UniFirst: 5 Safety Benefits of Renting Uniforms

A business operating in a high-risk industry, like manufacturing, transportation, or healthcare, relies on uniforms as a first layer of employee protection on the job. The right uniform can help reduce contamination, protect employees against sparks or arc flash dangers, or promote visibility in low-light working conditions, ultimately helping reduce the number of workplace accidents. 

Running a uniform program in-house can be expensive, time-consuming, and a challenge to maintain safety compliance standards. Instead, renting workwear uniforms can help businesses take a proactive approach to worker safety while ensuring they stay updated on compliance regulations. Here are five safety benefits of renting work uniforms.

1.Damage can be caught and corrected early

A uniform provider performs routine inspections on employee uniforms to catch safety issues before they create a workplace incident. These routine checks look for broken clasps, loose buttons, or fabric wear and tear that could pose a potential safety risk to the employee or the customers they serve. 

Uniform rental companies don’t just find the problem; they fix it. If the uniform is too damaged, they’ll replace it. This proactive maintenance can help prevent injuries and ensure that employees consistently have access to safe and functional clothing on the job.

2.Proper cleaning may reduce cross-contamination risks

In industries where hygiene and cleanliness are essential, like food service and healthcare, properly cleaned uniforms can help minimize the spread of contaminants. When cleaning responsibilities fall to individual employees, there is no guarantee that uniforms are washed to appropriate standards. 

Renting uniforms from a company that cleans them regularly may help reduce contamination risks or exposure to harmful chemicals, thanks to professional laundering processes. Commercial laundering can also be a more environmentally friendly way to clean work uniforms, using wash formulas that combine high-temperature water with the right amount of detergent in order to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria that can be found on garments, especially in the healthcare and food industries

3.Uniforms meet compliance regulations

Safety and compliance standards often change based on updated research, new technologies, or changes to regulatory guidelines. Staying current with these updates can be challenging for businesses already managing complex operations. 

Uniform rental providers specialize in industry-specific safety requirements. Whether it involves flame-resistant (FR) clothing that meets NFPA standards or high-visibility apparel that complies with ANSI regulations, uniform companies help businesses remain compliant by supplying workwear that is up-to-date and properly maintained.

4.Regular maintenance helps promote safety features

Certain uniforms are designed with special features like flame-resistant fabrics or high-visibility striping that have to be properly maintained to retain protective qualities. When individual employees frequently wash these uniforms with the wrong detergents or fail to maintain them, it can cause protective elements to degrade over time and potentially make those uniforms less reliable on the job. 

A uniform rental company understands how to properly care for the various types of protective clothing. They have certain laundering and maintenance protocols that help maintain the integrity of a uniform’s finish and ensure the workwear continues to meet its protective properties for as long as possible.

5.Employees can get flexible access to specialized safety gear

A team working a contract job doing road maintenance at night may only need high-visibility workwear, like vests, for a set period. Instead of the company investing in the high-visibility gear and not using it again after the contract expires, a uniform company may allow a business to do a short-term rental. This can help ensure worker safety without requiring the business to invest in unnecessary inventory that may not be used again. 

The bottom line 

Working with a trusted uniform provider to roll out a uniform rental program can be a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective way for a business to enhance worker safety without taking on the responsibility of managing a program in-house. From preserving the integrity of protective workwear to keeping up with regulatory changes, renting uniforms has numerous safety benefits that can minimize risk for the employee and reduce financial and administrative strain on the business. 

Contact Information:

Name: Sonakshi Murze

Email: [email protected]

Job Title: Manager