Employers can face legal and financial charges if the employees hurt themselves in the workplace. In this blog, we will discuss what protective workwear is, the potential risks in the workplace, why this protective workwear is essential, and the different industries that require PPE. Keep reading for more! 

What is protective workwear?

Protective workwear is any garment or equipment that employees wear to protect themselves from harm whilst working. Some of the commonly used workwear are safety goggles, gloves, and helmets. 

Potential risks and hazards in the workplace

Depending on the industry, you are likely to encounter several hazards in your workplace. These potential hazards in the work environment inform us on the protection garment or equipment. For example, if you work in a field that uses chemicals, you need respirators to prevent you from breathing toxic substances. You’ll also need to put on gloves to avoid direct contact with the chemicals. 

A health and safety officer or management should carry out risk assessments. A regular risk assessment is conducted to determine the hazards and potential risks in the workplace. The employees usually make this assessment because they understand better the situation in the field. 

Importance of protective workwear

All organisations need to emphasise the importance of protective workwear. These garments and equipment protect delicate areas such as the head, eyes, feet, and skin, depending on your job. 

For those working in construction sites, having hard hats would help in head protection. Those working in the welding industry should have safety goggles, face shields, and spectacles to protect their eyes and faces. This is just an example of many workwear elements that you need in order to protect yourself from accidents or substances that could cause fatal health damages. 

Hand and skin protection are equally important. Research estimates that each year approximately 150,000 hand injuries are reported. This can also affect the productivity of the employees too. Industrial noise is another issue that affects workers. Employees in the manufacturing industry are at a higher risk of occupational hearing loss, which can be prevented by wearing PPE. 

Industries in which PPE is needed

Below are the key industries and workplaces that PPEs are more significant:

• Laboratories
• Catering
• Construction
• Warehouse
• Security
• Landscaping
• Industrial

And more!

Conclusion

These are just a few fields where PPE is essential. Any other industry with hazards such as chemicals, noise, dust, heavy objects, hot surfaces, etc will need to provide PPE for their employees. 

Protective workwear can indeed protect employees from chemicals, injuries, heat, or accidents. Every company needs to prioritise the needs of the employees, and this includes their safety. Any harm to the employees will result in lower productivity, which is undesirable. Additionally, the employers are likely to incur legal charges and other financial costs, including compensating injured employees. 

To avoid unnecessary danger, employees need to wear protective workwear. It is the role of the employers to ensure protective gear is present and worn at the job places to ensure all employees are safe from any harm. Explore our various collections and ranges of safety workwear here with Eltham Workwear. 

Get in touch

Eltham Workwear & Safety is a distributor and supplier of quality workwear and PPE to the UK market. Our head office is based in Dartford, with another branch in Portslade, Sussex.

We offer both B2C and B2B solutions via our website and our dedicated sales staff. We deliver to London, Essex, Kent, Sussex, Surrey, and Hertfordshire, and we use DHL for deliveries to the rest of the UK.

Please get in touch with our friendly team if you need any advice or to speak about how we can help you with safety workwear. For an additional cost, we can even add your logo to all manner of garments and items, from caps and hardhats to fleeces and jackets using various methods of personalisation. Please click here to find out more.