Workwear and protective clothing

The occupation can often be identified by the work clothes: Doctors by their white coats, police officers by their uniforms, craftsmen by their dungarees and caterers by their aprons.

In many branches and areas, certain items of clothing are customary. Individual professions have very specific work clothes: a good example of this are chimney sweeps in sweeping suits and often with top hats, the uniforms of civil servants or even the classic chef’s jacket with headgear.

At first glance, everything has to do with the appropriate clothing for performing work, yet there are differences. Not all work clothing can be prescribed. It is important to distinguish whether it is professional clothing, service clothing or protective clothing.

Professional clothing

Professional clothing has proven to be appropriate for certain professions. It is not only adapted to the requirements of the profession, but has developed over time as common for different industries. A certain appearance is even expected by customers and also by the employer. This includes, for example, the white clothing of a medical practice team and suits or costumes for financial service providers. As a rule, the employee is responsible for procuring the work clothes and can therefore also use them privately. If financial support is provided by the employer, it is only on a voluntary basis.

Uniforms

If, however, the employer prescribes a uniform for a holistic company appearance, this is referred to as service dress. The uniform is a regulation and must be worn at work. In the case of civil servants such as police officers, firefighters, soldiers, it makes perfect sense in order to make clear one’s professional affiliation and status. However, work clothing also includes clothing with a company logo, as is common in the catering industry or in manufacturing. Depending on the extent to which the clothing may also be worn in private and the amount of the procurement costs, it is decided whether the employer bears the costs for the complete clothing or for parts of it.

Protective clothing

Protective clothing is used when the safety of the worker cannot be guaranteed by other measures. Protective clothing fulfils a special function and is mandatory for reasons of occupational safety during working hours. The focus is on the health of the workers. Appropriate clothing prevents injuries caused by dangerous influences such as fire or chemicals. Protective clothing must meet special requirements and be resistant and hard-wearing in extreme conditions.

This is also referred to as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), parts of PPE – from head to toe – can be among others:

• Safety helmets
• Hearing protection
• Safety glasses – Read more: What makes a good pair of safety goggles?
• Respirators – Read more: Respirators and FFP classes
• Protective gloves – Read more: Protective gloves – Categories and markings
• High-visibility waistcoats
• Work trousers
• Work or safety shoes…

The wearing of protective work clothing must be made possible by the employer and is regulated in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. On the basis of legally prescribed, regular risk assessments, appropriate measures are taken which are obligatory for all employees. The employer must pay for the purchase of the required protective clothing. In addition, he is responsible for informing employees about the potential dangers and training them in the use of the protective equipment.

The hazards are divided into different categories: Aggressive cleaning agents do pose a hazard, but when handling radioactive material there is logically a much higher risk for the worker.

PPE categories

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is classified into three categories. The classification is based on the risk to which the worker is exposed and the severity of the possible injuries in the event of an accident. Which PPE falls into which category or protection level is regulated in the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and also in Directive 89/686/EEC.

Simple PPE against minimal hazards is assigned to category I; it includes protection against the following risks:

• superficial mechanical injuries
• Contact with mildly aggressive cleaning agents or prolonged contact with water
• contact with hot surfaces whose temperature does not exceed 50°C
• damage to the eyes caused by exposure to sunlight (except when observing the sun)
• weather conditions that are not of an extreme nature

Gloves for gardening or dishwashing, work aprons and sunglasses belong to this category.

Category II includes all PPE that falls neither in category I nor category III and serves to protect against medium risks. Safety helmets, protective footwear, hearing protection, but also bicycle helmets and water wings fall into this category.

Category III includes complex PPE that protects against serious and irreversible damage to health or even against fatal hazards that cannot be assessed by the wearer himself.

• Substances and mixtures hazardous to health
• Atmospheres with oxygen deficiency
• Harmful biological agents
• Ionising radiation
• Warm environments having effects comparable to an environment with an air temperature of 100 °C or more
• Cold environments having effects comparable to an environment with an air temperature of -50 °C or less
• Falls from height
• Electrocution and working on live parts
• Drowning
• Cutting injuries from hand-held chainsaws
• High pressure jet
• Injuries from projectiles or knife wounds
• Harmful noise

CE marking of protective clothing

The abbreviation CE stands for Conformité Européenne, which means conformity with EU directives. The CE mark is on the one hand an administrative or official mark but also a manufacturer’s declaration and defines the minimum safety standard of goods within the EU. The marking is not a seal of quality, because the products are only rarely tested by an independent testing agency to ensure that they meet the requirements.

For category I and II PPE, the CE marking is done as follows: The “CE” mark is followed by the last two digits of the year the marking was affixed. For PPE of category III, on the other hand, there is the four-digit identification number of the approved inspection body that was responsible for the type examination. The type examination is nothing other than the monitoring of production within the framework of an inspection or quality assurance.

More on the categorisation of personal protective equipment in the article on chemical protective clothing.

When does which category apply to which PPE?

The classification of PPE causes problems time and again. Is a product to be considered PPE at all? If so, into which category must it be placed? In order to provide at least a little help , the European Commission has drawn up guidelines (PPE Guidelines) to ensure uniform application.

Not all workwear is the same

Depending on the profession, work clothing fulfils different tasks: Sometimes it is simply stylish, in other industries it ensures hygiene or the protection of private clothing. However, the most important task assigned to work clothing is the protection of health or even life. The choice of workwear should therefore not be made lightly, but should be well thought out.

Another point that should not be overlooked is the wearer. Comfortable clothing made of pleasant materials and consideration of fashion aspects should definitely be taken into account when choosing suitable workwear so that the wearer also feels comfortable. For workwear to be a worthwhile investment, it should also be as durable and hard-wearing as possible.

If you also need support in choosing the right workwear, we will be happy to advise you with individual solutions.