Comfort is critical in PPE

It is important to realize that employee comfort is not about giving them luxury, but minimizing fatigue to allow them to operate at maximum efficiency. Many employees who use PPE do physical hard work, often in harsh conditions which are two of the leading causes of fatigue. Research has found that fatigue results in more errors and slower reaction time, which will reduce productivity. Therefore, in order to minimize physical strain and maximize productivity, your employees need comfortable PPE.

 

This brings us to one key point about how to ensure your investments in any new PPE are worthwhile: Ask yourself (or your employee), will this improve your comfort? Comfort in PPE doesn’t just include technological advancements, it can come down to small details such as protective clothing that fits well and is made from quality materials that not only provide protection, but allow easy maneuverability, respirators that are lightweight, clothing and equipment that is lightweight or the weight is evenly distributed to eliminate pressure points.

 

Employee comfort also increases their safety which reduces accidents, reduces business disruptions and increases productivity. While there are laws that largely ensure safety, comfort is difficult to mandate because it is very individual, yet vital to ensuring your employees are safe. It has already been mentioned that that fatigue results in more errors. Some examples of this are not following a process correctly (further detriment to productivity) or acting in an unsafe manner. The result is lost productivity at best, but could also involve significant expense and damage to the company’s reputation.

 

PPE is generally used in manufacturing or service and maintenance work, so the most obvious competitive advantage are productivity. Other less obvious advantages include employee safety, and increased employee morale. The good news is that these advantages are connected and result from one primary factor: comfort. 

 

Our advice to companies or individuals considering new PPE, especially with new products on the market that are unfamiliar, is consider the effect on employee comfort. While the benefits of comfort are difficult to quantify, any improvement in employee comfort will always result in increased productivity, safety and employee morale. Research what products are available and give them trials when possible. Comfortable PPE will always pay off.