Peter Dumigan, Managing Director of the Hultafors Group UK that owns Snickers Workwear and Solid Gear Safety Footwear writes :
From a merchant’s point of view, most tradesmen and women wouldn’t think twice about buying the best-designed tools to help them do their jobs better and more efficiently. But many have been surprised what a modest investment in stocking the new stretch-comfort working clothes can achieve in improving their customers’ workdays.
It’s not often that you see a tradesman or woman who isn’t wearing a pair of work trousers nowadays. They seem to be generally accepted as being the go-to garment for working on site – perceived to be practical and functional, they generally have a selection of pockets to keep small tools and fixings close at hand and can cost anything from fifteen quid to over a hundred.
From a merchant’s point of view, there’s a host of different types and brands of trousers that they could sell – some are really smart, others look nothing more than a bag of rags after a few days wear and tear. So it’s worth stocking good quality brands to maintain your reputation for stocking good value, good quality products.
As everyone knows, working on site can be a hazardous business. Bumps, cuts and bruises are everyday occurrences and more serious, long term injuries often happen.
With so much happening on site, so much machinery, materials and even potentially dangerous working locations, the potential for accidents is everywhere.
There’s a host of training and PPE products to keep us safety-aware and protected. But it isn’t just physical hazards in the working environment you should be conscious of, you need to be very aware of how weather conditions can affect your performance and wellbeing on site – so that means dressing right.
We’re all looking forward to sunny, warm weather after the Covid-19 lockdown so that we can all get back to work. As long as you’ve got plenty of sunscreen to protect exposed skin, it’ll produce a great tan, but it can also compound the health and safety issues by creating an extra hazard for personal wellbeing.
So dressing right for the environment you’re grafting in is important – not only for working efficiency, but also for personal comfort and wellbeing.
Top tips and essentials
The best workwear for professional tradesmen and women is designed to create a Climate Control System for your body. It will help you stay cool to make getting the job done as easy and comfortable as possible.
There are many factors that affect how comfortable your work clothes and safety shoes are, particularly the materials they're made of and whether they're right for the type of work you’re doing.
Your Feet
If you’re on the move a lot or want to keep your feet cool, why not try out some of the newer-style Solid Gear safety trainers, that combine lightweight, breathable uppers and composite midsoles for comfort and protection. You can even get socks that will keep your feet cool, dry and ventilated.
Your Legs
Shorts are fine in really warm weather and some working environments, but they wont provide protection for your knees and lower legs. Work Trousers made from heavy fabrics will get really uncomfortable and impractical, so think about getting yourself a pair of Snickers Workwear LITEWork trousers made from a hi-tech stretch fabric that combines comfort with durability.
Your Upper Body
Keeping comfortable and dry will keep you working efficiently. Our advice is to get yourself topwear like shirts and lightweight jackets – including Hi-Vis vests - that work for you by pulling sweat away from your skin to keep you dry and your body temperature on an even keel. The last thing you need is for your clothes to get really wet through sweat, leaving you feeling uncomfortable and getting cold when the temperature drops.
Get the Right Fit
To make sure that the summer workwear is right for your customers and the jobs they’ve got in hand this summer, here’s some suggestions :
