Frequently Asked Questions
In this section we answer all of our frequently asked questions. We have conveniently listed this information by topic including features and benefits, application, what to know when ordering, the manufacturing process and so much more.
To help you narrow down the search and easily find the information you are looking for, we've compiled the answers to our FAQ's by topic: features and benefits, application, what to know when ordering, the manufacturing process and so much more. Click the download button at the end of each section to view the pdf.
Who uses Workwear?
Q: What is PPE?
A: Personal Protective Equipment
Q: What are the different types of PPE?
A: Head protection: Hard hats
Respiratory protection: Dust masks
Hand protection: Gloves
Foot protection: Safety boots and shoes
Body protection: Conti Suits, Boiler Suits, Dust Coats, Safety Jackets and Waistcoats
What fabric options are available and why do they matter?
Selecting the right fabric will ensure the garment meets the requirements for its intended application.
Q: What is a Polycotton 2pc Conti Suit?
A: The most popular Polycotton Conti Suit consists of 80/20 Polycotton, which is the equivalent of 80% Polyester and 20% Cotton or 65/35 Polycotton, which is the equivalent of 65% Polyester and 35% Cotton.
Our Trade Conti Suits are made from 80/20 Polycotton and our Site Premium Jacket and Pants are made from 65/35 Polycotton.
Q: What treatment is used to make a Conti Suit acid resistant?
A: These garments are chemically treated to resist the corrosive effects of acid and alkalis.
Q: Why can’t a Polyester Conti Suit be worn near flames and welding?
A: Polyester fabric is a synthetic material made from the polymerisation of petroleum – derived ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid, which melt down to produce polyethylene terephthalic {PET}. These are chemically treated before being weaved together to create Polyester fabric which makes the garment highly flammable.
Q: Why is a Denim Conti Suit a popular choice?
A: Denim is a durable and hard-wearing 10-12ounce, 100% Cotton fabric. This heavy-duty fabric can also be worn in moderate temperatures and / or environments.
Q: What is a D59 Flame Retardant and Acid Resistant garment?
A: The D59 Flame Retardant and Acid Resistant garment is made from a 100% Cotton SABS approved fabric, chemically treated with flame retardant properties that last the life of the garment. The garment is also treated with acid resistant chemicals.
Q: What is a Flame Retardant Conti Suit?
A: This Conti Suit has been chemically treated with flame retardants and can be worn in high temperature environments, however it is NOT a fire protection suit, as it is not fire proof.
What do you need to know when ordering Workwear?
Q: How do you order a Conti Suit?
Q: What is a YKK zip?
A: A Conti Suit is always ordered by the jacket size. A size 38 Conti Suit includes a jacket with a 38 chest and pants with a 34 waist size. The jacket is always 2 sizes up from the pants.
Q: What does SABS stand for?
A: SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS
Q: What is an SABS approved garment?
A: This garment has been submitted and has successfully attained the SABS approved mark. These products comply with the highest standards and specifications, are safe for use and meet the necessary quality requirements. These garments also have a specific cut and fit.
A: This is a SABS approved stainless steel zip. These zips are exceptionally durable and are also used on high end fashion garments.
Q: Why does a 100% Cotton garment shrink, and what percentage of shrinkage should we allow for?
A: We should allow for a 5% shrinkage tolerance.
Q: How and why should you care for your garment?
A: Following the wash care instructions specific to the garment helps to ensure garments last longer and perform optimally.
Where are Altitude Workwear garments made?
All Altitude Conti Suits and Work Jackets and Pants are made in RSA or in a country within the SADC region.
Q: What does SADC manufactured mean?
A: SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY. This comprises of 16 Southern African member states: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
What do you need to know about safety Footwear?
Q: Why are safety shoes important in the workplace?
Q: Can a PU sole withstand wet and muddy areas?
A: They are durable and offer additional traction and arch support when working long hours on hard surfaces such as concrete, which can lead to fatigue of the muscles in the feet, legs and back.
They also offer protection against hazardous working conditions such as an environment where workers carry heavy materials or operate heavy machinery or vehicles. Protective safety shoes with a steel toe cap can prevent injuries to the feet caused by falling and flying heavy objects.
Q: What is PU?
A: POLYURETHANE
Q: What are the advantages of having a PU sole?
A: It is lightweight, oil resistant, shock absorbent and has a lower density than other soles. A PU sole offers high elasticity for enhanced foot comfort and provides great resistance to daily wear and tear.
Q: What is the CE EN ISO 20345 standard?
A: This confirms that the item has been tested and certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to meet the requirements for basic toe protection and slip resistance in safety footwear.
Q: What is a steel toe cap?
A: The footwear has been reinforced with a steel toe cap and offers protection against foot related injuries in hazardous working environments.
Q: What features do our Mega Safety Boot and Shoe offer?
A: They are oil resistant, slip resistant, shock absorbent.
Both have a steel toe cap with impact protection of 200 joules and are CE EN ISO 20345 approved.
With heat resistant properties, they can withstand temperatures of up to 90 degrees.
Made from genuine split leather upper with a dual density PU sole.
A: Unfortunately, a PU sole can’t withstand wet muddy areas as this could cause HYDROLISIS (the chemical breakdown of a compound due to reaction with water) which will cause the sole to crumble.
Q: Can Leather withstand wet and muddy areas?
A: Leather uppers don’t take well to muddy areas, as the mud will cause the leather to harden. A gumboot will be a better option for use in these conditions.
Q: What industries would the Shield Gumboot Non-Steel Toe Cap be most suitable for?
A: This gumboot would be worn mostly for general purpose outdoor use in wet and muddy conditions. These gumboots would be well suited in the agricultural sector, produce and cattle farming.
Q: What does it mean when we say that our Hygiene Gumboot is blood and fat resistant?
A: These Gumboots are manufactured from an easy to clean PVC which resists the penetration of blood, fat and oil. The slip resistant soles ensure additional safety in wet conditions.
Q: What industries would the Hygiene Gumboot be most suitable for?
A: These Gumboots would be suitable to wear in butcheries, food processing plants and bakeries.
Q: What does NRCS stand for?
A: NATIONAL REGULATOR FOR COMPULSORY SPECIFICATIONS
Q: What is NRCS?
A: NRCS is an entity of the department of trade and industry, and administers compulsory specifications, standards and other technical regulations for the protection of human health and safety. Our Mega Safety Boot and Shoe are NRCS approved.
What do you need to know about Reflective and Hi-Viz Workwear?
Q: What is the purpose of High-Visibility (Hi-Viz) Workwear?
A: High-Visibility Workwear is brightly coloured and reflects light so that the person wearing the garment can be seen easily in high-risk environments.
Q: What is the purpose of having reflective tape that is made up of two colours such as yellow and silver or orange and silver?
A: The yellow or orange fabric used on the reflective tape is FLUORESCENT and this makes the wearer more visible during the day. The silver fabric used on the reflective tape is RETROREFLECTIVE making the wearer more visible at night or during low light conditions. This section of the tape reflects the light from motorists’ headlights back towards the driver.
Q: Does tape reflect in the daytime?
A: No, it needs light to shine on it in a dark environment, like the lights of a car.
Q: What is a High-Visibility Vest?
A: Example: Direction Safety Vest
This is a garment made from RETROREFLECTIVE materials. These are intended to provide visibility in low daylight conditions or in the dark when illuminated by the headlights of vehicles and mechanised equipment. The colours of these vests are of high contrast to the background colours and are distinct. The distinct characteristic of the vest ensures quick detection making the wearer more visible. Our Direction Safety Vests are classed as EN4, which meets the European standard for high-visibility clothing specifications.
Q: What is the best high-visibility colour?
A: According to worldwide standards FLUORESCENT YELLOW or LIME GREEN, which have a minimum luminance factor (brightness) of 70% are the best high-visibility colours, closely followed by FLUORESCENT ORANGE which has strong recognition as a hazard identifier.
Q: Why would construction workers wear our Hi-Viz yellow or Hi-Viz orange Workwear?
A: The human eye responds best to large, contrasting, bright or moving objects. The visibility of a worker is enhanced by the high colour contrast between their clothing and working environment.
Q: What reflective tape is used on our Conti Suits?
A: We use a 50mm Hi-Viz yellow/silver or orange/silver reflective tape.
Q: Which industry uses the most Hi-Viz Workwear?
A: Mining, Construction, Transportation, Gas and Petroleum industries.
What do you need to know about Warmwear?
Q: Why is wearing the right type of warm clothing so important?
Q: What temperatures can our Shift Single-Lined Freezer Jacket or Pants withstand?
A: Wearing the right clothing helps with productivity where workers are exposed to very cold, harsh weather conditions. Keeping your body warm can also help prevent hypothermia.
Q: What is a Single and Double-Lined Freezer Jacket or Pants?
A: A Single-Lined and Double-Lined Jacket or Pants refers to the amount of padding and protection the Jacket contains. A Single-Lined Freezer Jacket contains 180gsm of padding and a Double-Lined Freezer Jacket contains 250gsm of padding.
A: A Single-Lined Freezer Jacket can withstand temperatures as lows as -5 degrees Celsius.
Q: What temperatures can our Arctic Double-Lined Freezer Jacket or Pants withstand?
A: A Double-Lined Freezer Jacket or Pants can withstand temperatures as lows as -15 degrees Celsius.
What do you need to know about Rainwear?
Q: Are our Rainsuits and Coats rubberised?
A: Yes, they are rubberised.
Q: What does a rubberized Rainsuit comprise of?
A: A rubberised Rainsuit comprises of PVC and Polyester materials.
A rubberised rainwear material is much more durable than a 100% PVC material.
Q: What is the difference between Waterproof and Water Resistant?
A: A WATERPROOF garment offers the highest level of protection against rain, which means it provides a complete barrier to water. A WATER RESISTANT garment can only withstand a certain amount of rain before it will seep into the garment.
Q: Does our Rainwear offer heat sealant protection?
A: Yes, all seams have been taped and heat sealed which prevents water from seeping in.
What do you need to know about Chefwear?
Q: Why do chefs wear a Double-Breasted Jacket?
A: The Double-Breasted Jacket is used to add protection to the chest and stomach area from burns and splashing liquids. There are two rows of buttons so that the chef can cook with the second row of the jacket buttoned up and when meeting clients or customers the chef can button up the first row to hide stains made while cooking.
Q: Why do chef uniforms protect chefs from accidents in the kitchen?
A: The most important design aspect of a chef’s jacket is to keep the wearer safe. Altitude Chefwear is made from high-quality Cotton fabrics which are fire resistant. This acts as an effective shield against some of the dangers inherent in a fast-paced kitchen environment.
Q: Why are checkered Chef Baggy Pants so popular?
A: The check design hides food stains and the pants are baggy, which can easily be worn over your normal pants.
