Keeping your employees safe is your number one priority at your company, but sometimes that can feel like a difficult mantle to carry. When your employees do dangerous work, it is challenging to keep them safe, but you have tools at your disposal to make that challenge a little easier on yourself. Flame-resistant clothing is one of the most important safety tools that you can offer to your staff. But before you can give them what they need to stay safe, it's important to understand what FR fabric is and how it can help keep your team as safe as possible.

What Are the Benefits?

If your employees work in an environment where open flames or explosions are a possibility, it is very important that they have some layer of protection. The materials that most clothing is made of are highly combustible, which means if a fire does occur, it is very likely to ignite their clothing. Flame-resistant clothing can decrease the likelihood of this happening. This means that your team will be safer in an emergency and that their clothing will help them stay as safe as possible. Fire-resistant fabric for clothing can come in various textures and styles, depending on the nature of your projects. Flame-resistant clothing can come with a high price tag, but discount FR clothing is available and can help you meet your team's needs on a budget.

How Does it Work?

If you work in locations with the potential for fire hazards, you may wonder how FR clothing works. The answer takes a little explaining. There are many different kinds of flame-resistant clothing, and they can work in several ways. Some materials just happen to be naturally flame resistant on their own, but certain chemicals can boost their ability to resist flame. Naturally flame-resistant materials can be categorized in one of several levels that determine how safe that article of clothing would be. Flame-resistant materials can help flames stop burning after they start and ensure that the material doesn't melt at certain levels of heat. These properties can keep you and your employees much safer because burns are severely exacerbated when materials melt and adhere to the skin.

The Rating System

It's important to be aware of how flame-resistant your clothing materials are. This is because some materials will offer more protection than others. Burns are caused when the heat from a flame moves from the object it was on to your body. Flame-resistant materials prevent this to varying degrees. FR clothing is rated based on how much heat they pass on to a person wearing the garment. Materials with higher ratings are more flame resistant, and those with low ratings are less resistant. It's important to make sure that you and your staff always wear an appropriate level of protection for your situation. It's also critical to know oilfield FR clothing requirements so you can abide by those regulations and keep your team safe.

What it Isn't

You should also make sure that you don't confuse flame-resistant clothing for flame-retardant clothing. This is important because flame-retardant materials will actually completely stop a flame from passing to them. However, flame-resistant materials cannot achieve that same level of protection. And though this is true, it doesn't mean that you should only use flame-retardant clothing. In fact, in some situations, the weight and structure of flame-retardant clothing can make it a less effective fit for your needs. In the end, you must assess the risks and choose the material that is best suited to the tasks you and your team are trying to complete.

What Kinds Can You Get?

Fire-resistant apparel has come a long way in the past few decades. It used to be that there were very few options for flame-resistant clothing, but that is no longer the case. It is now possible to get a variety of flame-resistant clothing, from shirts and shoes to jackets and other safety gear. You can also find well-designed flame-resistant clothing that is both stylish and effective. With custom fire-resistant clothing, you can even ensure that each piece of clothing is perfectly suited to the needs of your team. Keeping your team informed on the kinds of flame-resistant options available can help them make smart choices for the various situations they may find themselves in.

Staying safe in the workplace is essential, and as a manager, it is your job to facilitate workplace safety. As you learn more about flame-resistant materials, you can help your staff to work safely and securely every day. That means that you will all be able to work together happily and effectively, no matter the circumstances.