Are work trousers classed as PPE?

Personal Protective Equipment, which is also known as PPE, has to be provided to an employee by an employer. When an employer hires a worker, it is their responsibility to look out for their safety. This includes purchasing equipment or clothing that will protect them from injury. Many employees argue that work trousers must be paid for, as they fall under the PPE category. This may or may not be true depending on the line of work and the type of trousers.

Are work trousers classed as PPE? Potentially, however this only is the case when the trousers are protecting from injury or illness that could occur without them. An overwhelming majority of trousers fall under the workwear category, which is not legally required to be purchased by the employer.

When are work trousers classed as PPE?

Trousers are placed into the same class as PPE when they have protective properties. High visibility work trousers can increase visibility and therefore protect the user on the road, railway or other low visibility scenarios. The reflective strips on the trousers can differ depending on the specification. GORT trousers are a high level hi vis spec of trousers, which are worn when working on railroads. If an employer refuses to buy GORT spec trousers for an employee working on the railroads, they would be breaking the law.

Another occasion in which work trousers would be classed as PPE is when they protect from fire hazards. Fire retardant clothing can help to reduce injury and prevent burn damage. Fire retardant (FR) work trousers are specifically designed to protect the wearer. This makes them differ from regular trousers and therefore would be need be provided by an employer when there is fire risk present. This could apply to a variety of tasks such as working on a boiler or a forge.

When are work trousers not classed as PPE?

Work trousers are not classed as PPE when they do not provide any protective qualities. Some may argue that an employer should provide casual work trousers to protect them from the cold. This would not be the case unless the employee is subjected to extreme cold conditions and therefore would require specialist cold protection. It is not the duty of the employer to provide regular work trousers as this would fall under workwear. Workwear in general does not need to be provided by an employee unless it is safety workwear.

Different work environments require different specifications of work trousers. At Site King, they provide a whole range of trousers to fit almost any job. On their website you can find fire retardant trousers as well as hi vis and standard worker trousers. Their most popular trousers are the SKT range of cargo trousers. These trousers vary in style and feature a generous assortment of pockets. They even stock holster trousers, which provide easy access to tools and accessories at work.

If you are looking for high quality work trousers at a great price, make sure you check out their full range today.