Protective overalls: evaluation of garment design and fit

Abstract

Protective clothing should ideally provide maximum comfort and protection for the wearer. The design and fit of a garment are factors which can affect both the protective aspects of a garment as well as its comfort. Proper garment fit depends on the relationship of the size of the garment compared with the size of the wearer. Garment ease (where the garment is larger than the wearer) should allow for comfort and mobility; both too much or too little ease can result in a garment that is uncomfortable and restrictive to movement. The purpose of this study was to explore a research technique to isolate the effects of garment ease in one area of a garment while ease in all other garment areas was controlled, and to determine a design that would maximize wearer mobility. Using five male subjects, protective overalls with differing amounts and garment location of crotch ease were evaluated for their effects on mobility and wearer acceptance. Range of motion measurements for selected joints were evaluated using a Leighton Flexometer. Subjects completed a subjective evaluation scale after performing an exercise protocol while wearing the overalls. Results indicated that a specific amount of ease in the crotch length of overalls may be appropriate. Additionally, an overall design that had all needed crotch ease in the back waist area of the garment may be desirable over the more conventional method of adding ease evenly between the front and back sections of the garment. The methodology used in this study provides a means of evaluating not only the potential for design variations in protective clothing, but provides a means to evaluate the dynamic aspects of fit of clothing.