Construction workers face a wide range of hazards in their day-to-day work – whether they are working on building sites, in structural or civil engineering projects, on building installations or interior fittings. Across all of these areas, it is essential that workers have the right protection – which is why the construction sector is one of our key customer segments at uvex safety. But what are the latest innovations in protective clothing, and what makes our uvex suXXeed construction line so special? Read this blog post to find out.
Innovative high-visibility protective clothing
The construction sector is always evolving – so the protective and high-visibility clothing worn by construction workers must also be continually developed to cope with these ever-changing demands. With this in mind, uvex safety decided to comprehensively redesign its high-visibility workwear line. Focusing on the increased visibility of the wearer and based on comprehensive market analyses and in-depth discussions with safety engineers, we have redeveloped our innovative high-visibility protective clothing.During the development process, we also defined the following criteria as binding requirements:
- Reliable personal protection
- Optimised wearer comfort
- Link to sustainability
Personal protection – standard EN ISO 20471
Construction workers are exposed to particularly dangerous situations when working on the roads. High-visibility protective clothing is an essential requirement for this kind of role: Working in traffic that flows at average speeds in excess of 60 km/h poses a high level of risk. In these environments, workers must wear high-visibility clothing that satisfies the highest visibility protection standards – which is class 3 in the EN ISO 20471 standard for high-visibility clothing. The uvex suXXeed construction collection has been certified in line with this standard. Multiple products from this line can be combined to achieve the highest class 3 protection.
Wearer comfort
High-visibility protective clothing that is comfortable to wear enhances wearer wellbeing and ensures that workers are happy to wear their protective garments. This prevents workers from putting themselves at risk by refusing to wear uncomfortable, poorly fitting protective clothing.
With this in mind, material selection was a particularly important aspect of the development process for the uvex suXXeed construction line.
The uvex suXXeed construction collection guarantees optimum freedom of movement thanks to its ergonomic, optimised 360° fit and lightweight materials. The shirts are also designed with highly elastic, segmented reflective strips.
We opted for a mixed fabric comprised of 50% cotton and 50% polyester: Cotton is known for being comfortable and gentle on the skin, as well as for its exceptional moisture-wicking properties and breathability. The high cotton content is used on the inside of the fabric to ensure that the garment feels comfortable against the skin. Polyester, on the other hand, is highly robust and durable, and resists fading – a particularly important consideration with fluorescent colours such as high-visibility yellow and orange.
Sustainability
We place a high value on environmental protection in the manufacture of our products, so we opted to use recycled polyester in our fleece jackets and shirts.
Recycled polyester is made from PET bottles that have been melted down and spun into new polyester fibres. This approach means that no crude oil is used to manufacture new polyester and no new material is required. The use of recycled polyester also reduces waste, energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Choose our uvex suXXeed construction line and help to protect the environment!
In addition to the criteria already mentioned, the uvex suXXeed construction collection has also been tested for UV protection. The tests were performed based on the stringent requirements of Hohenstein UV standard 801. The tests also looked at aspects such as stretch during wear, moisture from sweating and material ageing, ensuring that the conditions would accurately reflect the performance of a used garment in a real-life scenario.
We also focused on ensuring a great fit, as high-visibility protective clothing should – and must – fit each and every individual who needs it. To satisfy this requirement, we also supply high-visibility protective clothing in plus sizes, extra-long and short lengths – because everyone is different, and no wearer should have to suffer restriction or discomfort to enjoy optimum protection.
uvex protection active flash – safety through active lighting
Our uvex suXXeed construction high-visibility protective clothing has also been designed with another innovative feature: uvex protection active flash. We introduced this unique product system at the A+A health and safety trade fair back in 2017.
Visibility is critical to the safety of construction site workers – particularly in poor weather conditions. With this in mind, the high-visibility protective clothing in the uvex suXXeed construction collection has been kitted out with light guides from OSRAM®: To create self-illuminating protective clothing that ensures workers can be seen even when visibility is low. Thanks to this technology, there is no longer any need to rely on the active light sources needed for reflective elements to work.
Advantages of active lighting:
- Long-lasting batteries: 8-hour run-time
- Guaranteed service life of OSRAM® light guides: 2,500 hours
- Safe working in wet conditions: with low voltage of just 5V.
- Fault-free & EMC-tested
- Large light guide surface: 100% visibility
- Ideal for use in road traffic
- Various lighting modes: operated via integrated switch
Are you impressed by our innovative uvex suXXeed construction line? Find out more about the best products for your working environment:
Do you work in the construction sector? Tell us about your experiences in the comments. We look forward to finding out more about your story!