Uniforms

[Acg128]

Vests all the way.. Company colours and sign written, can't stand t short tan lines!

[Rock Monkey]

I've never in my life found a polo shirt that is comfy or more importantly cool to work in. Horrible things! I think vests are fine as long as they are uniform, branding etc... I wear what's practical. I've suffered heat exhaustion before so if a vest helps to stay cool I'll wear one. Only problem with vests is more sun cream needed!

 

Only bother with hi vis when on roadside/pavement or out in woods when hard to see each other

 

 

 

 

 

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[TGB]

I use dto work for a large org. which had branded uniforms which were a particular easily recognisable colour, (forest green, except where hi-vis was required) across the board but individually suited to the main tasks people were doing. At some point in time, some office prat bigwig decided it would be more cost effective, if all the various uniforms became one colour, one style and bought from one place.

 

After a poll to see which colour, it became two colours, (navy blue and pale blue. Some things got better but most got worse, unless you were a posterior chair polishing guru, (Chair Polisher or CP). The fleeces got warmer but as a trade-off, they were so fleecy, they wore out faster soaked up water & soiled faster than a sponge, whereas the old ones shed water and thus were ease to keep presentable in the field.

 

Trousers went from being good, rugged outdoor clobber with plenty of useable pockets, to having two small pockets, which you couldn't keep car keys in. But hey, they were stylish. Just the sort of thing a CP likes to swank around meetings in.

 

It was also suggested by the office prat bigwig, that safety boots/shoes were necessary but didn't look good, so could their wearer only don them when moving heavy things, then swap back to "... good polished shoes for the rest of the day." Out came the pitchforks; I honestly thought 'the' CP would get lynched before the week's end. I wondered whether lynching was considered as requiring safety boots/shoes during the actual hoisting.

 

Waterproof head gear became knitted wooly hat. Just the sort of thing to keep you comfortable in rain, hail & snow. Especially if you happen to be a CP looking out at the window at the inclement weather.

 

Gloves became a thing of the past, as wearing them would make it difficult to type or use the laser pointer.

 

Coats went from being short, zipped closure with poppers or velco with a detachable hood. To long, almost to the knee, zipped and in some cases buttoned, fixed hood with draw-cords. Just the sort of design nightmare you need, while slogging up a mountain with tools to repair a wall or in the woods doing emergency work in windblown stands or fencing off an eroded footpath across a water-logged field.

 

But when it came to the T-shirts, the hemp rope, faggots & barrels of oil were brought out for the CP. They went from being smooth cotton crewe necked, to the coarsest, heavy canvas like polo shirts with abnormally high colours. I presumed, in case one wished to keep one's ears shielded from the shouts of the baying horde. You'd have been more comfortable wearing a suit if sandpaper. They rubbed & chafed, especially when damp, especially in the back of the neck and under the arms. And seemingly only came in two sizes; ine was a slim shirt length, which restricted the breathing; the other, big enough to get a good lungful of air but so long you were in fear if tripping over the hem.

 

As with so many purchasing agreements in large companies/organisations, the bigwig CP had documented proof, that she had searched high & low for the best price on the best clothing available and had no fiscal connection with the single designated clothing supplier. No, no connection to speak of. She just happened to be happily married to its found, owner and company director.

 

I disliked polo shirts before, I now hate them with a vengeance! Be smart by all means but be comfortable & safe first.

[will.morris]

Vests/singlets are fantastic in summer, especially out here where it's very humid. I don't think they are a bad thing at all. You can have the smartest uniform ever but if your site is a mess and your gear is chucked everywhere then that's what makes you look dodgy. Keep brash under control and neatly laid out cones make a site look far more professional instantly imo.

 

Hi viz clothing I find often makes me overheat so I would personally only wear it on road jobs or larger trees if I called the shots.

[Sully]

I have found with vests that I get scratched to hell with the extra flesh exposed when climbing. definitely cooler though!

[Ian Flatters]

Just would like people's opinion on a couple of points pls.

 

1. Are wife beaters (vests) acceptable as part of a uniform ?

 

2. Should ground staff be wearing hi vis at all times or just when on roads ?

 

 

 

Ta

 

1. All my guys have them but they are sign written up. Personally i think if your too hot, your worrying about being too hot which could allow you to have a mishap. They must start the day in the company t-shirt as well and for driving between sites.

 

2. Depends.

[treequip]

The only time I wore a vest I got burned above my t shirt tan line and scratched to buggery.

 

Not for me thnks

[kev7937]

Well I picked em up today, went for a bright colour so ground staff can be spotted easier from the tree, am a bit undecided tbh how professional they look but at least everyone's in the same thing and they're printed so we don't look like a bunch of rag tag mercenaries.

 

Def a lot cooler and I suppose there's an extra six inches of arm to scratch but will see how they go ..

[hedgesparrow]

i wear a polo shirt made by Jerzees and printed by local printing co i find it very comfy best i have worn and keeps me cool. i tried a singlet but could not get on with it looked a bit unprofessional. but my veiw.

[countrryboy]

Do none of u wear those long sleeved base layer type stuff (like helly hansen etc) i find them quite good all year round as they wick moisture they don't get wet and not too warm if 1 of the thinner ones.

Being long sleeved it stops ur forearms getting scratched to buggery when climbing on chipper and when i was cutting commercial soft woods stopped ur arms being covered in resin (right pain to was off) at the end of a shift as well as protecting from insect/midgey/clegg bites