The terms industrial and regular workwear refer to the clothing you wear to your workplace. However, industrial workwear is slightly different, more protective and suitable for potentially hazardous work environments, like the metal or automotive industry. Regular workwear is typically lighter and not too safeguarding. It can be anything you wear to work – a uniform or any other clothing you also wear on the street.

Why do you need industrial workwear?

Safety regulations have advanced over the years, becoming more stringent with time. You now need to maintain a higher level of protection for your workforce, which involves providing fitting garments to shield them from the risks they encounter daily at the workplace. Failure to comply leaves you vulnerable to lawsuits if employees suffer injuries and potential fines by relevant organizations.

A risk assessment test can highlight the level of protection your workers need and the best workforce garments to get them. Examples of such clothing include:

High-visibility garments: This industrial workwear enhances visibility in environments with high traffic or poor visibility. They are usable indoors, like in a warehouse, or outdoors like in a road construction site. The garments often have highly reflective accessories like reflective strips as reinforcements that make you noticeable.

Coveralls or overalls: Coveralls and overalls have been around for the longest time and are not limited to the industrial sector only. They can be regular workwear, depending on how they are designed. Overalls and coveralls used in industrial applications usually have a sturdy material that improves their protective capacity against external hazards.

Fire retardant workwear: These garments are more beneficial in spaces where a fire outbreak is a risk or places with high temperatures. They are more common in food processing, chemical, or energy industries.

Industrial vs. Regular Workwear

Characteristics

Industrial workwear has become more effective over the years, thanks to their characteristics that differ according to the area of application. The design features in industrial workwear for the chemical sector differ from those for the automotive industry. Either way, all workwear comes with the ideal features like non-openings for those working with machinery – complete enclosure reduces the risk of the clothing getting stuck on a machine. Workwear with anti-inflammable properties is usually used in areas with a high risk of explosion, while garments in dusty or possibly poisonous environments do not have pockets. Workwear for acidic or radioactive surroundings must be seamless, non-perforated, and impermeable. A specific work environment determines the design characteristics of industrial clothing.

The features in regular workwear do not comply with the specific environment. For instance, the clothing can be loose-fitting or perforated, exposing some body parts without being a threat to the worker. They do not have to comply with the protective norms mandated in the industrial sector.

Costs

The price of industrial workwear differs from regular work clothing, especially when you choose high-quality protective garments. The higher costs of industrial wear are generally worthwhile because of the intricate details that give them the necessary protective levels. The fabrics used must have inherent properties that allow them to undergo the requisite treatment to acquire the imperative shielding abilities. The protection level needed calls for more sophisticated solutions during manufacturing, thus the higher cost.

Fabrics

Workwear Canada manufacturers rely on several factors to determine the aptness of fabric when making industrial protective clothing. Resistance to shrinkage and the absence of static electricity are some of the essential elements considered. That is why industrial garments usually have several fabric types rather than a single type. The strength of the fabric, texture, and density are also important factors when figuring out their endurance under various climatic or seasonal weather conditions, in addition to the conditions within the work vicinity. Industrial fabrics must have a higher quality to withstand regular use without damage. Any misstep in mixing the materials can have dire consequences once the workwear reaches the general market. Unlike their industrial counterparts, the regular clothing options do not necessarily involve complex tailoring or sewing processes.

Industrial work garments are not the same as the regular clothes people wear to offices or other work areas that have minimal chances of injuries. They add tremendous value to an organization and are worth investing in if you have not done so already. You can get the best collections from Northern Workwear Limited, including durable flame-resistant pants in Canada. We have various categories, including waterproof, CSA-compliant, and insulated clothing, that can significantly reduce the chances of injuries for your crew.