You probably know the great importance of wearing the proper personal protective equipment while working on any outdoor, messy or active job. However, it seems like most of the emphasis is put on helmets, boots and face protection equipment, while there’s rarely any discussion about the significance of wearing the appropriate workwear pants. Contrary to what many people think, workwear pants are in no way similar to conventional pants. Their purpose is to protect your legs from workplace hazards, but that can only be accomplished by picking the right pair.
So where can you buy work pants? Nowadays, the most popular place for shopping for work pants is obviously online. There are many workwear retailers that source quality pants from leading industry brands such as 5.1 Tactical, CAT, Eve Workwear, Hard Yakka, etc. Work trousers from these brands are superior in quality, and they mitigate the potential safety risks present at workplaces. But what separates good quality workwear pants from poor quality pants?
Unlike everyday pants, workwear pants are made using a high-quality, heavy-duty blend of materials, which allows for more durable and stronger protection than what everyday pants provide. Workwear pants are usually made from a blend of polyester, cotton, denim or any other heavy-duty materials, and they feature strong, reliable pockets as well as double stitching in order to ensure they don’t rip as easily. Workwear pants go through a lot of abuse when worn on construction sites, factory floors or any other type of worksite, which makes that type of durability incredibly important.
There are many different styles of safety trousers, and they are each designed for a particular use. For example, holster pants allow you to store many tools, which means you won’t have to wear a tool belt, and that can save a lot of time, money and inconvenience. On the other hand, cargo pants, for instance, won’t replace your tool belt but they have several heavy pockets that will allow you to store and carry items. However, regardless of what style of pants you go for, you need to ensure they fit you properly, are comfortable to wear and offer optimum safety for the type of conditions you work in.
Some of the most common workplace hazards that can be prevented by wearing safety work pants are lacerations, burns, knee and muscle pain. Lacerations are the most common type of injury, and you can prevent many instances by wearing heavy-duty safety work trousers that help reduce the chances of sharp objects reaching your skin. Lacerations are quite common in many construction environments, as there are many sharp objects present, such as blades, splinters, nails, etc. That being said, when working around all of these hazards, it’s important to have every part of your body well-protected, and this includes your legs.
Further, if you work in any environment that has open flames, wearing conventional pants can make the risk of injury much worse. Flames usually melt most clothing, and the melted material is the main cause of the burn, not the flame itself. In order to prevent this type of injury, make sure you’re wearing flame-retardant pants. And while knee and muscle pain are mostly associated with aging and activity, but in the case of electricians and plumbers, most of their knee and muscle pain comes from spending many hours kneeling, which puts an excessive amount of pressure on the knee joints and leg muscles. While wearing knee pads can help, they’re oftentimes too cumbersome and inconvenient, and you can forget to put them on when you’re focused on the task at hand. That being said, some safety workwear trousers feature built-in knee pad pockets that you can insert pads in.
Some other features outdoor work pants may feature are a durable seam construction, taped seams and triple-stitched main seams that help prevent the pants from falling apart after constant use and abuse, rivets to reinforce the seams, bartacks (extra stitches) that also reinforce seams, heavy-duty zippers that are made to withstand grime, dirt and repeated use, DWR (durable water repellant) treatment to help water bead off the pants in wet conditions, wider, extra and fortified belt loops that help support the weight of the tools, wind-blocking technology, reflective high-vis tape and a hammer loop that’s built into the side to hold your hammer while you perform work.
In order to get the most protection out of the pants, make sure you tuck them into your work boots. However, there are many people who wear ankle-length work boots, so that isn’t a possibility. So how do you wear work pants with ankle boots? Well, you just need to make sure the pants are long enough to fully cover your legs, including your ankles. Although high-top boots are usually recommended for most workplace scenarios, some people prefer low-top boots that don’t offer as much protection but are more comfortable and lightweight to work in.
