Over the past ten years, the construction industry has been booming with a female presence. Designers, workers, and employers have had to adjust to these changes. They need to provide women with a peaceful and secure work environment and provide the best professional construction clothing.
As you may already know, safety comes first in a construction work environment. Consequently, we have come up with this guide to help you know what you need and why you need women’s construction work clothes.
There is quite a lot of effort that comes with dressing up for construction work. However, with this break down you can handle each piece of women’s industrial workwear perfectly.
Women’s Construction Work Clothes and Industrial Workwear – A Complete Buyers’ Guide
Boots
I am glad that these days, women’s boot sizing is not a problem like it used to be back then. Boots are one of the construction attire you cannot miss in your closet.
They shield your feet from sunlight, debris, bumps, heat, and cuts. I believe you know how indispensable your feet are to your everyday life, so they deserve to wear long-lasting and fitting boots.
As far as construction fashion footwear is concerned, leather material is essential to bring on the durability aspect. Most work boots have a sturdy leather surface with a middle cushion to absorb shock and heat.
Also, most workers prefer leather boots because they are easy to wipe and have non-stain properties. Other construction work attire boots include features such as:
- Shanks and steel toes for added protection.
- Oil-resistant outsoles for non-slip traction
- Durable water repellency to protect the boots and other elements from absorbing water.
- Non-conductive material to prevent electric shock.
However, steel-toed boots may not be conducive during winter because they may rust.
Work Pants
I do not think women’s work pants are much of a problem because the sizing is similar to your regular fitting measurements. Workwear jeans women are most suitable for manual work because they are hard-wearing.
You can be sure that nails, wires, or other particles will not penetrate your women’s fieldwork pants. It would be best if your wear women’s industrial pants that are not too tight because you will be up and about most of the day.
However, if you are working at the management level, jeans are more of casual wear. You should limit wearing jeans to days when you are not doing office work unless it is part of the construction site dresscode.
In these cases, you can wear cotton duck canvas and flannel pants because they are both protective and formal women’s work clothes materials.
I have seen that working clothing stores have begun creating work pants for women with leg zippers. They save your time when going to the toilet because it may take a lot of time to get past your overall to the women’s workwear pants.
They are a revolutionary add-on to your construction workwear. Here are additional features for the best women’s construction workpants and best women’s utility workpants:
- Tool pockets.
- Double knees with openings to clean out debris known as clean-out bottoms. They are known as women’s breathable work pants.
- Extra or wider belt loops to support the additional weight of tools.
Work Gloves
You need to consider women’s workwear gloves depending on the fitting and material. Unlike common winter gloves, women’s workwear gloves are not made of woolen.
Instead, they have leather or cotton duck materials because you will use them for abrasive jobs. The gloves have an inner lining of woolen to keep you comfortable and firm on your hands.
An inner lining of nylon would be dangerous because it can easily slide off your hands.
An impeccable fitting for your construction site fashion gloves is essential because of your grip. Since construction involves a lot of lifting, you need to have the proper-sized gloves.
Your gloves should be not too small such that you can move your fingers flexibly and not too large that they cannot slip off your hands.
Leather and cotton duck materials are wear-resistant. Therefore, your gloves can stay in perfect condition for a long time.
Construction Jackets
Just like your usual jacket, your construction worker attire jacket should first of all be a perfect fit. You do not want to wear something that could easily fall off while moving around.
A baggy jacket can also hook into construction materials. However, the female construction attire jacket should not be too tight for you to move your arms. You may end up tearing it apart.
Most construction jackets have an inner lining of polyester, nylon, or fleece because they reduce sweating.
Material such as flannel would not be nice because it can get dirty quickly, consequently becomes difficult to wash. In seasons such as summer, a construction jacket may not be necessary, especially if you have an overall on top.
However, you must invest in a perfect construction jacket because of the cold seasons. As you know, you have to show up for work regardless of the weather.
Good thing workwear manufacturers consider weather seasons when manufacturing clothes. Denim and synthetic material make the best construction jacket.
Accessories
Accessories are not essential as part of construction site attire, but they complete your look. Mostly, belts and watches are what women and even men wear on construction sites.
I have not mentioned rings, necklaces, and bracelets because they could be hazardous to your work experience.
Can you imagine your jewelry piece getting stuck on the construction tools? It could harm you plus destroy the working equipment.
Black leather belts are the best recommendation because they are versatile and stylish. They go well with any pants material you are wearing; denim, khaki, cotton duck.
They complete a construction site outfit. Also, leather is wear-resistant and waterproof. That means you do not have to worry about ruining your belt on the construction site.
As for watches, I would also recommend leather types because of the same reasons as the belt. However, the screen should have combinational material besides glass to prevent it from breaking after getting smashed.
You can also use rubber watches because they are wear-resistant and waterproof. Generally, watches are suitable for construction casual clothing.
Work Vests
Work vests have bright colors to make them conspicuous on the construction site. They usually have the construction company stamp logos to indicate the specific company that you are working in.
The vests may sometimes have name stickers to help the manager identify the names of the workers on the site. Therefore, work vests can help you identify the workers on the site.
Additionally, work vests have insulation properties to keep you warm when it is too hot to wear a jacket. During winter, you can wear it beneath the construction jacket to keep you warm.
Other benefits include; they have large pockets where you can keep your tools. Also, the large sleeveless arms make your arms more mobile for more movement on the job.
Work Shorts
You can find them in similar materials as the workwear pants women above. You can wear women’s workwear shorts on jobs that are less intensive such as landscaping and roofing.
However, it is best to wear your overalls in case you scrap your knees/ legs.
Work Hats
Construction sites have an obligation to ensure that each construction worker wears a work hat, particularly a hard hat.
Construction workers, miners, rock climbers, and other manual workers wear them because of the risk involved.
Hard hats are responsible for preventing physical impact when a person comes into contact with hard surfaces, debris, rain, collisions, and electric shocks.
The shell of the hat has a curved shape to counter the falling effect of any material on someone’s head. Some hats have recently added a gutter-like shape to cause any rain or water drops to fall towards the front of one’s head.
The work hats are light with fastening bands on each side to evenly distribute the weight of the hat on the head.
Since hard hats should shield the wearer from impacts, they have hard-wearing construction. The designers use metal, fiberglass, and hard plastic.
Rigid plastic is the most common because it is non-conductive plus it is lightweight. There are additional accessories on the hats.
They include flashlights, mirrors, ear protectors, and many more. You can choose a hard hat with additional accessories in a work clothing store.
Sunglasses and Safety Glasses
Sunglasses and safety glasses are primarily for eye protection. Sunglasses are common with the larger population since people wear them on different occasions.
They shield your eyes from sunlight and consequently ultraviolet rays that are harmful to your skin.
Doing outdoor work, you are exposed to high levels of sunlight, therefore as worker dresses to work, they should forget their sunglasses.
Construction works, factory workers, lab technicians, and machinists wear safety glasses. They prevent any kind of debris from entering their eyes.
They cover your eyes entirely to prevent any penetration either from the front or side. Commonly, they have silicon bands towards the back to keep them in place for as long as you are working.
This is the difference between them and sunglasses. Although sunglasses and safety glasses have a common purpose, safety glasses are ideal for construction workers.
They shield even the side of your eyes. Therefore, as a construction worker, you should get a pair of safety glasses as part of your workwear.
Work Socks
Designers have created women’s work clothing socks to go together with construction footwear. Although they are not very different from your usual socks, they have some additional features.
Work socks are non-slip to ensure that your feet stay in place every time you wear them. Additionally, they have heat-resistant properties so that your feet stay in perfect condition.
They have small air particles to provide consistent airflow in your feet. On top of the mid-cushioning in your boots, work socks provide extra cushioning against shock.
It is important to reinforce thicker socks during winter to prevent your feet from freezing.
Thermal Underwear
As the word suggests, thermal underwear is useful to keep you warm. You can have used them in the winter season to add an extra layer of warmth beneath your construction work clothes.
You can get them in flannel and synthetic materials as long as it offers insulation. Also, the material should be moisture-wicking ensuring your comfort throughout the day.
Thermal underwear can be lightweight, medium weight, or heavyweight depending on what you need.
Coveralls and Overalls
Coveralls are crucial for every construction work. You need to plaster walls, paint surfaces, drill nails, fix floors, and carry stones and sand and do countless demanding jobs.
Overalls not only prevent your workwear for women from getting dirty but also insulates your body against cold. They also have triple stitching to keep them in good condition for the longest time.
Here are some of the features in workwear women’s overalls:
- Two-way leg zippers open to the waist, making it effortless to wear them and take them off with work boots on.
- Utility pockets, hammer loops, and tool pockets that keep essential items within your reach.
- Double knees -an added fabric layer over the knees to cushion your knees from getting hurt.
- Internal storm cuffs to maintain heat.
The Best Workwear Materials
It may seem like most construction, carpenter, logger or work-intensive clothes only focuses on safety and ruggedness.
However, the worker’s comfort should also be a priority since they will spend almost half of their day in women’s construction work clothes.
We will provide a breakdown of the ideal work outfits fabric. It explains why the worker clothes stores use them and the materials to prioritize depending on your area of work.
Cotton Duck
You may have come across this material since it is often used in tent and shoemaking, and packaging sandbags. Most of the military equipment is of this material due to its adhesiveness.
The word duck hails from the Dutch word ‘deok’ which means fine linen. Cotton is combined with duck to make the material thicker and also differentiate it from plain duck.
Cotton duck is used in manufacturing construction clothes of dark colors such as khaki, brown, jungle green, and tan. These colors are resistant to getting dirty or revealing stains on the various work clothes for women.
Cotton duck has several benefits:
- Heat resistant- unlike nylon, cotton duck can handle extreme heat and remain in its usual state. This also prevents your skin from absorbing too much sunlight that could threaten your health. Therefore, the cotton duck would be perfect for welders.
- Resistant to tearing or wearing out it has a smooth surface that can barely grab on to something that may be sticking out. Also, it is hard for a sharp object to penetrate.
- It does not require unique procedures while washing it.
The downside of cotton duck is that it may be uncomfortable to wear on the first day. Its adhesiveness can only get softer as you continue washing while wearing it.
You could choose to wear something lighter beneath to manage the discomfort.
Denim
Denim is a common fabric for jeans, shirts, and jackets across workwear clothing stores. It can endure high temperatures and hardly wears out.
However, compared to cotton duck, it is less resistant to damage and heat since it’s a lighter fabric.
Even so, I love it because it is comfortable, looks stylish, and is all-season wear. Denim wear is suitable for construction managers who need to handle both office work and physical work.
Denim jeans and tops are the best options as far as construction and manual work are concerned. I have to admit that denim makes some of the best women’s work pants.
Flannel
Flannel is popular as working clothes stores widely use it on other clothes besides workwear. Since it is 100% cotton, people prefer to wear it any time of the day, even while sleeping. You can tell that it’s comfortable, hence easy to work with every day.
It would be best for you to wear its long-sleeved shirts and flannel-lined pants. They have been an indispensable part of outdoor workwear for the longest time and during the autumn and winter seasons.
Synthetics
Synthetics include nylon and polyester that you are familiar with. Over time, synthetics have become common in construction fashion because they are light, easy to wash, easy to manufacture, and cheap.
Although, we cannot say that they are essentially protective as they are light. Therefore, outdoor workers wear them as vests and base layers.
Additionally, workwear for women manufacturers have begun making coveralls with multiple layers of nylon.
Leather
Leather is common for its durability features. It hails from the processing skin hides, hence its hard-wearing properties. Designers use it for making work gloves, boots, and construction jackets.
Since leather is not heat-absorbent, the clothes and shoes have inner linings to cool the heat effect. It is difficult for any particles, wind, or water to penetrate through leather, hence its popular use.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
Q. What Do Construction Workers Wear?
A. We will break down this question into two for clarification.
How to dress for construction?
The best way to dress for construction is by first considering your safety. Safety, in terms of safeguarding your body from construction site accidents. Construction is heavy-duty manual work that requires utmost care because your body is entirely involved.
Here are some of the things you should also consider.
- Possibility of getting dirty.
- The work you are doing.
- Your work environment.
What to wear on a construction site?
- Heavy-duty boots (commonly leather).
- Construction work gloves.
- Hard hats to guard your head against impacts.
- Safety glasses with side coverage.
- Sturdy work pants (can be jeans or cotton duck).
- Perfectly fitting construction jackets.
- Overalls (preferably zipped and triple stitched).
Q. What to Wear to a Construction Site Visit?
- Rigid legwear such as jeans.
- Long-sleeved shirt.
- Well-fitting jacket if it is cold.
- Hard-soled boots.
- Hard cap.
- Safety glasses.
- Safety vest with reflective tape.
Q. What Should a Woman Wear to a Construction Interview?
The best outfit for a construction interview is a casual
- Skirts- should be of neutral colors with their height below your knee.
- Pants- wear darks slacks.
- Shoes- leather.
- Jacket- casual jacket over a suit blazer.
- Shirt- buttoned-down and long-sleeved to look formal.
What to avoid.
- Patterned skirts or tops- let them be plain.
- Sleeveless tops make you look unprofessional.
- Dirty or unkempt clothes/ shoes.
- Messy hair or nails.
- Exaggerated accessories- stick to the essential ones and those that go with your clothes.
Q. What Should a Female Construction Project Manager Wear?
A. I would say that the perfect female construction project manager attire is fit for both office work and site work. For this, you need to wear pants most of the time instead of dresses or skirts.
You can try wearing women’s work pants high-waisted since they look more professional. A denim or flannel shirt that matches your pants.
Also, your shoes need to be closed and flat to avoid accidents on the site. However, you can carry extra shoes to switch when going to the office or construction site.
The bottom line for all of these requirements is that a construction project manager’s wardrobe must include neutral colors. They include beige, navy blue, black, and different shades of brown.
Final Words
I love the fact that we are paying attention to Women’s Construction Work Clothes and Industrial Workwear, an uncommon topic.
I hope you feel encouraged and embrace a sense of belonging in your career. Also, I hope the suggestions in this reading have helped you know a little bit more about choosing the right workwear.
The requirements may be overwhelming at first but you can begin by choosing the most essential women’s industrial workwear.
Do not forget to pay attention to the features and material of the clothes and boots. With everything included, I believe you can establish a clear sense of style that above everything else resonates with you.
