This is the season when high visibility clothing is especially important. In winter driving conditions when tow truck companies get called out on snow covered highways, hi vis jackets, hi vis pants, and other items are what keep workers save even during blinding blizzard conditions.
From construction safety vests used by workers on various kinds of job sites to cargo work pants with reflective tape that are worn by workers along interstates and highways, an entire industry is devoted to making clothing that protects workers. In fact, safety clothing suppliers produce many items that are used in a variety of industries. From a single school traffic guard to an entire team of road crew workers, hi vis jackets and other items make sure that those who work outside are visible to drivers.
In some occupations, there are actually very strict rules about the kind of clothing that must be worn while they are working. Safety uniforms not only help protect individual workers, but also make sure that companies are protected as well. With strict policies about what a road crew workers must wear while on the job, for instance, a worker knows that the employer is using the proper safety measures. Consider some of these facts and figures about the safety standards that many industries employ to make sure that workers are safe when they are on the job:
- Although the average person may walk 10,000 steps a day, a laborer or construction worker may walk more than 30,000. Obviously, having the right kind of shoes is always important for many workers.
- 33% of nonfatal work injuries in the year 2013 that required time away were suffered by employees with less than one year of service. This is a statistic that indicates how important proper training can be.
- $70 is spent per employee on foot protection every year.
- 4,836 workers were killed on the job in the year 2015. That is equal 13 deaths every day.
- Workers 65 and older experienced 94.2 injuries per 10,000 full-time employees, less than any age group in 2014, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
From the shoes that they wear to the reflective stripes on their jackets, many workers depend on their clothing to make sure that they are safe while they are on the job.