A QUICK GUIDE TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORKSUIT

When shopping for work suits, you are presented with a wide range to choose from. The combination of fabrics, styles, work environment, and quality can make the choosing process a daunting one. But worry not, this guide will make it easy for you to choose the right work suit for you or your workforce.

One of the first things you have to keep in mind is the fabric type of your work suit. Three types of fabrics are predominantly used in the making of work suits. They are:

1. 100% Cotton fabric
2. Polyester fabric
3. Poly Cotton fabric

Which would be the right choice for you? That will mainly depend on the nature of your work and environment.

As the buyer, it is important to know that these fabrics are different in one way or another. Many manufacturers’ don’t mention it and the buyer ends up buying what may not suit his/her needs. Let’s begin with comparing the three main work suit fabric types.

1. 100% Cotton Fabric: This fabric is entirely made of Cotton fibers.
2. 100% Polyester Fabric: This fabric is entirely made of Polyester fibers.
3. Polycotton Fabric: This fabric has been blended with a certain percentage of cotton and polyester fibers.

The efficiency of each of the three different types of work suit fabric varies with where and what the nature of work that the person wearing it will be doing.

100% cotton is a fully breathable fabric, which means that it can be cooler to wear in hot conditions and good to wear for out-door work. It also has the ability to absorb perspiration. However, as the thickness increases, the breathability decreases. So the weightier (measured in g/m²) the fabric the thicker it is and thus less breathable. The advantage of 100% cotton is that it can be boil washed which can be essential in certain trades. E.g. With mechanics (to remove grease), with painters to remove paint/thinners etc. It is also popular with butchers / abattoir workers who need to boil the garments not only to remove stains but also to kill bacteria.

While as, Polyester fabric does not fully breathe and it has a tendency to stick to the skin once perspiration begins. But in regards to durability, polyester is a more elastic fiber and therefore tends to be tear-resistant. Little effort is required to maintain work suits made in this fabric.

Work suits made from Polycotton fabric combine the strengths of the two fibers (cotton and polyester). Hence, Polycotton work suits are durable, breathable, and tear-resistant. Work suits made of polycotton fabric are also easy to wash and wear as they do not easily crease or shrink making worksuits made of polycotton a popular choice for many workers. It cannot be boil washed though and should not be washed at over 50°C.

2. VISIBILITY

Another point to consider when choosing a work suit is the lighting situation of the environment in which you will be applying the work suit.

Reflective work suits have reflective tape tailored on the work suits such as the Paramount 4007 work suit or made as a two tone reflective work suit such as the Paramount 4738 work suit. Most often, high-visibility work suits/clothing is worn to alert drivers and other vehicle operators of a worker's presence, especially in low light and dark conditions like construction sites and mines. Reflective work suits can also be worn to increase the visibility of the wearer in situations where part or all of the wearer's body could be obscured (e.g., leaves/trees, traffic barriers, construction materials, etc.).

Plain polycotton work suits such as the Paramount 3333 work suit on the other hand are more suited in conditions where the visibility of the wearer is not a major factor, such as farm workers who work in the fields during the day only.

Work suits are usually available as a one-piece “boiler-suit” or a two-piece “conti-suit”.

The vast majority of boiler-suits (also referred to as coverall or overall) are simply intended as a one piece suit to keep dirt and spills off you whilst working. They are very common as they are very comfortable to wear and there is no join between the top and bottoms, eliminating riding up which creates gaps for dirt and bits to get in. This is a particularly prominent problem with mechanics when lying down underneath cars, gardeners when sitting on ride-on mowers etc. but equally applies to many other trades.

Conti suit on the other hand are made of two separate parts; the pants / trousers and the jacket, a two-piece style. This means it will cover your body from the neck down to your ankles and wrists. You can remove the top if needed to cool off or when on a break. It also allows a full range of movement about the waist and is, therefore, more comfortable than a regular overall. This is usually why clients choose Conti suits more often than overalls.

1. Polycotton reflective work suit with tape.https://www.radianonline.co.zm/paramount-reflective-worksuit-4007.html

2. Polycotton reflective work shirt two-tone.https://www.radianonline.co.zm/paramount-two-tone-reflective-work-shirt-4738.html


3. Polycotton Miners reflective trousers with tape. https://www.radianonline.co.zm/paramount-miner-s-reflective-trousers-4692.html

4. Plain polycotton work suit. https://www.radianonline.co.zm/paramount-plain-worksuit-3333.html

NOTE: This is just a minimal guide that provides general knowledge of good work suits but be advised that as you choose a work suit let it be in compliance with government regulations and with the recommended generally accepted good occupational safety and health practices of your work place. You can view the full range of worksuits here.