Protective safety clothing is very big business due to the importance of having this type of safety workwear. For many online retailers protective workwear is one of the biggest markets within Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Businesses now invest heavily in safety workwear such as overalls, boiler suits, high visibility clothing and coveralls than all the other types - including footwear, protective eyewear and gloves.
The UK Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division have reported that the Construction industry in one of the most dangerous and high risk industries, accounting for more than 2,800 work-related deaths in the UK over the past 25 years alone. Their research found that some construction site workers continue to have a rather cavalier attitude towards protective clothing, but even more worryingly, that little was being done in terms of training these employees to help rectify this situation.
The research then goes on to say that a high percentage of health and safety managers who where questioned dually admitted to having a lack of knowledge about different Personal Protective Equipment product specifications. They also were unsure about what safely clothing would be most suitable for their workplace, while they also had concerns about how to deal with unknown or unpredictable hazards.
So there seem to be an extremely poor level of clarity when it comes to safety clothing in the workplace. The report showed that only half of construction workers (56%) received any safety equipment training at all, with nearly a third simply selecting the protective clothing they thought was most suitable for the appropriate task. In the report workers also stated that their biggest issues with Personal Protective Equipment were to do with comfort and performance. Three-quarters said that if workwear was more comfortable, they would be more willing to wear it than is currently the caes.
In today's business world there are now many jobs that require safety workwear that provides protection against a combination of these risks. And as well as the basic 89/656/EEC Directive, depending on the circumstances, other safety standards may also need to be considered. High visibility clothing for example should adhere to EN 471, workwear to protect against heat and flames should meet EN ISO 11612:2008, while for outside workers, such as builders, cleaners and gardeners, UV Standard 801 - the international test for protection against sunlight - should also be taken into account. Safety workwear needs to offer the right level of protection against risk while at the same time being suitable for the job in hand.
When choosing which types of safety workwear is needed for a particular job or work environment, the report states that it is advisable to work closely with various safety clothing suppliers and manufacturers to work out which types of clothing, and which particular products, will be the most suitable.