With the winter months come icy temperatures, biting winds and snowfall. Wearing the right clothing to protect against the cold becomes an absolute must in everyday work life, especially if you work in the outdoors for hours on end. Learn about the basic legal requirements for PPE in minus temperatures and find out which equipment is always included in winter work clothing.
Working outdoors – why winter PPE is so important
Working in minus temperatures is tough. If you don’t adequately protect yourself against low temperatures, this can quickly lead to health issues that restrict your ability to work. Colds are one potential risk with symptoms such as a sore throat, runny nose and hoarseness. Insufficient protection against the cold can also lead to frostbite of the skin or extremities. The face and soft body parts such as the fingers, toes, nose and ears are most commonly affected. Frostbite damages the tissue and depending on its severity, it can in some cases no longer be cured, at which point amputation may become necessary.
The right winter work clothing provides:
- Protection against the cold
- Protection against wet conditions
- Protection against heat build-up & perspiration
- Visibility in adverse weather conditions
When it comes to work clothing, a distinction is usually made between work wear and PPE. While work wear makes your work easier, PPE is subject to standards and testing and should protect you against accidents in the workplace. Winter work clothing can be work wear or PPE.
Cold protection clothing: regulations
Working outside in the cold requires special work clothing with cold protection. Rules on winter work clothing for specific work areas and situations are set out in regulations . Among other things, this rule stipulates that employers must provide their employees with appropriate equipment to protect them against wet conditions, wind and the cold. In temperatures of up to minus five degrees, so-called weather protection clothing is used and in colder temperatures, cold protection clothing must be provided.
If you work outside in winter, you must have regular breaks to warm up. If the temperature is below five degrees Celsius, these breaks must happen around every 90 minutes and last approximately 15 minutes. In temperatures between plus five and ten degrees, you should warm up every 150 minutes. However, this refers to work in cooler indoor spaces so further stressors such as wind and precipitation are not taken into account. In case of doubt, it is therefore better to take more frequent breaks to prevent hypothermia.
Clothing against the cold – how to protect yourself
As well as a warm jacket, you need extra equipment when working in minus temperatures to protect yourself from bitterly cold weather in the long term. Warm layers and smart, functional materials are an absolute must.
The warm layered look
If you’re getting dressed for a long working day in the outdoors, make sure to rely on different layers that will keep you warm but that can be removed when needed. Get started with functional undergarments that are practical. You can wear a warm sweater and your work trousers over these bottom layers. As well as a long-sleeved undershirt and a long pair of under trousers, you should also wear thick socks, for example, to protect your toes from the cold.
The right work jacket
The right jacket is one of the most important items of clothing for working outdoors. When purchasing a PPE winter jacket, you should pay attention to the following factors:
Weatherproof material: Your winter jacket should be made of a fabric that can keep out rain and wind and maintain your body temperature. That’s why smart functional fabrics made of synthetic materials are often used. A lining made of warm synthetic materials or down can provide additional insulation. Multifunctional jacket, which has a removable fleece jacket, are particularly practical. You can choose which layers you would like to wear depending on the weather.
Breathability: Of course your jacket should keep you warm, but even in winter, sweating should also be avoided as much as possible. Otherwise, you run the risk of sweat making your clothing damp, which can make you cold as soon as you are no longer active and start to cool down. That’s why winter work clothing is made of breathable materials that allow air to circulate with the help of membranes and wick away the resulting water vapour when you sweat. Adjustable air vents in winter PPE also support a good body temperature.
Cut and length: A winter jacket for working in minus temperatures must fit perfectly. That means it cannot be too tight so that your freedom of movement is not restricted and you can easily wear other layers underneath. But a jacket that’s too loose can also lead to problems: it won’t close properly and will let heat escape. Make sure that the sleeves of your jacket are long enough: they should cover the wrists and have cuffs at the ends that can be adjusted with additional Velcro fasteners.
Visibility: In winter, fog and rain as well as short days with little sunlight lead to poor visibility in the outdoors. To guarantee the safety of employees, it is absolutely necessary to make sure they are as visible as possible when working. Wearing jackets in bright colours is one of the most important measures – the familiar warning yellow colour provides particularly good visibility. Jackets must also be equipped with additional reflective strips that reflect light from vehicles and can therefore provide protection against dangerous accidents, especially in the dark.
Pockets: A high-quality winter jacket provides warmth, but it should also be as practical as possible for day-to-day work. A number of pockets allows you to store your tools and valuables.
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