Landscapers play a crucial role in our society. They keep our outdoor spaces clean, vibrant, and full of natural beauty.
While landscaping is typically evaluated by aesthetics, due diligence is required to ensure your employees’ safety. A simple and affordable way of keeping landscapers safe is by dressing them in proper landscaping uniforms.
As a business owner, a landscaping uniform goes beyond the safety of your workers. It is also:
- A form of free advertising for your brand
- Portrays professionalism
- Boosts your employees’ confidence
- Creates a team spirit
Choosing a good quality landscaping uniform is no easy task. When selecting safety shirts or hi-vis jackets for landscapers, you can’t rely on visibility alone; there’s way more to it than meets the eye.
1 - Pick a Uniform That’s Functional
The first step to choosing a landscaping uniform is evaluating its functionality.
Is it practical for a landscaper?
All site apparel needs to be practical. Landscapers are involved in a lot of physical activities, so their uniforms shouldn’t be too loose, heavy, or tight to ensure freedom of movement.
Does the uniform have extra or strategically placed pockets?
Pockets help landscapers store pens, small notepads, mobile devices, and other small tools as they work. Also, as they maneuver about the site, they shouldn’t be hindered by the uniform’s compartments—the sections should allow easy access to the equipment stored.
Landscapers will work in the safety apparel you’ve given them, so think of functional but comfortable uniforms. Well-fitting uniforms will also positively impact their attitude, helping them take more pride in their work by feeling good about how they look.
2 - Consider the Weather of the Workplace
Before choosing a landscaping uniform, you’ll need to consider the time of the year and the expected weather.
In the summer, for instance, the weather becomes hotter, calling for lighter clothes with maximum breathability. But in the winter, temperatures drop and visibility declines, creating the need for thicker, high-visibility clothing.
See the table below for how these factors ought to be considered.
Dry and Hot Weather | Wet and Cold Weather |
Light safety t-shirts and shorts with added breathability for maximum comfort when working | High visibility safety clothing like jackets and pants for maximum protection |
Long sleeve safety t-shirts can protect landscapers from too much sun and minimize contact with poisonous plants or scratchy branches | Thermals that’ll wick sweat away from the body and keep the worker comfortable and dry |
Lightweight protective jackets as outer layers in spring or early autumn when weather is mild. Include bodywarmers and hoodies | Layer up safety shirts and trousers with warm wear like fleece, jackets, thick coats, and coveralls |
Expert Tip: Custom t-shirts are the most popular work clothing for landscapers. They’re available at fancysweetstx in both short-sleeve and long-sleeve options and work in any temperature.
3 - Pick Colors and Materials With the Right Visibility
Landscapers sometimes work at night or in areas with dim lighting. Similarly, weather conditions, such as fog and mist hinder visibility. Both situations may lead to accidents, especially when working along roads or freeways.
The Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America reports motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of fatal accidents among landscapers.
Landscaping employees are, therefore, required to wear high-visibility clothing while working to help them be seen by drivers, pedestrians, and other workers.
According to OSHA:
- Daytime employees must wear hi-vis apparel in orange, yellow, or strong yellow-green colors.
- Nighttime employees must wear safety wear with retroreflective material—that which reflects light back to its original source—in orange, yellow, white, silver, or strong yellow-green colors.
- No clothing or equipment should hinder the visibility of hi-vis clothing.
- The safety apparel should be visible from 1,000 feet away, both during the day and night.
Hi-vis clothing affords landscapers an extra level of safety, giving them peace of mind as they work.
There are 3 major components of high visibility workwear:
- Fluorescent materials: Absorbs UV light from the sun then releases the rays as visible light, increasing visibility during the day
- Reflective stripes: Reflect light directly back to its source, and are ideal for darker hours of the day or at night; for instance, the reflective stripes will reflect light from a driver’s headlight back to the driver who will see the landscaper
- Contrast materials: Often made with darker color pigments less sensitive to dirt, and used mainly on parts of the clothing where dirt accumulates fast; less sensitive to dirt than reflective stripes and fluorescent materials
4 - Choose the Most Appropriate Fabric
The fabric choice for your landscaping uniform must be greatly determined based on practicality.
Think about the most important needs of a landscaper:
- Are you looking for a uniform that’s easy to wash and wear?
- What of durability—should the uniform be hard-wearing?
- Does the uniform’s fabric take into account health and safety regulations? Is it heat resistant?
- How comfortable is the uniform—should it be tight-fitting or contain spandex in some areas?
As a landscaper, it’s critical to choose uniforms that will protect workers against injuries when working in threatening conditions, such as low-visibility areas, bad weather, and places with rain or heat.
The landscaping uniform’s fabric needs to be durable, easy to care for, and comfortable. Let’s look at a few fabric examples in the following table, their uses, and their pros and cons.
Fabric | Landscaping Uniform | Pros | Cons |
Cotton |
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Polyester |
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Fleece |
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Leather |
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Nylon |
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As much as today’s technology and techniques make almost every fabric stand out, the most ideal choices are blended:
- Tri-blend fabrics are made of three different fabrics, mostly cotton, polyester, and rayon (a silk substitute).
- 50–50 blend fabrics are made of polyester and cotton in equal measures.
- Dry-fit blends can wick moisture and have body mapping properties
Above all, consider the printability of your selected fabric since you’ll be printing your company’s logo and design on the uniform.
A common method used to print uniforms is screen printing.
fancysweetstx uses automated screen printing equipment to ensure the quality of each screen printed garment. From the screen room to our printing presses, our investment in state-of-the-art equipment has resulted in higher quality shirts and screens.
Related: How to Burn a Screen for Screen Printing T-Shirts [With Video]
Landscaping Uniforms—What Workers Need
Since you’re now in the best position to choose quality landscaping uniform, let’s look at some options in the market today:
- Polo shirts: Durable, comfortable, and portray a high level of professionalism; for hot weather, opt for dry performance polos which provide extra ventilation with their moisture-wicking abilities.
- T-Shirts: The most popular work shirts for landscapers and work for any temperature; affordable and ideal when working on a tight budget
- Button-down shirts: More durable than polos and t-shirts, and won’t reveal stains as easily
- Shorts: Ideal for riding mowers or during the hot summers
- Pants: Protect the legs from harm when pushing mowers, removing trees, or passing through sharp branches
- Jackets: Ideal for working on chilly days
- Headwear: UV-blocking hats protect landscapers from the sun’s UV rays which can cause sunburns on the scalp
What Next?
Increase your brand’s awareness today with quality custom printed or embroidered landscaping uniforms for your workers.
fancysweetstx offers a wide selection of custom landscaping workwear, hi-vis, hoodies, shirts, all at affordable prices. Contact us today and we’ll bring your ideas into reality.
All you need to do is tell us about your project, then we’ll handle everything from custom design creation to printing or adding embroidery to the garment.
"I would recommend fancysweetstx for anyone who is looking for quality clothes and excellent customer service… Highly, highly recommend." Matthew S
"Phenomenal experience buying a run of 65 t-shirts. Very fast responses from the account manager, great pricing, and fast production." Joe M
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