A lot of our customers contact us about their waterproof clothing and ask us what performance they should specify. 

We talk to them about the garment’s rating under EN343:2019 (you can see an explanation of this standard here).  But what rating should companies specify? 

The answer is different for every organisation.  It depends on the conditions their workers operate in and also on the functionality/budget requirements they have. 

Here’s some pointers to help you find the best rating: 

• Balance the benefits of having the higher ratings with the associated cost/lifetime of the garment.  You need to make sure that a garment is fit your workplace and tasks irrespective of how high the ratings are that they perform to. 

• Sometimes manufacturers remove functionality from garments in order to increase ratings.  This can affect how a garment is used throughout the day (i.e. a lack of pockets etc.). 
• A garment made from a durable material will vary widely from garments made from comfortable fabrics.   Which type of performance you need will be defined by your working environment and the requirements of your operatives. 
• Garments that have excellent breathability ratings tend not to perform as well in cold conditions as they are designed to allow moisture building up inside the jacket to pass out of the jacket and thus increase comfort.  This also allows for the passage of warm air out of the garment. 

We recommend that all organisations run trials with their workforce to determine what rating and/or garment they want. 

Before running this trial it’s important to define what the organisation and employees want from the garments.  What functionality, performance and comfort is required? 

All trials should be benchmarked against these criteria. 

Some of the garments we recommend our customers trial are:  

• Our Gore-Tex Raincoat or Bomber Jacket 
• The Scorpi Breathable Executive Raincoat 
• Our Breathable Unlined Bomber Jacket 

• The Dartmoor Raincoat from the Leo Workwear Range 
• The Marisco High Performance Raincoat from the Leo Workwear Range 

If you want to arrange a trial or discuss your waterproof clothing requirements then give us a shout on 01443 741999 or email us at sales@pksafetyuk.com. 

Alternatively, fill out the below form and we’ll get in touch to set up a workplace trial for you.