Providing electrician work shirts and uniforms to your team may seem like an afterthought compared to all the other business decisions you juggle. But the shirts and uniforms worn by electricians present an opportunity for you to promote your business and protect your employees.
How your electrician technicians look in the field says a lot about the type of service your customers can expect.
There are two main goals that electrician work shirts and uniforms can achieve: brand awareness and functionality/safety. Spoiler alert: you can achieve both for your employees!
We’re here to assist you in your quest for the best shirts and uniforms for electricians. In this article we will cover the two most important categories for work shirts and uniforms:
- Promotional: Why shirts and uniforms can be a great way to introduce and promote your brand and business while brining your team closer together
- Functional: The types of clothing and materials electricians should e wear for safety and comfort
1. Promotional Brand Awareness
Purchasing electrician work shirts with your logo is a must-have for your business. And each of your electricians should have multiple shirts and uniforms so they aren’t constantly washing and wearing them out.
Make a Great First and Lasting Impression
Like a business card, an electrician in a uniform is the first impression your business makes on your customer.
How do you want your electricians to represent the business? If a technician rolls up to a job with a wrinkled, dirty, unbranded shirt, the customer is more likely to expect sloppy work.
Conversely, if your electrician arrives in a clean shirt with a professional logo and a smile on their face, your customer will be likely impressed with their professionalism. Your techs will be off to a great start!
Focus on your entire brand when considering shirts in regards to the color and logo. Consistent brand messaging through colors, fonts, etc. is important when trying to stand out from everyone else. Here are a few ways to keep your brand consistent:
- Stay Consistent with Colors: Pick 1-3 colors that align with your brand for all of your electrician work shirts or uniforms. Unless your brand has a bright color that is used consistently in advertising, it’s often best to pick standard colors that are easy to purchase: black, white, gray or navy blue, for example. If your team works in commercial environments, you may also provide your team a high-visibility option, like neon yellow or orange.
- Make Your Logo Pop: Make sure your logo contrasts with whatever color your uniforms are – this will allow your logo to pop and be easy to read. For example, a dark gray logo on a black shirt may not be noticeable, but a white logo on a black shirt would catch your customer’s eye.
- Pick Your Placement: Try to keep your logo the same size and placement on all shirts or uniforms – a smaller logo on the left side of the chest is most common and catches the eye.
2. Functionality: Safety and Comfort
While you need to make sure your techs look good, you also need to make sure they are safe on the job. Let’s face it – your electricians are working a difficult, hands-on job that requires a lot of physical labor. You want to provide an environment for your employees that is both safe and comfortable.
Ensuring they are protected from spark and fire risks while remaining comfortable will let your employees know that you value them and give them added security.
The Best Materials to Protect Electricians
What type of material is best for electrician work shirts? The best choice is 100% cotton work shirts because cotton is less likely to ignite as quickly as other materials.
Flame retardant and resistant cotton clothing is also available and provides even more safety for your electricians.
Here are a few other safety considerations:
Nylon and other synthetics should be avoided due to their higher risk of melting and causing severe burns. OSHA prohibits these types of materials.
- Logos or custom shirts should be embroidered, iron on logos can melt and may present a danger to electricians.
- If you offer branded long-sleeve options or sweatshirts, make sure you only provide crew-neck designs. Drawstrings on hoodies can get tangled in wires or catch on fire easily.
Hazard Risk Categories
If your team works on large commercial or high-voltage projects, it’s important to ensure your team’s apparel aligns with the appropriate hazard risk category.
OSHA uses arc flash risk to issue hazard categories for protective clothing for electricians.
These categories are listed on a scale from level 0 to 4 based on safety risk to the electrician. Level 0 poses little to no risk, while level 4 indicates extreme risk.
These requirements vary depending on the types of electrician jobs (construction site standard gear vs oil rig full body suites, for example).
- HRC 0 doesn’t protect from any arc flash situations. These are your normal work clothes: single layer of clothing that includes a long-sleeved shirt, pants, etc.
- HRC 1 requires one PPE (personal protectant equipment) layer. This includes an arc-rated FR shirt, FR pants or an FR coverall.
- HRC 2 requires up to two layers of PPE. Includes arc-rated FR shirt and pants or coveralls.
- HRC 3 calls for two to three layers of PPE. This includes an arc flash suit and an arc-rated FR shirt and pants/coverall.
- HRC 4 requires the same clothing for electricians as HRC 3 and with three to four layers of PPE.
Workwear Examples
Now that we have identified the brand awareness and functionality aspects of electrician work shirts and uniforms let’s take a look at some of the brands known for selling electrician clothing.
- Bulwark: This clothing manufacturer offers flame resistant protective shirts, pants, vests and more for electricians.
- Mascot: This business offers a full line of workwear for electricians including trousers equipped with thigh and holster pockets and padded knee pad pockets if you are going to spend a lot of time in a kneeling position.
- Berne Apparel This is another high quality flame resistant collection including jeans, coveralls and jackets.
FieldEdge Software is your Next Upgrade
Make sure your techs are also equipped with the tools they need to succeed. Book a fieldedge demo to see how we can help electricians while on the job.
Your Electricians are now Dressed for Success!
Today we covered the benefits of electrician work shirts and uniforms. You now should have a better handle on:
- Choosing the best branded clothing for your business: promoting your business as professionals that are ready to jump in and get the job done
- Identifying the types of safety flame resistant clothing for your particular needs. When the job heats up, your electricians will be ready!
