Safety Guidelines for Industrial Overalls

Worker's Security Uniform Reflecting Coversll

Every year, hundreds of industrial workers die or suffer injuries from a whole range of occupational hazards, from asbestos contamination to hazards from moving traffic. One of the things employers can do to reduce these incidences is buying high quality safety overalls, also called coveralls, to ensure maximum protection for exposed employees. 

If you are an industrial worker checking on the safety of your overalls and other employer- dictated practices related to the same, you can use the following tips:

Suitability of Design 

One of the most important things you must look into is the suitability of your overalls' design. If you work in an environment where fire accidents are highly probable, for instance, the garment must be made of flame-resistant fabric and free of wrist or leg turn-ups to prevent it rom catching sparks. If you work with harmful chemicals such as lead, your employer must provide specialty laundering services to make sure they come completely clean for your next use. It is important that coveralls used in chemically hazardous environments are cleaned by professionals to prevent contamination when these garments are brought home. 

Separation of Used and Unused Overalls 

To ensure that clean overalls are kept clean, it is important that your employer provide a place where you can keep them but not let them touch the soiled ones. This is important for obvious reasons. You're not really being protected when you put clean and soiled together, even when you are provided specialty laundering services. Once these garments are in contact with each other, you can be sure that the newly washed coveralls will not be as safe as you need them to be. Although providing two separate lockers per worker is not required, it is overall protection you are entitled to, considering how serious exposure to chemicals can be. 

Provision of Coveralls 

It is important for you to know that employers are required by law to provide the right protective clothing to their workers. Therefore, if you are being asked to provide your own coveralls, that is a violation. Employers are also not allowed to give workers extra pay for getting their own protective clothing, although employees may suggest using overalls of their choice, provided that the garments provide the required level of protection. Also, under the law, by no means are employers permitted to require job applicants to provide for their own protective clothing as a condition for getting hired. 

The safety of industrial workers is a huge concern for the government that employers are actually required by law to state their policies on providing overalls, including other protective gear such as a safety vest, harness, etc., in their employment contracts. If you think that your safety is compromised at work due to substandard protective garments or equipment you are provided with, do explore your options to correct your situation.