Performance apparel markets: personal protective clothing: ensuring worker safety, 1st quarter 2010

29 pages, published in Issue 32, 1st Quarter 2010   Report price: Euro 395.00; US$ 520.00

Personal protective clothing offers a practical solution to eliminating, or at least minimising, the risk of accidents, injuries or infection in the workplace. More specifically, it provides an effective safeguard against hazards such as extreme temperatures, fire, potentially dangerous objects and harmful substances. The main categories of protective clothing include chemical and hazardous material (hazmat) clothing, clean room clothing, combat uniforms, cut resistant workwear, flame resistant workwear, high visibility apparel, medical protective clothing and multi-functional protective wear. Fibre types employed include aramids, cotton, modacrylic, polyamide, polybenzimidazole (PBI), polypropylene, ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and Vectran. Leading brands of fibres and fabrics used in protective clothing include Codura Baselayer fabric, Gore Chempak Selectively Permeable Fabric, Defender M, Kermel, Kevlar, Nomex, ProShield, Protera, Sungrazer, Tychem and Tyvek.

Growing concerns about worker safety on the one hand and increasing instances of terror attacks and epidemics on the other have raised awareness about the need for personal protection. This awareness, coupled with rising costs associated with workplace injuries, has resulted in a growing emphasis on compliance with health and safety regulations and performance standards for protective apparel and accessories.

Technological advances in the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry have led to the development of products which not only meet these stringent performance standards but also offer advances in comfort and style. Such advances have helped to increase the proportion of end users who comply with health and safety regulations.

Looking ahead, one of the main challenges is that of cheap imports from Asia—many of which do not comply with rigid specifications in the West. These are proving to be a menace for suppliers of high performance PPE and are limiting market revenues for the industry as a whole. Nonetheless, rising demand for high performance products which are user-friendly will help to drive growth in the market, and those companies which are able to satisfy the need for increasingly sophisticated PPE should thrive as a result. PPE is a necessity rather than an option in many services and industries, notably those in which worker safety is at risk. The market should therefore enjoy a viable future as legislation becomes more stringent in developed countries, and as industrialisation progresses and legislation is introduced in developing countries.

Personal protective clothing: ensuring worker safety

• Summary
• Introduction
• The market for personal protective equipment
• Hazards in the working environment and their effects
• Main categories of protective clothing
• Fibres used in protective clothing
• Brands of high performance fibres and fabrics used in protective clothing
• Standards
• Legislation
• Outlook

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• Performance apparel markets: profile of Cosalt: a European provider of protective apparel with global ambitions, 1st quarter 2010, (1st Quarter 2010)
• Editorial: Europe's Research Roadmap for New Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), (4th quarter 2008)

Four times a year, Performance Apparel Markets provides intelligence, expert analysis and insight on the performance apparel industry. Performance apparel represents one of the fastest growing markets in the global textile and clothing industry--and market growth is being fuelled by an emergence of new fibres, fabrics and innovative materials. The market's growth prospects are also being spurred by increasing demand for performance properties in mainstream fashion.

What's in Performance Apparel Markets? Each issue provides an authoritative source of information on key industry topics, including: antimicrobial textiles; biomaterials; biomimicry; chemical protective clothing; circularity; compression and shapewear; cosmetotextiles; environmental sustainability; finishes; flame resistant clothing; footwear; graphene; insect repellent apparel; insulation materials; medical protective clothing; military clothing and equipment; moisture management; mono materials; outdoor apparel; personal protective equipment (PPE); smart textiles; sportswear; thermoregulation; waterproof breathable textiles; wearable technology; and workwear. A single issue of Performance Apparel Markets includes: an editorial think-piece on a topical issue from an industry expert a round-up of the latest product innovations a main feature on a new or established market insight and analysis of a key market leader or fast-growing start-up a round-up of the latest business developments An annual subscription to Performance Apparel Markets is a cost-effective way to keep informed about trends and developments in the global performance apparel industry. Subscriptions are available in printed and/or digital formats. Printed and digital subscribers receive each issue in printed format in addition to a digital PDF file, which is available immediately on publication. Subscribers also receive a complementary digital subscription to Performance Apparel Update, delivered directly by email once a month. This free supplement contains essential information on business news and the latest product developments. Like all Textiles Intelligence publications, Performance Apparel Markets is a reliable source of independently sourced business information, and it does not carry advertising. This is what our customers say: "I must congratulate your editorial team for the mammoth data collated from across the world, issue after issue; the data … is quite well researched and generally difficult to find." (Sanjay Chawla; Editor in Chief; DFU Publications)