Protection and Comfort: What You Need to Know about Chemical Splash Workwear
While chemicals are present on most job sites in one form or another, they often go overlooked when it comes to the hazards that immediately spring to mind.
Because chemicals are just inert substances, it means that many people forget about the disastrous consequences of a chemical splash. Even a minute amount of certain chemicals coming into contact with the skin or eyes can leave lasting, profound damage. That’s why it’s vital to ensure that the chemical splash workwear you select is both fit for the job and comfortable enough that workers won’t remove it when exposed to chemical hazards.
Chemicals Carry their Own Regulations
While most PPE regulations fall under the auspices of INDG 174, chemicals are subject to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations 2002.
What this means is that workwear designed for use around chemicals and made to reduce the harm of chemical splash has to meet special requirements. The best quality chemical splash workwear will meet the standards set out in EN 13034:2005 (PB) Type 6. These types of workwear will not only protect the wearer’s body from the initial effects of a chemical splash but also provide enhanced protection to stop chemicals from penetrating the fabric to reach the body.
This is vital because the risk from chemical splash doesn’t just come in the initial incident, with many chemicals carrying the ability to leech through everyday fabrics and then the skin.
Workers Need to be Comfortable
As in any line of work, workers who might come into contact with chemicals still need comfort and freedom of movement to enable them to undertake the job at hand.
A superior level of protection doesn’t mean that chemical splash workwear has to be restrictive or uncomfortable, and it’s likely that workers will simply remove any garments that are hindering them from doing their job. The result is often little to no protection from chemical splash.
The best chemical splash workwear – even full body iterations like a boiler suit – should afford the wearer a full range of motion and the functionality they require for their role. Wearwell Liquid Repellent Boiler Suits use a 65/35 polyester and cotton mix – combined with DFC Liquid Repellent – to provide chemical splash protection that’s both breathable, comfortable and guards against bodily harm in the event of a chemical hazard.
You Need to Protect Everywhere
While chemical splash workwear can protect the vital parts of the body, it’s also essential to provide additional protection in the form of footwear and eye protection when required.
The smallest chemical splash to an unprotected eye can result in severe damage and, in the worst case scenario, blindness. When required, eyewear should meet the relevant standards and feature full, wraparound eye protection.
Similarly, chemicals can burn through unsuitable footwear very quickly, burning and damaging the skin before the wearer realises what is happening. In situations where a worker’s feet – down to their soles – could come into contact with corrosive or dangerous chemicals, you should seek out the best options that meet specific EU and UK regulations.
Wearwell can meet your chemical splash workwear needs, providing garments made to the highest standards and meeting all necessary UK and EU regulations.
