Page 36 - Occupational Health & Safety, March 2019

PROTECTIVE APPAREL
Is Comfortable FRC an Urban Myth?
Recent fabric and style advances are challenging conventional wisdom.
BY SCOTT MARGOLIN
F lame-resistant and arc-rated clothing has been in common use in the USA for close to three decades. For much of that time, it has understandably been viewed as heavy, stiff,
scratchy, and/or not breathable—in a word, uncom- fortable. And ugly. It didn’t look, feel, wash, or wear like regular clothing. As a result, many people didn’t want to wear it properly and as often as required or, in many cases, they resisted wearing FRC at all. This led to a plethora of problems, including a less safe and less
satisfied workforce, lower compliance, more internal headaches and management issues, and a lower cost/ benefit ratio. Sound familiar?
But more recently, major advances in FR fibers, fabrics, garment styles, and brands have been a game-changer. Many new options are now indis- tinguishable from regular clothing, in terms of both comfort and appearance.
What is Comfort?
You may be surprised by some of the factors that contribute to a person deciding whether clothing is comfortable. Clothing comfort is “a state of wearer satisfaction” that includes a balance of psychological, physiological, and physical properties, and it differs person-to-person and even day-to-day. The first cate- gory—psychological properties—may be unexpected, but understanding the issues and their impact on sat- isfaction can be the key that opens a whole new door to comfortable and happy wearers.
It’s important to understand the distinction be- tween what most people think drives comfort versus what actually does, and psychological properties are the lion’s share of that difference. Public perception typically focuses on weight, breathability, and hand (softness) as the top three factors; however, the reality is that brand, style, appearance, and fit are the top factors. Of these, none are fabric properties and only fit is physical; the rest are psychological. We gravitate to the brands and/or styles we like and only then feel the fabric, test the fit, and make a purchase decision.
Self-image is very important, and cloth- ing is a major piece of the image we each choose to present to the world.
The Psychology of Comfort
People love choice, as a quick walk down the cereal aisle clearly illustrates. The single most powerful tool to build wearer satisfaction in FR clothing programs is to harness the power of choice. No one likes being forced to wear one color of one style of one weight of one fabric all day, every day. Even if that product won every wear test, it is quickly resented. So it’s extremely desirable to provide some measure of choice to the individual, even when that choice is from among a handful of garments, preselected by Safety, that meet all necessary compliance and corporate criteria.
Self-image is very important, and clothing is a ma- jor piece of the image we each choose to present to
30 Occupational Health & Safety | MARCH 2019
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