WHAT IS FLAME RESISTANT CLOTHING?

Flame resistant clothing refers to any clothing items that are designed and specifically manufactured to protect wearers from potential intermittent flames and thermal exposure.

The specific ways in which Flame resistant clothing is engineered to protect the wearer from injury due to flames. These clothing items do not easily catch fire, and even when they do, they are designed to self-extinguish. If you get exposed to a brief, irregular flame while wearing this clothing and your clothing catches fire, it will naturally extinguish itself. This ability avoids the wearer any risk of burn injury and can often provide the wearer with valuable time to escape the unsafe environment.

The use and availability of flame-resistant clothing has become much more common due to the continued development and updating of industry safety regulations and voluntary performance standards.

The importance of Flame Resistant clothing for those exposed to workplace hazards

Flame resistant clothing protects the wearer through the following attributes:

•   Self-extinguishes or resists ignition
•   Does not melt onto skin
•   Provides thermal insulation from heat
•   Resists breaking open and exposing skin
•   Reduces burn injury and increases chances of survival         

PROFESSIONALS WHO MUST WEAR FLAME-RESISTANT CLOTHING?

If an employee works in environments where heat, fire or electrical injuries are a real possibility, the odds are good they should be wearing flame-resistant clothing. OSHA’s guidelines dictate more specifically who should be wearing flame-resistant clothing.

 There are three broad categories of workers who should wear flame-resistant clothing for protection, based on the type of hazard the worker will be exposed to while completing their work. Here are the three primary hazards.

Electric arc: People who are exposed to this hazard include electricians, as well as certain utility workers and others.

 Flash fire: This category includes pharmaceutical and chemical workers, as well as those who work in refineries and more. 

Combustible dust: The category covers workers in food processing plants, the paper and pulp industry, etc.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PROTECTION?

When reading or hearing about flame-resistant clothing, we may frequently hear the terms “primary protection” and “secondary protection.” What exactly do these terms mean? Does secondary protection offer less safety than primary protection?

The real difference between these two lies in the clothing’s intended usage and the level of protection it offers as a result of this intended usage. The following is a brief breakdown of the two levels of protection.  

PRIMARY PROTECTION

Primary protection refers to flame-resistant clothing that is designed to be worn during activities where the wearer will constantly be exposed to flames, radiant heat and potential molten substance splash. One easy example to point to is a firefighter’s gear. When out answering a call, the firefighter will be exposed to extreme conditions and will need the additional measures offered by primary protection gear.

SECONDARY PROTECTION

Secondary protection is designed for situations where the wearer may encounter exposure to intermittent hazards. This may still include radiant heat, molten substance splash and flames, but the odds are that these will not be constant hazards. Rather, they may appear briefly before disappearing again. In other words, the wearer of secondary protection is not likely to be in as much constant danger as the wearer of primary protection.

Protective work wear in the workplace refers to the right type of uniform, helmets and goggles. They are designed to protect a worker from airborne matter, chemicals, electrical, heat and biohazards. They are worn for health purposes and job-related occupational safety.

Wearing the correct protective gear for a job is one of the best ways to ensure the health and happiness of workers.

THE EMPLOYERS RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS THEIR EMPLOYEES

Depending on the industry, employers are required to provide their employees with the correct form of basic protective clothing. This is to ensure their safety in the work environment is placed with utmost importance. Despite many employees being quite resistant to such clothing because they feel it hampers their ability to work in some cases, it is often a government requirement and personal safety, which must be observed.

Safety is a major issue for day labourers and skilled labourers working at various different fields of work.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or failure to wear the provided PPE may lead to unnecessary problems that neither the employer nor the employee would wish to face.

THE NECESSITY OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE)

PPE is absolutely vital in supporting safety for employees or even visitors, in the workplace. Further, safety items will also offer much needed training, supervision by designated health and safety officers, training manuals and safety procedures. These are all put in place to promote a safe and responsible environment and to reduce the risk of injury.

Despite the best efforts by employers and employees, certain risks may still be present that may cause injury or damage to health. These risks include but are not necessarily limited to injuries sustained from falling objects, contaminated air entering the lungs, skin being unwittingly exposed to corrosive chemicals, injuries to eyes, hands and feet, etc.

WHY YOU NEED WORKWEAR?

This is the question which comes in the mind of every buyer. Why does the company need work apparel? For any workplace to be productive and safe, it is necessary to have work apparel. Employers provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to the employees. But somewhere, they forget the importance of the health safety of the workers or employees. So, for a better work environment, they should also provide them the work clothes too. To know the other benefits, you can go through the points given below:

Injuries are common in any workplace. So, these safety work wears protect the workers from various injuries such as head injury, hand injury, leg injury, eye injury, etc. The activities like welding, woodworking, metalworking, mining, constructing may cause these kinds of wounds. So, correct work clothing can protect people from being injured. These work wears include helmets, safety shoes or safety boots, safety glasses or masks, safety gloves, etc. So, it can prevent the workers from any kind of cut, gash, scratch, etc.

There are many professions in which the employees have to face toxic smoke and gases. In such situations, the respiratory masks can help them to be protected and safe from the dust particles and from the dangerous gases emitted out in places.

Inhaling contaminated gases or exposure to toxic smokes can be fatal for the sensory organs. To curb this, there must be strict rules and regulations to have safety precautions which must be made mandatory at every such workplace.

With the help of uniforms, the company can also identify their employees or workers. The people wearing the same uniforms are easily recognizable. So, it would be easier for the company to have their records and to do their reviews.

CONCLUDING NOTE…

Following rules and regulations for proper work wear is a must. This must be followed strictly by the employer so that they lead by an example and show how things must be done.

We at budget safety wear believe this ideology, that it is first the employer who shows the path to how rules must fall in place, then the entire crew will lead the example set.

Safety is first in any workplace. Whether you are a supervisor or an operator, you need safety. Ignoring certain things in a highly volatile environment can make you compromise your safety. 

Wearing good safety wear is also a must in any work environment. Each environment will have the needs of its own. If you are someone who is on a hard yakka, then you got to have workwear clothing which can promise you the safety that you need. 

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We heard you at budget safety wear!  Our best selling 4 pack work shirts are here to give you big savings. 

4 packs are ideal for those who have to wear their work shirts on a daily basis. No single shirt can be worn for more than a day in humid weather without washing!! Owning a 4 pack shirt gives you the comfort of fresh work shirt every single day.  

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Aussie summers are super hot. We have witnessed a lot this summer! But don’t force yourself with those long pants and sweat in them too! 

Doing regular work with heavy workwear is something that everyone hates. Knowing how hot and humid Aussie weather can be, we bring our summer collections back with 4 packs work shorts. 

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We heard you at budget safety wear!  Our best selling 4 pack work shirts are here to give you big savings. 

4 packs are ideal for those who have to wear their work shirts on a daily basis. No single shirt can be worn for more than a day in humid weather without washing!! Owning a 4 pack shirt gives you the comfort of fresh work shirt every single day. 

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It is often believed that Australian work conditions are the toughest and harshest of work conditions. So, to perform well in those conditions, the major quality each workwear needed was durability, and not to mention the element of comfort.

As these elements became the most important qualities in workwear, a brand decided to provide these elements in all their garments and it is DNC Workwear. DNC, the name itself stands for Durable N Comfortable and it is regarded as the toughest of Australian brands, and to denote it, they sport the tough Aussie Croc in their icon.

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Though summer is the time for outdoor activities, the ways we try to beat the heat is never successful! Whether it’s indoors or outdoors, we feel the heat and curse. 

Whether you are a tradie who works indoors or the one who goes across the town visiting work spots, the summer sweat is something that everyone hates. One of the easiest ways to beat the heat is to wear clothing appropriate to the weather and make yourself comfortable with the sun and work! 

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