Considerations when deciding on protective workwear in Perth

In Australia, there is a basic duty of care for employers in certain fields to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) for their employees to ensure their safety at work. When determining the type of workwear Perth employees may need, there are a number of different considerations that need to be taken into account by those in management.

Where employees are working in hot environments such as around ovens or furnaces, there is an obvious need to protect against extreme heat and hot surfaces. When working at height, employees need appropriate tethering equipment and workwear that safely allows attachment to this equipment. Are chemicals, electricity risks, fire hazards or dangerous machinery an issue? Workwear needs to provide the right kind of protection in each instance.

What constitutes “appropriate” protection though? When considering what kind of protective workwear is required, it is important to ensure all elements of risk are minimised. This could, however, have an effect on the productivity of the employee. If just the absolute basic protection were provided, there is an expectation that the worker may be more concerned about their safety than the task they are required to carry out. On the flip side, if more attention has been placed on reducing risk by introducing overly-bulking or restrictive protective clothing, again the productivity and comfort of the work will be compromised.

It is a delicate balancing act to ensure the safety of the employee, reduce the risk as much as possible as well as allowing for the comfort and unrestricted movement of each individual, all within the financial constraints that any company will be held to.

Hersey’s Safety provide protective workwear Perth-wide, as well as expert advice on the best and most appropriate workwear for each and every industry and employee.