Is your workwear fit for purpose?

Around 60% of businesses could be using some inadequate protective clothing, say Elis

MANY workers in hazardous environments could be wearing protective workwear that is not fit for purpose, according to workwear supply and laundry providers Elis, who work with thousands of businesses around the UK, advising on their protective clothing requirements, supplying workwear and regularly laundering and maintaining it.

The company, which has in-house PPE expertise in recommending workwear based on risks and hazards present in industrial working environments, estimates that around 60% of business are using at least some workwear that is not fit for purpose.

Paul Swift of Elis commented: ‘We help our customers assess the hazards involved and make recommendations to ensure that customers’ protective workwear meets the relevant requirements. It is during this process that we often find that some of the current garments are not providing the wearers with the protection they need and, in some cases, may not be compliant with legislation.’

Elis have been operating their workwear supply and laundry service for more than 100 years and run a nationwide service through their network of industrial laundries and delivery fleets. They are the largest providers of workwear and laundry services in Europe and also operate in Latin America, covering 28 countries in total.

All protective clothing PPE requirements are covered, including high-visibility and protection from welding sparks, electric-arc flash, chemicals, heat and flames, and because Elis also have their own design and manufacturing capabilities, if there is a specific colour or feature required, they can produce it.

Moreover, the company supplies its garments on a rental basis, so there are no up-front purchasing costs and there is also flexibility to swap items if employees change.

For organizations of all sizes, Elis will collect soiled workwear, professionally launder and maintain it, and return the clean workwear to an agreed schedule, ensuring that sufficient workwear is available, so that employees are protected.

All garments are tracked using barcodes or radio frequency ID tags to gather information such as their age and the number of washes they have had, to assist with compliance and garment management.

Committed to reducing their environmental footprint, Elis hold the Carbon Trust Standard Certificate in recognition of their reductions in CO2 emissions and water usage over many years.