work clothing- suggestions?

2

21pro

Crotch Sniffer
Oct 22, 2003
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Caledon East
guys, I need your help here. Getting involved in the construction trades... I'm a hands-on kinda guy and am working side by side with a general contractor while we rip apart a house and convert it into commercial space. He says we have until February to complete our project and told me I best be getting some appropriate attire...

what clothing do you guys suggest? I've looked around and from what I see, there are alot of nice Carhartt products available, etc.. the trouble is finding which to choose? what do you suggest for the following?

-overalls
-work jacket
-extreme weather jacket (winter, cold wind)
-safety shoes
-safety boots
-rain/snow boots
-gloves

also, what kind of respirator do you guys recommend for dealing with a variety of toxic materials (asbestos, mold, paint fumes, dust from laminate products, etc..) I guess a respirator where you can change cartridges, any suggestions?

anything else I need to keep in mind?
 
21pro said:
-overalls
-work jacket
-extreme weather jacket (winter, cold wind)
-safety shoes
-safety boots
-rain/snow boots
-gloves

also, what kind of respirator do you guys recommend for dealing with a variety of toxic materials (asbestos, mold, paint fumes, dust from laminate products, etc..) I guess a respirator where you can change cartridges, any suggestions?

anything else I need to keep in mind?
Click to expand...
All of the above will be needed, I would suggest the boots rather than the shoes. As for repsirators, take a look to see what they protect against. And do not forget safety glasses, hearing protection and a hard hat.
 
I'd go to mark's workwearhouse for all that.

As opposed to a extreme weather jacket, I'd be going with insulated overalls. They'll keep you much warmer than pants/jacket combo. There's nothing like a -45 cool breeze blowing up the back of your jacket when you bend over.

I'd also be adding knee pads because you WILL be kneeling down at times and get the ones with hard covers as well as soft, so if you kneel on an exposed nail you don't push it into your knee cap.

You'll also want a good insulated watch cap or similar to go under your bucket (aka hardhat). That plastic gets fricken COLD.

You'll also need long johns and some termal undershirts, socks etc.

I'd be going with the composite safety boots not steel as the steel gets cold and stays cold for a LONG time. Make sure you get them a little LOOSE because you will NOT stretch the toe out. If your toe hits the toe cap? You'll get blisters and ruin your toes. As for sox, wear one pair of thin, cotton/spandex mix. Peds makes great pairs with padded toes and heels. Then you'll wear your wool or thermal sox over those, THEN go try on a pair of boots. The 2 pairs of socks will give you a buffer between the leather and your skin.

Gloves: you will want water/weatherproof leather NOT PLASTIC/RUBBER OF ANY KIND. I tried that once and the rubber coating actually attracted the cold. (I kid you not, my hands were colder with the gloves on than off).

You'll also want a balaclava or mask of some sort on the really cold days to protect your face.

I'd also be picking up tinted safety glasses for the sunny days.

Plan on spending about 5 or 6 hundred on everything. Believe me, you do NOT want to scrimp on the insulated clothes. I was framing at -35 and we used hammers instead of pneumatic nailers to keep the blood flowing and stay warm.

When you're stripping the shingles/roof will the GC be supplying the fall arrest harness? If not, you'll need one of those too and they don't come cheap. You'll also need some rope with a breaking strength of about 1,000 lbs. (when you get 180 lbs moving at 20 feet per second during a fall you'd be surprised at how much weight you generate). When you set up the harness don't forget to set it so that the tether will stop you BEFORE you hit the ground lol.
 
Excellent suggestions from tboy and others. In addition, depending on the work you're doing you may need a hi-visibility vest (or coat). If there's a site safety officer you may want to check with him about the mask requirements.

Good luck, and stay safe.
 
Work sucks.

I would wear a shirt with a chick showing her tits
 
tboy is on the money, the only thing I would add in my experience is find the lightest boots you can find.

I like the hiking boot style.

The old "Kodiaks" were so farking heavy that by the end of the day, you'd be wiped just from slugging those boots around.

I also like the boots that have hooks for the top 2 or 3 laces. Makes putting them on and taking them off allot easier. Sadly, these are getting harder and harder to find for some reason.
 
Layer your clothing.... nothing sucks more than wearing a big jacket/ coat and getting too warm only to take it off and be freezing. When it gets cold enough I'll generally wear a t-shirt with 3 hoodies and maybe a vest, pants and an old pair of denim bib overalls, light socks and what has got to be the best winterboot I have ever worn.....

http://www.dunlopboots.com/website/index.php?docid=46&key=
 
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