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Workwear Standards
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The Law
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The wearing of protective workwear in hazardous environments is laid down in
Regulation 4 of the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992. Under these
regulations , employers are required to provide suitable PPE to employees who
may be exposed to conditions where their health and safety are at risk.
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The Hazards
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Hazards that require protective clothing can come from a wide variety of
situtations. These range from foul weather to chemical splash and molten metal.
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PPE Surveys and Product Training
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In order to select the correct PPE for the job, a process of Risk Assessment,
Job Survey and Product Training will be required. Our Area Managers are on hand
to assist you in this process. Feel free to call on their extensive product
knowledge and industry experience to help you in your assessments.
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Risk Categories
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The PPE regulations classify products and hazards into three Risk categories,
Protective Workwear can be approved in any one of these categories. In general
Workwear is classified as follows. Minimal (Category I) Foul weather and
corporate clothing, Intermediate (Category II) Welding and Hi Visibility
clothing, High Risk (Category III) Chemical Resistant and Molten Metal
clothing.
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Standards
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EN471 High Visibility Clothing
High visibility clothing is grouped into three main classes depending on the
amount of retroflective and background materials used.
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Class 1
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High visibility trousers with two 50mm bands of reflective material on each leg
and waistcoats with body bands but no shoulder bands.
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Class 2
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High visibility waistcoat with two 50mm bands of reflective material around the
body and one 50mm band over each shoulder
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Class 3
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High visibility clothing with two 50mm bands of reflective material around the
body and arms and one over each shoulder
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EN531 Heat Resistant and Flame Retardant Clothing
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This standard tests clothing against a variety of heat related hazards.
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A
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Limited Flame Spread
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Pass/Fail
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B
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Convective Heat
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Scored 1 - 3
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C
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Radiant Heat
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Scored 1 - 3
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D
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Molten Aluminium Splash
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Scored 1 - 3
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E
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Molten Iron Splash
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Scored 1 - 3
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EN470-1 Welding Clothing
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This standard tests clothing against welding hazards. This is a
Pass/Fail test.
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EN342 Cold Area Clothing
This standard tests a product's resistance to hazards encountered in a cold
area environment
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EN467 Chemical Resistant Clothing
EN465 Full Body Protection against Liquid chemicals i.e. Boilersuits
EN467 Garments providing protection to only parts of the body i.e.
Jackets and Trousers, Sleeves, Aprons, Caps etc.
These standards test a garments resistance to chemical hazards. There are six
protection types;
Type 6 - limited splash tight
Type 5 - particle tight
Type 4 - spray tight
Type 3 - liquid tight
Type 2 - non gas-tight
Type 1 - gas tight
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How To Measure
Trouser Waist Sizing
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cm
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68
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72
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76
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80
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84
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88
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92
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96
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100
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108
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112
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116
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120
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124
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ins
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26.7
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28.5
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30
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31.5
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33
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34.5
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36
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38
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40
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42.5
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44
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46
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47
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48
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Jacket and Boilersuit Chest Sizing
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cm
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84
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88
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92
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96
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100
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108
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112
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116
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120
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124
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128
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132
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ins
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33
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34.5
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36
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38
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40
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42.5
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44
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46
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47
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48
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50
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52
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