in wearing it! The last thing you want to do is increase the risks that you're trying to avoid. Be sure that when picking out safety equipment for employees, comfort isn't sacrificed overprotection and efficiency.
To ensure that the protective clothing you choose is as comfortable as possible, there are a few things to keep in mind: how heavy it is, what type of fabric it's made out of, and if sweat can easily escape through this material, will heat build-up on your skin, is the fabric soft enough against your skin or does it feel rough, etc. These factors may make all the difference when deciding which gear will work best for any given situation.
Nowadays, consumers are more aware of the risks that come from their comfort. Innovations in fabric manufacturing have enabled companies to create high-quality clothing with a comfortable fit while still maintaining safety standards.
Cost
Your company staff, like purchasing or production managers, surely have an opinion about your choice of protective clothing. To even be able to implement the new garment, you need buy-in and alignment from stakeholders for protection gear (or any other equipment). Consider Price - is it worth the cost, and Durability - are your workers safe in their work clothes.
Price is just one factor to take into account when purchasing clothing. When the quality of a garment is twice as good, it makes sense that you would be willing to spend more money on an item because they will last longer and perform better wear after wear than their cheaper counterparts.
The purchase price of a garment is small in comparison to the maintenance and lifetime costs. All things considered, purchasing high-quality clothing that will last for years makes more sense than buying cheaper clothes that need repair or won't make it through one season before they're outgrown or to wear down from stains to wear again.
Conclusion
Protecting workers with the best gear is important for their health and safety. It's a complex undertaking to choose the right protective clothing, but luckily there are experts such as Unito in this value chain who can help you find what suits your needs so that your employees will be safe on-site from chemicals or other hazards they may face like heat stress and respiratory issues.
The selection of protective clothing is a difficult task. You have to be aware that certain criteria are more important than others, and you need to weigh the pros and cons for your decision-making process not only to make sense but also to lead to success.
What would you do if the unthinkable happened? For those who work in hazardous environments, this is a very real possibility. Preparation and professional advice from our protective clothing specialists can help make sure that employees are protected on all fronts. Schedule an appointment with us today to get customized advice for your company's specific needs!