Comfort is not always at the top of the list when it comes to mandatory attributes for uniforms and workwear. Safe, high-performance, long-lasting, sure, but comfortable? According to studies conducted at Hohenstein Institute, comfort should be a high priority, particularly for people in situations where concentration and reaction time are critical factors for safety and effectiveness.
Hohenstein researchers have developed a method to measure reaction time, concentration levels and error rates for people wearing different kinds of clothing in test scenarios requiring long-term, intense concentration. “Findings indicate a strong correlation between the test subjects’ performance and their clothing,” the Institute reports. “People wearing comfortable clothing performed considerably better on the tests. While comfort has always been a key consideration in athletic clothing design, these data confirm that the application to uniform and workwear design is extremely relevant, especially for people in the military, aviation, high-tech manufacturing, transportation, medicine, public safety, and other stressful and concentration-intensive occupations.”
Do you consider comfort when selecting protective clothing?
A Blog From the American Society of Safety Engineers