There are many jobs where there are certain items of clothing that you are required to wear for work. Whilst most of it can sometimes be classed as workwear, it sometimes falls into the category of PPE instead.

In this article, Ross Crayton is the Managing Director of Core Workwear discusses the key differences between the two and what each one offers.

What is workwear?

Typically, workwear is what most of us would consider to be a uniform. This could consist of things such as polo shirts, trousers and skirts. If working outdoors, you might also be provided with jackets and base layers as part of your workwear. This workwear is often branded in company colours or carrying a logo and might even have your own personal details such as your name or job title printed or embroidered onto it.

Whilst workwear should be durable enough to last and should enable you to do your job properly, it does not offer any specialist levels of protection.

The purpose of workwear

Workwear has many distinct functions, and one of the main ones is branding. By wearing a uniform of any sort, you become a walking advert for the business that you are part of, whether you are in it or doing the shopping.

Workwear is also in place to create a level playing field for many employees. When everyone is required to wear the same things, there can be no feelings of superiority or inadequacy. The workwear can change according to the position in the company, but everyone at the same level will be given the same clothing to wear.

Giving all employees workwear also helps to make the business and everyone in it seem more professional. The workwear sets the standard of how you should look in work and makes it as easy as possible for you to stick to it. As everyone knows what they have to wear, there is no room for interpretation, and no one can get it wrong by wearing something that may be considered inappropriate.

The choice of workwear might also be there to help make your job easier. It should give you the flexibility of movement that you need, breathability in physical roles and warmth when working outdoors. Workwear is there to help you perform a function and should therefore be practical and easy to wear in the job that you do.

What is PPE?

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is designed to offer you more protection in your job that normal clothing would. It is designed to keep you safe, and depending on the job that you do, it may offer protection from fire, chemicals, dust or head injuries. PPE should help you to avoid putting yourself at risk at work and could include items such as hi-vis clothing, hard hats, coveralls, aprons and safety gloves.

There are more jobs than you might think that require some form of PPE. Head protection such as safety helmets and bump caps tend to be a feature in construction, forestry, some types of manufacturing, utilities, oil and gas engineering, or when working in excavations and tunnels.

Safety goggles, glasses and safety shields protect the eyes when welding, working in construction, manufacturing or for those in a laboratory, while respiratory protection is in place for those in construction as well as painters, masons, tile workers, nail technicians, anyone exposed to chemicals or dust and many in the healthcare profession.

Hearing protection should be offered to anyone operating heavy machinery or working in construction, engineering, airports and events or those working with loud noise, including music. Protecting the hands is also important and so safety gloves are needed in construction, laboratories, engineering, electrical work, heavy machinery operation, fire and rescue and kitchens.

Protecting the body with overalls, aprons, harnesses, life jackets and even knee pads is necessary if you work in construction, laboratories, warehouses, forestry, mechanics, fire and rescue and the police, whilst foot protection is provided to those in construction, manufacturing, laboratories, kitchens, delivery driving and all emergency services.

High-visibility PPE is probably the form of PPE that most of us are familiar with seeing, and it can be found in a vast range of industries. This is something that is not only necessary in construction and the emergency services, but also for heavy equipment operators, security personnel, event stewards, airport ground workers, postal workers, truck drivers, warehouse staff, traffic control staff and parking attendants.

The purpose of PPE

The key role of PPE is to keep you safe when working in a potentially hazardous environment. PPE needs to meet certain requirements in order to ensure that it provides adequate protection, and it should therefore offer chemical resistance, impact resistance or thermal protection.

Despite the fact that PPE needs to perform a specific and vital role, it still needs to remain comfortable for the wearer so that they have ease of movement. It is essential that it fits properly, as ill-fitting PPE could reduce its effectiveness, and it should also be extremely durable.

To decide on the right PPE, the hazards that are faced need to be accurately assessed and understood. This will then make it easier to decide which items of PPE will be required in order to minimise any risk that might be posed. When choosing PPE, you will need to consider the levels and duration of exposure as well as the severity of any potential injury in order to choose the right items for the job.

In many roles that carry some form of risk, there will be industry standards in place which outline what PPE is necessary. This will not only offer guidance on what items are needed, but also how to select the right PPE, the proper use of PPE, how to maintain it and any necessary training requirements.

Whilst workwear is representative of a business and provides comfortable and appropriate clothing for employees, PPE is in place to offer safety and protection in potentially hazardous roles, helping to keep people safe and free from harm as they go about their jobs.