It may seem obvious: If personal protective equipment (PPE) apparel is comfortable, more workers are going to wear it. Increased compliance with PPE standards results in fewer injuries. Fewer injuries mean safer workers, a reduced number of workers’ compensation claims, and greater cost savings for employers.
Unfortunately, in many companies across the United States, this is just the ideal scenario and may not necessarily reflect the reality in the trenches. An online survey conducted by Kimberly-Clark Professional in July 20111 found that 89 percent of safety professionals polled had observed workers failing to wear PPE when they should have been. Twenty-nine percent said this had happened on numerous occasions.