Have you ever seen policemen or security guards performing their day-to-day duties in scorching midsummer heat? Has it ever crossed your mind that their uniform is actually made of the cheapest and most harmful fabric available? An average security guard working in the summer heat is required to wear a polyester uniform with leather boots all day regardless of the season. And if somehow he fails to follow the rules or opens up a few buttons of his shirt to give himself some respite from the heat, he is fined from his salary for breaking these arbitrary rules. Apart from being made of polyester, the uniforms are usually in darker shades which adds to the heat because darker shades have more heat-absorbing capacity. As a result, these uniforms tend to get heated up and produce burns on the skin that can cause long-term damage to the person wearing them. But despite the presence of numerous cotton industries, we still make our guards and police force go through this ordeal. And it’s extremely unfortunate that the poor simmer in the heat while the lawmakers cruise by in their air-conditioned cars, callously unperturbed.
The Harmful Effects of Polyester
Polyester is the most inexpensive synthetic fiber to weave cloth and is used to make police soldiers’ and security guards’ uniforms. Wholesale work-wear exporters get it cheaper than natural textiles; hence it’s almost ubiquitous nowadays. However, it does not wick moisture at all and instead traps you in a cocoon of sweat and heat. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to dislike polyester. It’s not about it being “cheap.” They do make good polyester these days, but even the best has issues like lack of breathability and static cling, which is no less than torture in the summer heat and not to even mention the inherent environmental issues. There have been quite a few studies and statistical analyses done on the drastic rise in rates of cancer and other health issues in fashion and fabric industry workers due to their exposure to the chemicals and dyes used on much of the population’s clothing before being shipped off to the retailers and consumers.
Reforms Regarding the Uniforms
Limitless is the greed of the top 1 percent. Therefore, the onus of the dire situation of the working class is on the authorities who’re obliged to take care of these people and their basic requirements. Even an animal can’t bear the midsummer heat when it goes above 40 degrees, yet living, breathing human beings are made to suffer under these conditions. Unfortunately, those at the helm of decision-making exhibit no empathy for the common people who are performing their duties for the safety and betterment of the country. If decision-makers really want to halt their suffering, they should readily reform the uniforms of these security guards and bring changes to the fabric and colors of these uniforms. They should be made of breathable fabric with light leave and a light shade that could ease their suffering, especially during summer.
