Posted By Darren J Fraser Hi all A bit of a strange one for me anyway. A collegue has been in contact wanting to know if there are any dangers associated with the wearing of polyester trousers in a school kitchen by the cooks. Basically his partner is a cook for a school, their uniform has been changed, which they are all pleased about, however they have a concern with regard to the trousers, which are made from polyester. They had a spare pair which they took outside and using an ordinary lighter, they were quite surprised how easily the trousers caught alight. Before they go to their manager with their concerns, they would like to be able to have some more information, to assist the manager taking their concerns further. This is in no way looking to not wear trousers, just to ensure that what they do wear with stand up-to the environment from a safety point of view. Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

Posted By Glyn Phillips Darren, I personally would not stipulate polyester work wear in this environment. If there is a risk of contact with open flame which could lead to ignition of clothing, polyester is not suitable. In the aftermath of the Falklands conflict the RN changed all work uniforms back from polyester to cotton due to the number of injuries caused by melted clothing in contact with open flames. Having worked in a leisure centre where the temperature was kept at over 80° F and the humidity was appalling I can say from experience that polyester trousers are very uncomfortable. I changed mine for a poly cotton mix which were much more comfortable (and the rash went away) Go cotton! Glyn