When you run a business, one of the biggest priorities you have is to keep your workers safe at all times. As an employer you are bound by law to do this, to ensure the safety of your entire team. For some businesses this is relatively simple to do, but for businesses in industries such as construction, extra care does need to be taken. There are many different ways an employer can keep their workers safe, one of the simplest being to provide them with the correct safety clothing.

What is safety clothing?

Safety clothing is essentially any clothing that you can provide your workers that will give them an additional layer of protection and can hep them to be better equipped to do their job. For example, steal toe capped boots for someone who works in a kitchen with sharp knives, or safety googles for someone sawing wood, so they can protect their eyes but also have clear vision as they work. There are lots of different types of safety clothing and which ones you’ll need for your workers will depend on which industry you work in and what roles the workers play in the business.

Do staff need safety clothing?

Simple answer, if they work in a role where they could potentially get injured, then yes, they need safety wear. As an employer its your job to protect your employees, so if someone were to have an accident and get injured (or worse) then as a business owner you are liable for prosecution from that worker (or their family). Just look at the British government who, at the start of the COVID pandemic, were sued for not providing enough life saving equipment.

As well as being sued, your business would also suffer further financial losses. If a worker gets injured, then they will have to have time off work, which means you’ll be paying them sick pay and most likely having to pay someone else to cover the work, or suffer lower productivity. Furthermore, if you don’t give your staff the correct safety gear then when they are working their attention is going to be split between doing the job and keeping themselves safe, which will only distract them from doing a good job.

Examples of suitable safety clothing

To see the full range of safety clothing available you should look at a reputable corporate clothing website, they will have everything you need and lots of information about who needs what safety wear in which role.

Here are some of the most common safety clothing items people need:

High-visibility clothing: this is required in many roles, but particularly in ones like the construction industry and road workers.
Hard hats: for people working in places such as construction sites, who need to protect their head should something fall on them.
Protective gloves/aprons: for people working with chemicals and hazardous waste, in professions such as cleaning.
Face and eye masks: for things like cleaners and doctors, but also professionals who are risking breathing inn chemicals and/or things like dust.
Steel reinforced boots: for people working in construction, but also people working in environments like kitchens where there is a danger something sharp or heavy could fall onto their foot.
Plastic/paper PPE: for medical professionals and also people who handle food and want to avoid cross contamination.
Scrubs: for doctors and nurses.
Leather aprons and clothing: for professionals like carpenters, blacksmiths and jointers.
Hair nets: this is more for customer protection, which is equally as important, but in some industries, it is important to ensure all hair is kept back and out the way.

There are lots of places you can buy safety clothing from, but buying from a reputable company ensures you are getting the best and you are really protecting your workers.