Occupational Health & Safety: When it comes to selecting flame-resistant (FR) garments, there are many variables to consider, including protection, comfort, durability, appearance, style, cost, and quality. Although each of these criteria will influence your purchasing decision to some extent, there is no question that protection should be your primary concern. Key industry standards, such as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 2112, serve only as a minimum; therefore, it is critical that a hazard assessment be conducted, because not all FR garments perform the same in an exposure.
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This is something that I don't think that I have ever thought of when sewing. I usually just pick the fabric that I want without really caring how it will feel on the body. The outer look and how the fabric falls is what is important to me. It is interesting that this article brought up the point that if the garment is uncomfortable, the wearer may wear it wrong in order for it to be more comfortable, though in this case it was about safety not appearance. I will have to keep this in mind for the next time that I make something, since actors do sweat A LOT while on stage and during the course of a show.
The summer before last, I worked on Shrek the Musical, and the fat suit we had was soaked every night. I guess that can't be avoided, but the real problem was that it forever to dry, and we did two shows some days. And we switched actors between the shows since the show was double cast. This would have been really useful at this point because we could have picked a fabric that dried quickly and soaked up moisture.
While we don't use FR PPE here, the same ideas still apply to all other types of PPE. I'm not all that shocked by the study they reference that says that 89% of workers have seen others not wear PPE and it wouldn't surprise me if that was mainly because of comfort. I have experienced the same problems and am definitely less willing to use PPE that I find uncomfortable. I would also agree that I would be more likely to take shortcuts if I am uncomfortable. That is why I make a serious effort to test and find the most comfortable gear I can. I know that I don't like wearing boots so I found some steel toe work shoes that are really comfortable but still have a comparable level of protection. I've also gone through a few different types of safety glasses until I found some that I really like, and the same is true with gloves. Considering how important PPE is, we should really make sure we make it so comfortable that workers forget they are wearing it.
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