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Balancing Cost with Comfort
• “Which FR/AR garments, if any, do you wish were more comfortable?”
• “Are any of your FR/AR garments too hot? Do any not keep you warm enough?”
• “Do you have a favorite piece of FR/AR apparel? If so, why is it your favorite?”
With this feedback in-hand, you can make more accurate decisions surrounding the program you have in place as well as next-generation programs. But perhaps more importantly, this assesments provides you the ability to make adjustments to your workers’ current needs in real-time.
Most garment manufacturers are working year-round on new product designs and more innovative solutions to address the wants and needs of electrical workers. Their suppliers, particularly fabric manufacturers, are continuously working on developing the next generation of fabrics to be even more lightweight, more flexible and have better stretch.
In addition to soliciting feedback from end users during your PPE audit, prepare yourself with a checklist to review internally with a small group of decision makers. These conversations can uncover potential areas of improvement and avenues for efficiencies that are currently being overlooked.
A few questions to considering adding to this revision of PPE equipment includes:
• “Do we have enough garment options in our program to fit every body type?”
• “How is our program addressing the differences in fit between men and women?”
• “Are there any areas in our program where we feel like we’re taking a shortcut?”
• “What are the major weather considerations in our area and how (if at all) is our program addressing the specific challenges brought on by mother nature?”
• “How can we make our workers more comfortable on the job? Are there certain garments or situations that are inadvertently putting our workers in danger?”
Conclusion
Striking the perfect balance between comfort, cost and safety is a tall task. With shortcuts available at just about every decision point, allocating dedicated time each year to re-assess the PPE programs for workers can mitigate unnecessary risk, complacency on the jobsite and potentially poor selections made by previous decision makers. Just like the NFPA 70E requires regular maintenance checks on equipment and machinery, rolling your PPE program into these check-ins is not just a smart business decision, but one that will support worker health, safety and job satisfaction.
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
About the Author
Scott Francis is the Technical Manager for Westex®: A Milliken Brand. Involved in the safety industry since 1991, Scott has extensive experience with protective apparel fabrics and apparel programs. He
participates in a number of industry organizations and frequently addresses trade associations regarding relevant safety topics.