Sphere
#39
2015
11
<<
he Group takes uniforms
seriously. Staff know that
no expense has been spared
in making sure they have
the uniform that enables
them to arrive on the job with confidence
in themselves and their colleagues.
That confidence is felt by clients who
know they are in the hands of not just
employees, but professionals they
can trust.
Extreme adventurers
Those working in infrastructure and energy
businesses face physical challenges with an
element of risk on a day-to-day basis. Their
work is precise and their uniforms must be
manufactured to top standards to provide
the highest level of protection from extreme
events.
The uniforms these technical specialists
trust with their lives are known as personal
protective equipment (PPE). PPE is made to
extraordinary specifications for maximum
reliability for staff working with high
voltage equipment or in extreme weather
conditions.
The protective clothing of the different
energy companies within the Group shares
many similarities. Their gear provides
protection in the event of an arc flash,
a type of electrical explosion resulting from
a misconnection between a voltage source
and a low-voltage vector (such as the
Earth). The safety jacket for The Hongkong
Electric Company Limited staff, for example,
can withstand a temperature of 950°C for
eight seconds, in the rare event of an arc
flash occurring while operating on a live
11kV withdrawable switchgear.
Uniforms are all tailored to specific work
environments and must address comfort
issues. The demanding nature of the work
means that any distractions caused by
uncomfortable clothing could be fatal.
That comfort doesn’t come at the cost of
utility, but enhances it. Special zippers allow
ease of wearability without compromising
protection performance. The UK Power
Networks' uniforms come in hot, cold and
wet weather versions for comfort, and the
custom-made helmets and gloves offer
protection against arc flashes and even
molten metal.
Canadian Husky Energy Inc requires that
all employees who work outside of an office
environment wear protective clothing. In
its field offices around the globe, coveralls
– including cold weather varieties – are part
of the standard kit and worn over other
clothing to protect workers from a variety
of conditions.
Offshore workers face tough weather on
the SeaRose FPSO, a floating, production,
storage and offloading vessel located 350
kilometres out in the harsh North Atlantic
Ocean. Workers wear flight suits featuring
cold water protection and watertight
integrity when getting to and from the
SeaRose FPSO by helicopter.
When working in such remote locations,
the workers on the vessel can’t expect
rapid response from traditional emergency
services, so are cross-trained to respond
to a variety of incidents. The arc flash
protection wear, nicknamed the ‘moon
suit’, is worn by the offshore electrical
team while the fire response team relies on
fire kit manufactured to the same standard
that firefighters across Canada wear. There
is even an immersion suit ready for action,
but which most workers will never have
to wear, except in practice drills. It’s the
emergency-only suit for a full evacuation
into the ocean in the event of a major
disaster.
FUNCTIONnFASHION
If the A S Watson Group (ASW) is a
stage, then all its staff are players. As
CK Hutchison’s retail arm, ASW hosts
a sensational variety of brands and
uniforms in stores across the globe that
engender trust in shoppers and convey the
professionalism expected of all its staff.
Different brands have different focuses and
so do their uniforms. Uniforms must inspire
confidence in customers who are placing
T
Far from being generic, off-the-rack workwear, CK Hutchison
uniforms enable our team members to work in the world’s
harshest environments and face the world’s most demanding
shoppers. And they do it in style.
Uniformly
Heroic
>>
