Types of safety clothing

 

safety clothingThe world of safety and protective clothing is a large one and is easily divided into two main categories – self-protection and consumer/public protection.  The first category is concerned primarily with protecting the worker or wearer of the safety clothing; the second is aimed more at the continued safety of the general public who may consume the products or use the services of the people wearing the safety gear.

 

Safety clothing that aims to protect the wearer is common to most industry and trades.  The most basic protective clothing usually consists of steel-capped boots or protective footwear, a hard-hat or protective head covering, glasses or protective eyewear, and possibly a face mask or facial covering.  Depending on the work that is being carried out it may also be necessary to wear gloves and particularly hardy clothing that will not tear or burn easily or become caught in machinery.  Other examples of protective wear for workers include sealed suits which protect from chemicals, biological contamination or even radiation; chain-mail gloves for butchers and trades-people that use cutting machinery; heat- and cold-protection in the form of suits, gloves and headwear; and waterproof clothing.

 

The other sort of safety clothing is that which protects the consumer.  A good example of this is seen in the food production industry, where workers must wear gloves, boots, uniforms and head-covering to prevent contamination of the products.  In some instances it may also be necessary for workers to wear face masks.  This is just one example of the many different types of consumer-minded protective clothing that are used on an every day basis in any number of production-based factories.