Protecting welders from head to toe has long been the mantra of many protective gear manufacturers, but today these manufacturers are making that protection available in lighter-weight and more comfortable materials. In addition, designs now keep worker comfort at center stage.

"We have come out with a lot of new products that are ergonomically designed," says Sara Lippold, marketing coordinator for Jackson Products, a 65-yearold company that offers a complete line of welding protection products as well as protection products for other industries. "For instance, our hearing protectors are design to fit the shape of the ear, so there is a better seal, which means you not only have better hearing protection, but it's a better feel."

Even traditional heavy leather gear is now being designed to reduce its weight and afford the user as much protection as necessary. In Steiner Industries' line, for example, capes, sleeves, and bibs provide a maximum amount of protection to the upper body, but the back and lower torso are left open to keep the user cool and comfortable.

Many types of protective gear, such as shoes and boots, while flame-resistant and lightweight, also incorporate air systems into their designs that allow air to circulate under the foot for more comfort, while using features like mini shock absorbers under the heel to reduce stress to the body.

Like helmets, technology is also starting to find its way into more traditional protective gear. Take Jackson Products' new earmuff, the Falcon, as an example. This electronic earmuff actually has an Active Listening technology that amplifies low-level sounds such as speech while compressing the loud noise found in many work environments. Hearing is protected, yet the user is also able to hear important work or safety directions.

The company has also introduced a new antifog technology for goggles which is incorporated into a line called Revolution Goggles.

As far as protective clothing and material are concerned, both pigskin and deerskin have long been staples of manufacturers of leather protective-wear, and there are those traditionalists who will always prefer natural materials. But these materials are giving way to synthetic materials that offer greater protection as well as more comfort for the user.

Where high-tech hand protection and materials are concerned, Kevlar ^® is perhaps the best fiber on the market because of its cut resistance. Kevlar is about seven times more cut-resistant than cotton (on an equal weight basis) and is even more cut-resistant than leather.

"So it enables us to make a glove that can replace leather in a lot of cases," says Dirk Maust, national product sales manager for Optrel from Bacou-Dalloz. "It is a lot more pliable, a lot more flexible. It breathes. It can be laundered."

Synthetic materials such as Kevlar allow manufacturers to offer some real comfort when it comes to protective gear, while offering properties like heat and fire resistance, cut resistance, and puncture resistance.

When used in a protective sleeve, the material also offers the added benefit of allowing slag to just roll off.

Those are but a few examples of what protective gear manufacturers are doing to keep today's welders safe and sound.