International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) is intended to remember all those killed at or by work, and to strengthen our resolve to reduce risks and protect people from injury in the workplace.

The origins of International Workers Memorial Day

International Workers’ Memorial Day originated in Canada. 28 April was chosen for International Workers Memorial Day as it is the anniversary of the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the USA and also commemorates the day that 28 people were killed in a construction incident in Connecticut. Since 1989 trade unions in the USA, UK, Asia, Europe and Africa have organised events on and around 28 April. IWMD was adopted by the Scottish TUC in 1993, followed by the TUC in 1999.

Events are held on the day to commemorate those who have died whilst at work. The intention is to focus and reflect on workplace illness, injury and death and their causes. It is hoped that the events will appeal to everyone.

Take a moment to think about those who have lost their lives through their work and  think about what you can do to protect yourself, your workers and your colleagues.

Courtesy of the Health and Safety Executive – click here

The Howsafe Workwear Store based in Peterborough also has its own dedicated Ebay shop. Within the Ebay online shop you will find a huge selection of discontinued lines and unwanted special orders. Most of the garments are discounted heavily to clear at prices often less than cost.

Please note that the stock is not held at the Howsafe premises so deliveries will be via post and all communication will be via the Ebay messaging service.

Don’t forget to check back in on a regular basis as stock is added daily.

To back up our discounted products on the Howsafe Ebay shop we also have within our showroom sale products, so why not call down to the Howsafe Workwear Store today to see what bargains you can pick up.

Cambridgeshires premier safety, workwear and cleaning supplies distributor.

Click here to go to the Ebay shop

You may have noticed that safety footwear is marked with the EN345  or EN ISO 20345:2004. To assist in you buying the right specification safety footwear other markings are applied. The markings are commonly found on the tongue or stitched/printed into the inside of the upper.

Standard safety boots and shoes – the most common markings

SB – The SB marking defines the minimum standard of having a 200 joule safety toecap

S1 – Adds anti-static properties and a shock absorption system in the heel area of the footwear

S2 – As SB and S1 with the addition of a water resistant treated upper (please note: not necessarily waterproof)

S3 – As SB/S1/S2 with the addition of a midsole for underfoot protection

S1P – just to confuse slightly S1P adds underfoot protection to SB/S1 specification

SBP – and SBP adds underfoot protection to SB specification

So you can see from above that an S3 specification boot or shoe has all the main ingredients to make it suitable for a wide variety of tasks. Many of the styles within the Howsafe range are S3 specification.

Other markings of note are

HRO – heat resistant out soles are commonly made of rubber/nitrile and are rated to 300 degree centigrade which makes then suitable for use in many environments such as general engineering where hot swarf may be present. Most types of foundry require HRO’s to be used in conjunction with safety footwear that features a quick release mechanism.

SRA – Anti slip test using a cermic tile and detergent

SRB – Anti slip test using a steel plate with oil

SRC – if safety footwear passes both the SRA and SRB anti slip tests it qualifies for the SRC highest anti slip rating.

For footwear made up of rubber or polyurethane such as wellingtons have their own “S” ratings.

SB – feature a 200 joule toecap

S4 – SB with the addition of energy absorbing heal and anti static properties

S5 – as S4 plus underfoot protection

Beyond that there are other EN markings – EN346 is used for footwear that has a lower protection of 100 joules on the toecap and although is rare these days can be found on some office styles.

EN347 – Styles with EN347 are NOT required to have a safety toecap – these “occupational styles” are commonly used for professional use within the workplace such as health care where a safety toe is not deemed necessary.

Going even further, rescue services, chemical industries, electricians, electrical discharge for hi-tech industries and chainsaw (to name a few special categories) users all have footwear that is made specifically for the intended purpose. Howsafe will work closely with you in conjunction with the footwear manufacturer to make sure you have the right footwear on your feet.

For further information please contact Howsafe the Peterborough based Workwear Store – it may also be worth checking out the HSE website.

Three out of the four pictures look fairly similar products don’t they? How do we identify which is a safety helmet and which is a bump cap. The simple answer is to check out the EN marking.

To clarify a safety helmet (hard hat) is designed to protect the wearer from falling objects. As  helmets look similar to some types of bump caps it is important to look for the marking EN397 – if it has this marking you are assured it is a safety helmet.

Bump caps can appear in two different forms – the first looks very similar to a safety helmet,  if you are used to handling both it is obvious to most which is which – they are usually lighter and more flexible in the hands and are designed to be easily wiped clean which makes them very suitable for the food industry. The second type of bump cap takes the appearance of a baseball cap but upon closer inspection you will see an internal protective liner.

Bump caps should only be used to protect against accidental bumping or scraping of the head – for instance working underneath a vehicle. Both types of bump caps can be identified by the EN812 marking.

For further information please call 01733 560669 or pop down the Peterborough based workwear store in the heart of Cambridgeshire.

The trouble with most hearing protection is that you have to remove it to have a conversation – here is the solution!

Peltor Push To Listen – For increased safety and performance

Peltor presents a whole new series of passive hearing protectors with a manual listening function. Now you can have the best noise attenuation in your working environment when you need it, but still be able to hear speech, warning cries and signals.

NO MORE LIFTING OFF YOUR HEARING PROTECTORS
Many people who use regular hearing protectors lift them off completely when they need to hear something. That means they no longer have 100% protection. The Peltor Optime Push To Listen improves protection by ensuring that the ears are never exposed to to harmful noise levels. Everyone can afford a Push To Listen hearing protector – it doesn´t cost much more than a  regular, non electronic hearing protector. Listen when you want and be protected when you need it.

PRESS THE BUTTON – AND JUST LISTEN
A simple press of a button on the outside of the shell lets you communicate while maintaining your hearing protection. Hear speech and sounds clearly and safely. The new hearing protectors are naturally just as easy to restore after use. Just press the button again. If you forget to switch the hearing protection back on, the unit does so automatically after 30 seconds. All commands follow a logical pattern and are easy to perform. Usually, one run-through with the manual is sufficient to learn the settings.

To view a sample of the Push to Listen ear defender either call into the Peterborough based Workwear Store or call on 01733 560669.

As many long standing customers know, Howsafe based in Peterborough have always used their own embroidery machines to apply your company or club name to our stock range of workwear.

This enables us to control the speed of delivery and closely monitor the quality, ultimately providing our customers with a better service.

Once your design is setup and saved within our system it can be applied to our huge range of industrial workwear and corporate clothing allowing you to call off extra garments at any time.

For a limited period only Howsafe are providing FREE embroidery – see “news” for further details – offer may be ended at any time so please talk with us today.

Not only that but we can also deliver FOC to your business premises located within many areas of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire – for delivery locations click here

For a FREE help guide on what to consider when looking to invest in workwear with embroidery click here

Just in case you are unsure where to find Howsafe we have created an additional map with some local companies on.

Howsafe are located just off Edgerley Drain Road between T.C Harrisons the Ford dealership and Motorpoint the car superstore.

For further details and a google map please click here

For opening times click here

Workwear Embroidered FREE in Peterborough – want to know more?

Time is upon us to remove the coats, fleeces and waterproofs and start looking at a range of clothing more suitable for the hopefully warm summer ahead.

Howsafe are delighted to be able to offers its customers for a limited period of time FREE embroidery onto our stock range of workwear garments.

The terms and conditions are incredibly simple:

1. Minimum order £100

2. Only applies to clothing purchased at our trade prices (not items that are already on special offer, sale or discounted prices)

3. Logo size to be no bigger than 6000 stitches (most logo’s we do are well within this – if your design is over there may be small additional charges)

and that’s it – no catch or hidden charges. Simply call into our workwear store, select and try on workwear to the value of £100 and we will take care of the rest.

All you need to do is bring some quality artwork with you – if possible in digitial form on a memory stick, CD or via email (if you dont have this don’t worry we may well be able to work from printed designs)

If you are located anywhere in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire or Norfolk the Howsafe Workwear Store is the place to visit for your FREE embroidered workwear.

For directions to the Howsafe Workwear Store Click Here

Only footwear that passes both SRA and SRB slip resistant tests qualifies for the highest SRC rating.

When working in areas that are prone to slips, one of the safety measures that should be considered is the correct selection of safety footwear. Many newer styles have been tested to the SR type test – the Howsafe range is jam packed with styles that have the prestigious rating.

The tests

* SRA – tested on ceramic tile wetted with dilute soap solution;
* SRB – tested on smooth steel with glycerol;
* SRC – tested under both the above conditions.

As you can see from the above the SRA test is simulating food handling, office and medical types of environment and the SRB test is looking for slip resistance in a more of an engineering, offshore type environment. Therefore if you buy footwear that passes both the SRA and SRB tests = qualifies for the SRC rating you can be sure your footwear will grip well in many situations across your places of work.

If you need to buy safety footwear that really grips you need to be talking to the Howsafe Workwear Store based in Peterborough.

More information can be found on the Health and Safety Executive website click here

For more information on SRC safety footwear and how it can help you prevent slips, trips and falls in the workplace please call and ask to talk with your Account Manager.

The home of workwear in Cambridgeshire.

If you need a workwear makeover Howsafe are the people to talk to – that is exactly what local gym Universal Fitness did.

Harvey’s Universal Fitness Centre (that’s Harvey on the left) was established in 2003. Bourne’s premier health club changed location in 2008 to offer a wider range of facilities for the ever growing population.

Having built a solid reputation based on providing a well equipped gym with knowledgeable, experience staff; the Universal Fitness Centre now offers a full class timetable, luxurious members only sauna room, ladies only fitness suite, Power Plate, relaxation area and one of the best equipped gyms in the area.

Owner Harvey worked closely with Howsafe to provide a sharp new workwear look – as you can see the owner and staff look “the business”

Don’t forget that Howsafe deliver reguarly with our own transport to all customers in and around the areas of Bourne, Stamford, Market Deeping and Spalding.

Howsafe use their own embroidery machines to create high quality logo’s for a lot less than you might think.

To find out ways in which you can improve your company workwear image please call 01733 560669.