Many jobs in the United States, especially outdoor ones, call for the right uniform or other attire for safety during work hours. Some occupations, such as police work, firefighters, construction workers, and military personnel have great need for the right uniform for the job. A tactical police uniform, for example, will have everything that an officer needs for their daily work. The other occupations listed above may also need the right gear, from combat boots to fire helmet lights to an Under Armour job shirt. A tactical police uniform will keep the officer comfortable and safe during his or her work. How can clothes make the job easier?
A Tactical Police Uniform
Police officers have a demanding job even if they are not facing down an armed criminal. These officers sometimes patrol on foot or in their cruisers, and they may experience long shifts during various times of the day. For this reason, an officer’s tactical police uniform should be practical and comfortable at the same time. The “boys in blue,” as they are often known, in fact sometimes wear darker shades of clothing, and the same may be true of state troopers. A police officer doesn’t typically get to decide what color his or her uniform is, but officers can still get access to clothing that keeps them comfortable in summer. An officer is wearing dark clothes and pants in summer, so dehydration and heat exhaustion are a possibility. To prevent this, officers may be given a tactical police uniform that has breathable material to help them keep cooler. An Under Armour shirt or similar brand can be worn under it that can also breathe well, and the same may be true of the pants leggings. Officers’ uniforms may also have many different pockets for storing gear and equipment on the job.
Construction Workers
This is a very large arena for work uniforms. Construction currently stands as one of the largest industries in the entire United States, being worth nearly $1 trillion today. Countless construction crews are hard at work all over the nation building houses, schools, office buildings, banks, and much more. However, construction sites are well known for their many physical dangers, so construction workers will need the right gear to minimize the odds of an accident. This may be especially true during night time or near traffic, when low visibility can easily result in an injury or fatality on the job.
Construction workers typically work outside, such as building sites or on or near highways and roads. An average person will walk about 10,000 steps a day, but a construction worker may be expected to take around 30,000 or so. What kinds of hazards might such a worker face?
One hazard is the weather. In summer, construction workers face the threat of heat exhaustion or dehydration, so any responsible manager will take steps. Water and other refreshments may be available, and workers may wear short sleeved outfits made from breathable materials. Conversely, in winter, workers may wear coats and gloves to work, and they may also wear hoods or knit hats to protect their heads. Hypothermia may be an issue work an outdoor worker working in the cold, especially with a wind chill present.
Trauma is another major issue to face. Construction vehicles or cranes moving cargo may strike a worker by accident, or drivers may accidentally hit workers while they are on the road or highway. For this reason, the colors and reflective nature of work uniforms can save a life. Construction workers are known for the vivid yellow and orange colors on their outfits, and that’s not a mere fashion choice. These colors easily allow workers to stand out from their surroundings, so others can see and avoid them. The objective here is to make a worker’s outline clearly defined in the surroundings, the opposite of camouflage. This can help in most levels of lighting.
In the darkest environments, such as at night, workers also wear reflective tape or stripes on their vests, shirts, pants, and even boots. These strips reflect light from car or other vehicle headlights, and that makes workers easy to see in low lighting. Street signs use similar technology to appear more easily when car headlights illuminate them.