While presenting tasks in cold environments, cold stress is a reality that could affect many workers if they are not well equipped and well dressed up with the correct gear. Cold-related disorders such as hypothermia, frostbite of limbs, or chilblains are matters that many companies have to face when it comes to working in cold environments.
In order to prevent these types of work hazards, you surely want to choose your workwear for cold environments carefully, as your comfort and safety gamble on your decision.
Keep reading this article to understand the importance of clothing for cold environments and to know some tips that will help you choose the appropriate workwear.
Whilst choosing protective clothing for cold, it is crucial to have attention to the temperature, environment, level of intensity, and time to perform the tasks. The materials from which the pieces were made must also be taken into account, the certifications it meets, and last but not least, consider dressing up with the layering technique.
In terms of temperatures, there are two categories to consider: positive cold and subzero cold. As it is named, positive cold is all the temperatures equal to or above 0ºc but they are still ‘’low’’ enough to be considered ‘’cold’ (0 ºc - 10 ºc). Whilst subzero cold is all the temperatures inferior to 0ºc.
In our brand, Ticeworkwear®, we have protection for both of these categories: for subzero cold, The Thermo Suit would be a perfect choice. For positive cold, we recommend you the Thermo Light Vest and Thermo Light Jacket.
Likewise, you should bear in mind the environment and the weather conditions present during the task performance: is it an inside environment? Is it a cool chamber? Is it an outdoor activity? This will also determine the level of protection and the specifications. For example, all of our Ticeworkwear® products are made of waterproof outer fabric coated with PU, therefore, they are suitable for working in humid or drizzle weather conditions, yet, if you are working in an outdoor environment, it is not recommended to wear a vest, because certainly, your arms will get wet if we take in consideration the mentioned weather conditions. Thus, you should be aware of this topic when choosing what to wear in order to keep warm and comfortable.
Another crucial factor to be well informed about is the time for presenting tasks. Is it going to be an hour of activity? Or is it going to be a whole day of work in cold weather? The longer the action takes, the more protection you need to prevent hypothermia or frostbites of limbs. Furthermore, in colder weather, the need of wearing more accessories increases; gloves, knit caps, balaclavas, a good pair of PU boots and socks…
An additional suggestion we would like to mention is to dress up with the layering technique: an inner layer to provide insulation and keep sweat off the skin to maintain it dry, and the outer layer to protect the body directly from cold temperatures should be waterproof and windproof (just as we mentioned above).
These are the main reasons why clothing for cold environments is extremely important while developing tasks in order to prevent work accidents in low-temperature situations and to keep the wearer comfortable during a work journey.
And last but not least, remember to keep your body in action!