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TO TOP OF PAGESome information regarding a fabric visibility........
Higher-Visibility Lime Yellow Garments Offer More Awareness ........
Many men and women work in limited visibility situations: road construction and utility workers, police and emergency medical service personnel, public works employees and airport ramp personnel, to name a few.
These people often perform their jobs where visibility may be reduced due to complex or cluttered backgrounds such as busy construction sites or where weather and other conditions can hamper the rest of us from easily seeing them. Imagine a driver distracted while on his cell phone or changing a music disk in the CD player. How quickly does he notice a pair of roadside workers installing a warning sign?
These workers must be seen and recognized. They need to stand out from the background.
Manufacturers who provide uniforms and other workwear, continue to move to offer items to enhance worker visibility. This now includes the newest advancement - a lime yellow color to make workers more conspicuous to the public at large, as well as to each other.
Why lime yellow? Worker safety organizations such as the Am. National Standards institute, Inc. and Occupational Safety and Health Admin. have learned that colors such as lime yellow, florescent yellow green and strong yellow green offer a higher visibility.
A 50/50 cotton/polyester sweatshirt, while not florescent, affords a bright color, called safety green, that can make the wearer more conspicuous. Vests with reflective tape are also readily available.
How can we help keep your workers safe?
LOOK FOR SOME POLYESTER CONTENT IN HIGH-COTTON FLEECE
Fleece made of 100% cotton tends to be highly flammable.
Its napped fabric runs a greater risk of igniting than does jersey material.
Incorporating a small percentage of polyester, or applying
other fabric treatments like garment washing, generally reduce a garment's
flammability. U.S. consumer protection laws mandate that all domestically
manufactured fleece must meet rigorous flammability standards established by the
American society for Testing. Material Testing requires that fabric be cut
into strips, placed in a special oven, and exposed to fire. If the fabric
ignites in less than seven seconds, it fails the test.
Fabric content of most heavyweight fleece garments
consists of three blends: 95% cotton and 5% polyester; 80% cotton and 20%
polyester; 50% cotton and 50% polyester. Typically 50/50 blends boast a softer
hand and less shrinkage, whereas high-cotton fabrics appeal to consumers who
value natural fibers. Turning the fleece inside out helps to assure you the nap
has a consistent appearance - not splotchy or uneven.
PILL-FREE PRODUCTS
While the high cotton blends naturally combat pilling, few
manufacturers offer a pill-free 50/50. In spinning this special 50/50 fabric, an
air-jet process tightens the yarn's outer wrap and secures loose fibers. If a
50/50 blend is fabricated using a technique other than the air-jet method,
cotton pills will form on the garment, attached by strong polyester fibers.
WEIGHT
Heavyweight fleece normally ranges between 9 and 10.5 ozs.
per square yard. In general, the greater the ounces per square yard, the more
warmth the garment will provide.
FABRIC LOFT
A fabric's loft relates to its resilience,
firmness, and thickness, rather than weight. A "Three-end fleece" -
made with different types of yarn for the surface, napped side, and middle layer
- results in a more solid construction than does "two-end" fleece,
which only incorporates a face yarn and a backing yarn.
Depending on the fabric type, three-end fleece's extra layer
adds loft. The amount of bulk on fleece's napped side measures its loft.
When comparing brands, hold two garments of lighter shades up
to the light. Three-end fleece should be less transparent than the two-end.
TWO-NEEDLE CONSTRUCTION
To create a finished appearance and reinforce the seams, look
for two-needle cover-seaming. This is used mostly on collars, shoulders, bottom,
armholes and cuffs.
Also, resilient Lycra rib trim fends off bagginess and helps
the garment's neck, sleeves, and waistband retain their shape.
GARMENT INVESTMENT
Your investment in higher-end fleece will pay off
every time it is worn by your employees or clients. The higher quality of a
sweatshirt, the more it is likely to be worn - and with your logo embroidered or
silk screened on it.