• • • EDITOR’S CHOICE • • •


Assess current functional design solutions


A growing trend is immerging where workers want to wear modern and comfortable safety clothing in a professional environment, in the same way they wear the latest functional garments for sports and leisure. Comfort Mapping is increasingly used by designers: this considers the distribution of heat and moisture production in various parts of the body and uses contrasting textile materials for different parts of the garment, to prevent overheating on warm days or during heavy work. Workwear designers now balance safety with functional style by combining material science, technological knowledge, and innovative design. Electrical utility workers, for example, benefit from Nelson pockets on their jackets large enough for holding switching books and narrow jacket cuff designs so that gauntlet gloves can easily be put on over these.


Effectively introduce new PPE to workers


Even when currently used PPE is not totally fit for purpose, some workers may be reluctant to try a new product. Wider acceptance can be assisted via internal communication with workers about on- going wearer trials. Within many industries employers host educational roadshows either online or face to face. These enable fabric technology to be explained in detail, benefits of the new styles can be illustrated in a very direct and practical way - as well as the communication of wash and care instructions.


Wash & Care for PPE To help prolong the wear life of a garment it is important to communicate wash and care instructions to end users. As garments get dirty and end-users sweat during work, the PPE must be washed to restore its performance. Employers should check the frequency that garments are proven and certified to withstand wash & care cycles whilst still maintaining durability. For example, Arc Rated GORE-TEX PYRAD laminates are proven to pass 50 wash/dry cycles in both home laundry and industrial laundry processes.


PPE Availability


It’s a smart move during the procurement process to work closely in partnership with suppliers to develop a speedy ordering and delivery system. A dedicated Cloud PPE Online Ordering System is used by many large-scale employers to ensure that products are delivered the next working day to the individual.


Sustainability through durability We all have a role to play in environmental stewardship and adopting a sustainable approach to workwear provision. A core feature of sustainability is finding ways to avoid throw-away cheap clothing. Using products and materials that are designed for longevity, that can be repaired and reused and then recycled is a firm step in the right direction.


The best way of achieving a sustainable approach and reducing environmental impact in the workwear sector is the production,


electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • NOVEMBER 2024 13


procurement and use of durable products designed for long product use. According to the life cycle assessment, the longer clothing and footwear products are in use, the lower the environmental footprint will be.


Credible manufacturers and suppliers within the workwear industry adhere to environmental programmes and standards, such as ISO standardised method for environmental assessment of products and services including ISO 14001 or Life Cycle Assessment (LCA – ISO 14040) but also compliance to standards such as Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX.


Wearer satisfaction levels In summary, PPE is worn by real people in real working conditions. New provision of safety workwear should always provide high satisfaction levels for the end user. Comfort, style and thermal regulation from high performance fabrics and modern design work together so that the end-user feels valued, safe and fully protected to work long hours in the supplied PPE.


Visit: www.goretexprofessional.com/uk/arc-rated- garments


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