For most, winter is not the best season for working outdoors. Although the coldest season of the year offers great moments of pleasure and warmth, it’s often very cold, rainy, snowy, slippery, wet. Bleak. Winters on the northern hemisphere are characterised by having unsettled and windy weather, packed in short and dark days.
Working in the cold
As if cold circumstances weren’t difficult enough, it’s important to keep on working and getting the job done. Even in extreme cold environments the whole year round, such as in cold stores, the work never stops. A cold environment challenges the worker in many ways, both physically and mentally. In order to work safely, challenges such as low air temperature, wind and humidity, rain and snow, must be met by selecting suitable garments.
The right insulation
“Dress for the occasion!” As an experienced producer of professional protective clothing, we can only agree with this popular saying. Multi-layering is key to this. Good insulation, combined with some extra layers is a must when performing physical activity, in combination with a controlled exposure to cold via an effective work/rest schedule. Keep these simple, yet vital recommendations in mind:
- Dress in layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind and rain-resistant.
- Wear a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, a scarf and insulated, waterproof footwear
- Stay dry
- Keep active
Always dress in layers
By dressing in layers, you can be your own thermostat: you regulate your own comfort by adding or removing layers according to the weather conditions and to your needs. Dressing in layers gives many advantages. First, simply the trapped air between layers of your garments provides better insulation than the garments themselves. Secondly, wearing several layers gives you the option to open or even remove a layer before you get too warm and start perspiring. In addition, it allows you to add a layer when you get too cold. Also, going layered allows you to successfully accommodate differing levels of activity, changing temperatures and weather conditions where appropriate.
At Sioen, we’ve designed 4 distinct layers, that you can also find in our handy product search tool online.
- Bodywear base layer (or underwear): keeps you dry, and wicks perspiration from your skin
- Thermal wear (or insulating layer): keeps you warm and retains body heat
- Workwear: (or intermediate layer): keeps you protected
- Rainwear (or shell layer): shields you from wind and rain and other hazards.
Never forget to have all layers available on the job, because you can’t put on anything you didn’t bring with you!
The Bremy 613A
These thermal long johns with fly are very comfortable because of their elastic waist and moisture-regulating properties. They look good too, thanks to the decorative cyan-coloured stitches. The Bremy long johns are made of a sustainable anti-bacterial fabric based on re-cycled coffee residue. The Bremy is part of an extensive range of more than 60 bodywear items in the Sioen professional protective clothing range.
Your way to success
We have been kitting-out millions of workers around the world since the early 1960’s. These workers, you, are our main priority. We listen to your needs and we translate them into smart garments. We have plenty of experience and an accumulated 360° knowledge, of both the production of fabrics and manufacturing of the garments.