What Is Body Armour?

By Author: Kate Sinclair
Total Articles: 4
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Ordering body armour vests can be a daunting task; after all it is often an issue of life and death. Every company has a obligation of care to ensure their workers are adequately protected from hazards. Nevertheless, by asking a handful of key questions and taking on board the guidance from the Home Office, the right judgment can be made fairly easily, meaning you can be assured that you're giving your workers the right safeguards.

To aid those who've been been given the task of procuring body armour for their organisation, each week we'll walk you through a different feature of the body armour field, giving you a A to Z guide to the key issues you should be taking on board. This should then make sure you have all the information required to make an informed decision as to which body armour to issue to your staff.

Our first instalment begins with the most fundamental question, what is body armour? This question is not as stupid as it may seem - in a marketplace where there are products that are described as "slash proof" which ...
... barely stop a Stanley knife; we believe quality is of the utmost significance.

A body armour vest is a protective approach, designed to protect the wearer from death and serious injury while still being elastic and lightweight enough to allow trouble-free movement in their work. It's very significant to emphasise that no body armour can safeguard from all threats in all circumstances - body armour is stab, spike or bullet resistant to a particular level. These levels are set by the Home Office, and any person seeking to properly protect their workers should make certain they select Home Office certified body armour. We'll post more about Home Office protection levels in the coming few weeks.

The two main categories of bullet vests are stab resistant (stab vests) and bullet resistant (ballistic vests). The top ballistic vests typically also incorporate knife protection also (hence they are "dual purpose" vests) - but this is not always the case and it is very vital to check. There are also other challenges that your workers may be exposed to - for example spikes (screwdrivers, ice picks), syringes and blunt trauma (body blows). These will all be dealt with in the coming weeks so please check back next week,
and do leave a feedback or email us if you'd appreciate any further information on our bullet vest ranges.