From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Protective clothing is clothing designed to protect either the
wearer's body or other items of clothing from hazards such as
electrical, heat, chemicals and infection. Also, special clothes may protect the
working environment from pollution and/or infection from
the worker, for example in a microchip factory. The
protection may also be important in both ways, as with the use of disposable gloves by surgeons and dentists.
Protective clothing is also worn for contact
sports, such as ice hockey and American football.
Baseball players wear sliding shorts and a cup under their pants. See baseball
uniform, Goalie mask, jockstrap.
Protective clothing and other protective equipment are often referred to as
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), a term which includes forms of
protective equipment which are not strictly items of clothing (for example, eye
and ear protection).
Protective clothing extends to body armor such as bullet-proof vests,
historical armor
and futuristic powered armor. In UK
legislation the term PPE does not cover such items as armour.
Common protective materials include Nomex, Kevlar.
Examples of protective clothing/personal protective equipment
Hand protection
.
- gloves
- Gloves to protect from contamination and infection (e.g. disposable
latex/vinyl/nitrile gloves)
- Gloves to protect from extremes of temperature (e.g. oven gloves,
welder's gloves)
- Gloves to protect from mechanical hazards (e.g. rigger gloves, chainmail
gloves)
- Gloves to prevent lacerations and other wounds from sharp objects
Hearing protection
ear defenders and visor on a safety helmet
Eye protection
Respiratory protection
Other personal protective equipment (PPE)
- fall arrest equipment
- high-visibility
clothing (to ensure visibility to prevent accidents)
- apron
protects the body and other clothing from dirt (also used as distinction by waiters)
- diaper
(nappy in British English)
- spacesuit
- Fire protection suit
- lifejacket
- chainsaw protection
(especially a helmet with face guard, hearing protection, kevlar chaps, anti-vibration gloves,
and safety boots). Specific information about chainsaw protection is given in
the chainsaw safety
clothing article.
- bee
keepers wear various levels of protection depending on the temperament of
their bees and the reaction of the bees to nectar availability. At minimum
most bee keepers wear a brimmed hat and a veil made of hardware cloth similar
to window screen material. The next level of protection is offered by leather
gloves with long gauntlets and by some way of keeping bees from crawling up
one's trouser legs. In extreme cases, shirts and trousers are also fabricated
to serve as barriers to the bees' stingers.
- chaps are
individual pant leggings made of leather and worn by farriers, cowboys, and
rodeo contestants to protect the legs from contact with hooves, thorny
undergrowth, and other such work hazards. May also be made of other materials
for leg protection against other hazards, such as "rain chaps" of waterproof
materials, or "saw chaps" of Kevlar for chainsaw workers.
- anti-rape female
condom
Most forms of industrial
clothing are protective clothing.
See also
Links
