Can’t decide which safety t-shirt to buy? Let’s start with the material type. The least expensive type of material is 50/50; part cotton and part polyester. Safety t-shirts are usually made from 50/50 material are just like the regular t-shirts that you currently own. Even Gildan’s Ultra Cotton and Heavy Cotton contains polyester which is necessary to hold the bright dyes that are used. We do offer a M.L. Kishigo 100% Cotton safety shirt for those that require cotton due to exposure to flame, but we do not recommend it for general safety wear due to cost. In a 50/50 shirt we offer Jerzees, Hanes, Gildan and others. Although cheap in price, they are of decent quality.
The other type of material used is polyester. Unlike the leisure suits of old, these new fabrics are often referred to as “sports fabric”, “moisture wicking”, etc. They hold the dyes better, are noticeably brighter, and will stay brighter after repeated washings. This is the only type of material that reflective striping is used on and can be classified as an ANSI Class 2 or Class 3 Hi-Vis shirts.
The weight of the shirt should also be a consideration. Weight is measured in ounces by square yard. In the 50/50 shirts, the Gildan 2000 Heavy Cotton is 6.1 ounce and slightly heavier than the Jerzees Dry Power 50/50 at 5.6 ounce or the Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton. In polyester, the Badger and Paragon are very light and thin compared to the Gildan Core Performance 42000 (which is highly recommended for a soft shirt). Weight is a personal preference and does not reflect quality.
For consistency we refer to all of our shirts as “safety green” although some manufacturers refer to their products as “safety yellow” or even “safety lime”. They are one and the same. Sometimes this color is incorrectly called “neon green”. Neon green is much “greener” and is not worn as a safety color. Although shades may differ on this website, all manufacturers are using similar dyes and variances are primarily due to photography and lighting.
For Road Workers of All Kinds, New NSC Survey Points Scarily to the Need for Bright Safety T-Shirts for a Safer Work Environment
A very recent article by Fred Hosier of the Safety News Alert website had us slapping our foreheads in astonishment at the level of foolishness that seems to be increasing, not decreasing, in American life. And the National Safety Council survey Mr. Hosier reports upon is a downright scary indication of the need for increased visibility for ALL kinds of outdoor and road-based workers in our country – a need for increased visibility that can even be solved partially with just the use of brightly colored safety t-shirts and vests.
According to Hosier’s reporting and analysis of the recent NSC survey, “despite the known risks, many U.S. drivers are still very much distracted on the road.” But wait until you actually read the statistics – they’ll blow you away in astonishment that adults operating two-ton vehicles can be so clueless when it comes to their safety as well as to the safety of men and women working in outdoor settings across America.
“The NSC conducted the survey online from a total of 2,409 respondents who have a valid U.S. driver’s license, drive a vehicle, and own a cell phone. The survey was released in conjunction with NSC’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.”
Here’s what they found:
*Fifty-one percent of licensed U.S. drivers said they’d use a hands-free device to talk on the phone while driving. Thirty percent of drivers said they don’t talk on the phone while driving, while 19% of people said they’d hold the phone in their hands. The NSC cautions that using hands-free devices, like head-sets and built-in speakerphones, is just as dangerous as holding the phone while driving. Drivers can miss up to 50% of what’s happening on the road while talking on any kind of cell phone, according to the NSC.”
*Sixty-six percent of people would talk on the phone while driving through a parking lot.
*Forty-three percent of people would take a phone call while driving on a highway.
*Two-thirds of drivers feel unsafe because of other drivers’ distractions. But just 25% of people recognized their own distractions put other people at risk.
*Seventy-four percent of people would use Facebook behind the wheel.
*An astounding 34% of people would use YouTube while driving!!!
What these rather terrifying statistics say to us about drivers like teenagers, busy moms, and hectic, over-worked dads, is that there are a huge number of drivers on the road today who are not seeing the lawn care workers, construction crews, traffic cops, joggers and runners, tree crews, paint crews, etc. who earn their living outdoors and who must contend with completely distracted drivers each and every day of their work lives.
Fortunately, while laws against distracted driving still need to be tightened as well as enforced more stridently all across the United States, the use of highly visible safety t-shirts, vests and sweatshirts in bright yellow, orange and green colors can help to make workers more visible on the roads, in the parking lots, and on the greenways next to streets of our country. Considering the increased danger posed to these hard-working men and women by cellular technologies used by oblivious drivers, it’s veritably the least a company or an individual can do to protect their workers or themselves – wear bright safety apparel while on the job at all times!
The NSC conducted this survey online from a total of 2,409 respondents who reported to have a valid U.S. driver’s license, drove a vehicle, and owned a cell phone. The NSC survey was released in conjunction with NSC’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. You can read the entire article here.
Please check-out our fine lines of inexpensive and safety-enhancing safety t-shirts, safety sweatshirts, and safety vests available for men and women today.
Stay safe.
huge marketing budgets and even advertise on television and radio. Some charge excessively, while others take the path of pricing their services as cheaply as possible. It seems their strategy business-wise is to either lure high-end spenders or else to attract those who really don’t care about the preservation of their custom t shirts past the first occasion when they wear them in public. Quality from some of these suppliers is very questionable – both in terms of the t shirt materials AND in the printing process on the shirts.One of our customers used an online design tool from a major printer to create what she thought would be a great company shirt. Unfortunately, she placed her logo a little low in the design and the company delivered the shirts exactly as she designed them. She came to us to perform a reprint, since having a logo on the stomach area of the shirt just wasn’t what she really envisioned! Had the printing company she entrusted her project to simply confirmed with her BEFORE printing about the errant location of the logo, a reprint could have been avoided altogether. It seems quality assurance isn’t a step in their process!
Another customer had us do a reprint of the logo on her shirt order because the U.S. state featured on the t shirt design by this well-advertised printing company was printed as “ORLAHOMA.” Mistakes happen, yes, but “Orlahoma?” That’s not a U.S. state, an automobile, a native American tribe…even a bad soda pop company! So much for proofing their work before delivering the goods to the customer, eh?
And just last week, a desperate customer contacted us because they needed some custom shirts for an event happening this week. The customer had ordered them nearly a month ago and was just informed by the “professional” t shirt printers that they could not deliver on time after all. Although our schedule was full, we sensed her desperation and produced the shirts on time. We didn’t have to take on this extra work, but we actually enjoy delivering a printed product that makes our clients happy – and we wouldn’t be surprised if we just earned another devoted long-term customer in the process. Everybody wins – hurrah!
Out of curiosity, we looked at one of these suppliers online and were a bit surprised that they were proud of their “90% customer satisfaction” rating. What about the other 10%? What happened to them? And what about the special event or award or work crew or team-building activity or work project that would have been obviously less than spectacular due to the messed-up t shirts or their complete lack of delivery? Those 10% are all people too, people within organizations who deserve a satisfactory product just like they deliver to their own customers!