Well equipped: Workwear for the construction industry
Around 3 million people work in the construction industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and the trend is rising. It is mainly large-scale infrastructure projects in civil engineering and state-subsidised housing construction that are fuelling growth; the German Construction Industry Association expects around 10,000 new jobs in 2022.
Jobs that demand a lot from the employees: manual skills, physical robustness or a head for heights, for example. But also jobs that demand a lot from the work clothes used there: Tear resistance, good visibility or dirt- and water-repellent properties, for example.
Expertise: creating value
Despite digitalisation and the most modern techniques: Construction work is one thing above all - physical work. Here, people tackle, build, sweat and create value. All trades on a construction site wear work clothes - workers are quickly recognisable as belonging to a particular occupational group. At the same time, professional work clothing offers protection. Depending on the trade, a multitude of dangers lurk on a construction site, where many things often happen at the same time. One very common danger is that of being overlooked.
Safety is visibility
Warning clothing is not only advisable on construction sites in poor visibility conditions. Even in broad daylight, someone wearing warning yellow work clothing, for example, is seen better; they simply stand out better against the work environment in the colour-intensive, brilliant warning clothing. The bright signalling effect that comes from high-visibility clothing is based on a physical phenomenon for which special colour molecules are responsible. Warning colours are fluorescent colours - also known as dayglow colours or neon colours. These colours are already stimulated to glow by normal daylight because the invisible UV component of daylight is converted into visible light, which in turn increases the "light yield". In short: If high-visibility clothing is worn on construction sites, the risk of being "overlooked" is much lower.
Workplace: outdoors
Good construction site clothing offers more than "just" a signal effect. It should offer reliable protection against wet, wind, cold and UV radiation. An individual risk assessment of the workplace is also worthwhile: Do you work with cement, solvents, adhesives, mineral oils or bitumen products? If so, multifunctional protective clothing may offer suitable protection against chemical effects.
Does the worker come into contact with assembly foams, formwork oils or flammable solvents? Flame-retardant warning clothing may be the right choice.
Is there demolition work on the construction site? Then there is a potential danger from supply lines - especially if production processes are to continue or public transport is to continue to flow during civil engineering work. "Safety first" translates to: Work clothing that protects against the thermal effects of an arc fault. Arc faults are rare, but in the worst case they can be fatal.
Seasonal fluctuations in orders?
Construction projects are unique: staff assignments are flexible. And order situations in the construction industry often fluctuate with seasonal weather conditions. Good workwear not only provides reliable protection, it should also be flexible to order, return, re-procure quickly and change seasonally. Ask about the FLEX Service from CWS Workwear if your choice for high-quality, professional construction site clothing falls on us as a full-package service provider.
