Mens & Womens Workwear
Workwear is the clothing that is made to provide high durability and safety for manual or heavy labour. That is why you may have seen these clothes on building sites, engineering, services and manufacturing industries.
Certain work environments even require higher levels of protection from hazards like rain, cold, heat, flame etc. Protective Clothing is a kind of Personal Protective Equipment, intended to be worn by a person at work and protects him/her against risks to his health or safety. In this complete guide, we will explain different types of protective wear for different work conditions. We will cover :
📝Chapter 1:
Types of Workwear Clothing - Trousers, Jackets, Shorts, etc for Men and Women
According to HSE.GOV.UK, every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work.
We as an employee, however, are required to take reasonable care for our own health and safety and correctly use the right PPE provided. We are also responsible to raise any issues about the PPE. The protective clothing market has been changing. It is no longer one size fits all and women no longer have to wear men's. We should always ensure we are well-protected and comfortable when working in tough environments.
Choose the right protective wear for our day-to-day jobs
Work Trousers
All our workwear trousers are designed to be functional and comfortable, but the models differ in some key respects. We divide ours by feature into four categories: Stretch, Lightweight, Multiple-pocket and Knee protection
- Stretch: Our mens & ladies stretch work trousers are not only tough and durable, they are also so flexible that you barely notice them on your skin, which helps give you optimum functionality, freedom, and flexibility throughout your working day.
- Lightweight: Finding the best trousers for hot weather can be critical if you’re going to survive those brutal summer months on the job. You will need a lightweight work trouser that is still tough enough to handle a work site.
- Multiple-pocket: Usually, cargo trousers have a minimum of five pockets. They are perfect for tradespeople thanks to multiple places to keep essential hand tools close to you.
- Knee protection: Used together with knee pads, work trousers with built-in knee pad pockets are designed for long-hour kneeling for many different trades.
If you are looking for a garment to address the specific needs of your job, check out these trousers by job role: Painters trousers and Gardening trousers. For protective clothing against some hazards including rain, cold, heat and flames, we will discuss in the following chapters. In addition, protection while working in the dark will be covered.
Work Jackets
Available in men's and women's sizes, our jackets packed with different features and benefits are a perfect combination of style, practicality, and utility, helping to keep you both warm and effective on the job. They are the key component in the 3-layer clothing system. We divide our work jackets into four groups - Against the cold, Hi Vis, Waterproof and Softshell.
Work Shorts
Work short is an excellent lightweight choice for those people who work in a hot environment to help you stay cool, sharp and comfortable. Lightweight and breathable shorts are great, but they still need to be tough enough for the job. Our Blaklader short collection includes different models - hi vis, multiple-pocket, stretch, light-duty, heavy-duty etc.
📝Chapter 2:
Clothing Against Rain
| Level 1 | Pliable and lightweight fabric for those with jobs that require good range of motion and ease in putting on and taking off the garments Browse level 1 products ➜ |
| Level 2 | More durable garments with breathability for those who need to continuously work in a tougher working day Browse level 2 products ➜ |
| Level 3 | Extremely durable fabrics with good breathability for performing tasks in very tough environments. Browse level 3 products ➜ |
EN 343 - Protection Against Rain
According to European Standard, requirements for materials and garments protecting against rain, snowflakes, fog and ground humidity are laid down in the standard EN 343. Check out our waterproof trousers and waterproof jackets.
The standard promotes 2 values - water penetration (or waterproofness) and water vapour resistance (or breathability). According to EN 343:2019, the latest version of the standard, both values are assessed on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the highest value. For example, if a garment is rated as
EN 343 Class 4 - 1
These figures indicate the amount of water pressure a fabric can withstand. For example, a EN 343 Class 4 garment with a 2,000mm rating can endure a 2,000mm column of water bearing down on it before it starts to leak. The larger the figure, the better it is for waterproofness.
The RET value is measured in m²Pa/W. The lower the RET value, the more breathable the fabric is. It indicates this is a great waterproof garment with a low level of breathability or poor body cooling.
| Waterproofness | Breathability | |
| Class 1 | ≥ 800 mm | Ret > 40 |
| Class 2 | ≥ 800 mm | 40 > Ret > 25 |
| Class 3 | ≥ 1300 mm | 25 > Ret > 15 |
| Class 4 | ≥ 2000 mm | Ret < 15 |
📝Chapter 3:
Clothing Against Cold
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| Layer 1 | Layer 2 | Layer 3 |
| Transport moisture from the skin | Insulate against cold | Protect against wind, cold & rain |
3-Layer Principle
When it comes to protecting against cold, layering is still by far the best. The largest risk of staying outdoors in cold weather is to dress incorrectly and freeze and sweat alternately. The 3-layer principle gives you the chance to regulate your body temperature by adding or removing garments as the weather or work requires.
EN 342 - Protection Against Cold
EN 342 clothing is designed for protection in cold environments ranging from chill (-5°C) to cold store (-25°C) to deep freeze (-40°C). An EN 342 rating has 3 separate values, e.g.
EN 342 (0.4M² K/W (B), 2, X)
It measures to what extent a material resists conducting heat across it. The higher the number, the better the insulation the material offers. The (B) means the garment is tested with thermal underwear.
A high air permeability rating allows for proper dry evaporative heat loss, keeping you warm and comfortable. Air permeability is rated on a scale of 1 - 3, with 3 being the highest rate of breathability
Resistance to water penetration is an optional addition to EN 342 garments, but it can be useful in cold and wet conditions. This is also rated on a scale between 1 and 3. If a garment has not been tested for this property it will be rated as an 'X'
📝Chapter 4:
Clothing For High Visibility
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| Class 1 Basic Visibility |
Class 2 High Visibility |
Class 3 Ultimate Visibility |
| Fluorescent material: 0,14 m² Reflective material: 0,10 m² |
Fluorescent material: 0,5 m² Reflective material: 0,13 m² |
Fluorescent material: 0,8 m² Reflective material: 0,20 m² |
3 Key Components of Hi-Vis Clothing:
EN 471/20471 High Visibility Protective Clothing
Protective clothing certified according to EN 471/20471 provides wearers with visibility for working in hazardous situations. The standard categorizes hi vis garments into 3 classes based on the area of fluorescent material and in combination with the reflective area and specific design requirements.
If you need to achieve a hi vis class 3 rating, you can either wear an individual garment rated as class 3 or combine different garments to reach a class 3 rating. For example, combining a Class 2 Hi Vis Jacket with a Class 2 Hi Vis trousers can attain a Class 3 rating.
Hi vis clothing is ideal for professionals like construction workers, road construction site workers, heavy equipment operators, road surveyors, railway workers, utility workers and airport ground crews
📝Chapter 5:
Clothing Against Heat & Flame
EN ISO 14116 & EN ISO 11612 - Protection Against Heat & Fire
The EN ISO 14116 standard specifies safety apparel, materials and material compositions with limited flame spread. Workwear certified in accordance with this standard lowers the chance that the safety clothing will ignite and pose as a safety hazard for the user.
The EN ISO 11612 standard describes clothing that is manufactured in a material designed to protect workers (except welders and firefighters) against brief contact with heat and flame. The heat can be convective, radiant, molten material, or a combination thereof. A garment is classified for the following parameters (from A1 to F3). An ISO 11612 rating is like :
EN ISO 11612 A1, A2, B1, C1, E3, F1
| A1 | Limited flame spread - Surface flames | - |
| A1 | Limited flame spread - Edge ignition | - |
| B | Convective heat | Scale 1-3, where 3 is the best |
| C | Radiant heat | Scale 1-4, where 4 is the best |
| D | Molten aluminium splash | Scale 1-3, where 3 is the best |
| E | Molten iron splash | Scale 1-3, where 3 is the best |
| F | Contact Heat | Scale 1-3, where 3 is the best |