Safety Clothing covers any type of clothing that we can use to increase personal or collective safety in the workplace. One of the most important areas where safety clothing is required, is on a construction site.

Every day a construction worker is put at risk on the job. Great strides have been taken in the last 50 years to improve conditions for workers, but no matter how much we regulate, risks will always be present. The most common hazards as identified by inspectors in 2013 included the following:

• Scaffolding, which can pose a fall hazard.
• Ladders, which pose a fall hazard, as well as a collateral hazard to workers below and around the ladder.
• Trenching, which has a danger of collapse, and a high risk of worker fatality.
• Forklifts, which pose a risk of fatality or injury to workers involved in collisions and accidents.
• Cranes, excavators, diggers and other heavy machinery, all of which pose a risk of falling objects, collisions, or accidents with workers on site.

With all of these hazards in the workplace, great care needs to be taken in making a site as safe as possible. This starts with not only the way we perform construction, but what we wear while we are doing it. Even the most basic labourer needs the following items and safety clothing at all times when on a construction site.

• Head Protection. Possibly the most important piece of safety equipment for any worker. Head protection can reduce the risk of serious injury and brain damage when a worker is hit by falling equipment or materials, or when taking a head impact from equipment or objects in the workplace.
• Eye Protection. Eye protection is not required to be worn at all times, but certain areas of a construction site require safety goggles. This could include areas where welders are operating, or when a worker is cutting, grinding, or nailing.
• Hand and Foot Protection. Workers require boots with slip and puncture resistant soles, as well as capped toe protection for safety against falling objects. Gloves are also important in all areas of construction, and the requirements could change depending on the job. Different gloves suit labouring, welding, concrete work, or work around electrical hazards.
• Safety Clothing. Safety clothing includes at the very minimum, a high visibility vest, but could also include, protective jackets, chemical resistant suits, or specialist padded coveralls.

Being safe in the workplace doesn’t just benefit workers, it also protects site operators from liability cases, and increases productivity by allowing for safer workplaces. Safety clothing is just one small, but essential way in which workers can protect themselves in an always changing, ever dangerous, but highly rewarding industry.