Wherever you may be, wearing the appropriate clothing is important. You probably wouldn’t wear blue jeans and a T-shirt to a business dinner, and likewise, you probably would wear a suit and tie to a backyard barbecue. Your workplace is not any different. If you work in an office, your normal attire is probably anywhere from suit and tie, to casual. For other types of jobs your normal work clothes may be completely different and may include at least some form of protective clothing. There are many types of protective clothing and equipment that may be required for your job, but one of the most common is probably protective eyewear. Even working around the house can sometimes require safety glasses or goggles. When doing yard-work small debris can be thrown by lawn equipment; and objects so small that they wouldn’t make a noticeable mark on your arm or leg can cause severe damage to the eyes. With many occupations,

not only is eyewear necessary, it is required by law, and many workers can tell you of incidents in which their safety glasses are the only reason that they still have their eyesight. Another article of protective clothing that is very important in the workplace is safety boots or shoes. These types of footwear come in a wide variety of styles and functions. Some may simply have steel toes to prevent injury to your foot, while others have more specific qualities that are suited specifically to specialized jobs. They may include non-skid soles, oil and chemical resistant materials or be flame retardant. Whatever type of work you do, it is very important to make sure that your feet have the maximum amount of protection that you can provide. Most people who work in the construction industry are familiar with hard hats and high visibility clothing, but there are many outside of the industry who benefit from this type of head gear as well. Anyone working in or around scaffolding should wear a hard hat because there is always the risk of someone above you dropping something. Anyone who operates a chain hoist should also have a hard hat available for use. The hooks at the chain’s end can cause serious injury to an unprotected head. In a work environment, protective clothing is every bit as important as the tools that you use, because if you can’t operate those tools safely they aren’t doing any good for your company.