Protective clothing comfort

Coal mines in China are widely distributed, protective clothing for the protection of the coal mine is very important for the safety and health practitioners, the current in coal mine special protective clothing in the process of the management and use, the state-owned key coal mine, local state-owned coal mine and the villages and towns coal mine there are some problems, enterprise to issue some of the protective clothing comfort is poorer, is uncomfortable to wear, or even influence work, cause the employees don t want to use the protective clothing, must cause we attach great importance to these problems. 

Lab coats do more than protect clothing. They also protect the wearer against chemical spills and are easily removed if a spill should take place. Cotton fabrics are both the most comfortable and the most resistant to chemical spills. For certain operations, disposable protective clothing may be required. 

Protective clothing includes overalls, bibs, duffle coats, aprons, complete one-piece suits with hoods, spats, armlets etc. It is chosen for protection against mechanical hazards, abrasion, extremes of temperature etc. as well as chemicals. The nature of the hazard and user comfort dictate the choice. The properties of a range of protective clothing materials are listed in Table 11.22. 

Ojanen, K., Sarantila, R., Klen, T., and Kangas, J. (1992) Evaluation of the efficiency and comfort of protective clothing during herbicide spraying, Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg., 7 815-819. 

Shao Y and Filteau M (2004b), Thermal Comfort of Protective Clothing for Firefighters , 83rd TIWC Textile Institute World Conference. Shanghai, China. 

Not all individuals are required to wear protective clothing all the time the frequency of use, the exertion level associated with the personal protective clothing, and the environmental conditions in which they are worn will have a dramatic influence on how well an individual will perform. Changing environmental conditions must be considered a worker at Tooele, Utah, may be very comfortable in the winter in protective clothing and unable to tolerate the same level of protection in the heat of the summer. Work-rest cycles become very important. 

A familiar complaint of workers who must don Level A and B PPE is that the equipment is very uncomfortable (hot and sweaty) and cumbersome, which lowers their productivity. The use of protective clothing and respirators increases physical stress, in particular, heat stress. Wearing protective equipment also increases the risk of accidents. It is heavy, cumbersome, decreases dexterity and agility, interferes with vision, and is fatiguing to wear. New suits are being developed that are comfortable and impose less stress on workers. PPE selection is a process that involves a mix of experience, common sense, and quantitative risk assessment. 

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