HazMat Suits

What is a hazmat suit?

A hazmat suit is a full-body garment that protects the wearer from hazardous substances or materials. The specifics will depend on the industry, job description, and specific suit worn, but these hazards include chemicals, biological agents, nuclear materials, fire, and high temperatures. The suits are impermeable to better protect against dust, vapors, and other dangerous materials.

The two main types of protection that a hazmat suit can provide are against gases or vapors and splashes. Suits that protect against gases and vapors are airtight, durable, and offer a high level of protection against airborne hazards like gases and dust. Splash protection suits aren’t vapor-tight and are less protective in general (and don’t protect against gases or dust), but do protect the wearer from liquid splashes and are easier to wear.

Which industries or workers use hazmat suits?

If you need protection from job hazards that pose a danger to your skin or respiratory system, you might benefit from wearing a hazmat suit. There’s a variety of suits available for different industries and hazards, and there’s always going to be a right choice no matter what industry you’re in or what work you’re doing.

Firefighters may use FR hazmat suits that are specifically designed to protect against heat, flames, sparks, and smoke. EMTs, paramedics, and other workers in medicine or laboratory environments benefit from suits that can protect against biohazards and chemicals. Anyone doing the kind of cleanup work that involves toxic spills, contaminated facilities, or other noxious environments can benefit from a heavy-duty hazmat suit and related equipment. Even homeowners working on ambitious DIY home renovations could benefit from a hazmat suit, especially if there’s going to be a lot of sanding, painting, or other chemicals and dust involved. A full lead and asbestos removal kit might even be good for someone who’s updating an older home!

How much does a hazmat suit cost?

The cost of your full hazmat suit will depend on the kind of hazards it’s designed to protect against. You can assume that suits designed to protect against vapors and gases—which are airtight, well-constructed, heavy-duty, and can have release valves, respiratory protection, and other features built-in—are going to be pricier than ones designed to protect from paint spills and sawdust. If a suit is very well-constructed and durable, it’s probably designed for decontamination, sanitation, and reuse as well, which are great features to have but will also make them more expensive than disposable suits designed to be thrown out after a single use. When looking into qualities that you’re going to pay for in a hazmat suit, consider a suit’s maneuverability, materials, fit, construction, and maintenance requirements on top of the specific hazards it protects against and other PPE it can work with.

PK Safety hazmat suits can cost anywhere from under $10 for a simple coverall with attached hood and booties to over $1,000 for a reusable, fully encapsulating suit with exhaust valves, face shield, attached inner gloves, booties, and boot flaps, and built-in accommodations for SCBA along with quality construction. Keep in mind, however, that proper protection is priceless: some industries might not need more than the simple coverall and a disposable respirator and won’t benefit from the extra protection a full suit provides (and in fact might make the job harder by being so bulky). If you need the protection, it’s worth paying for.

Can you breathe in a hazmat suit?

It might not be very comfortable, especially in a gas-tight hazmat suit, but you can. Hazmat suits are generally part of a personal protective equipment ensemble that includes breathing apparatuses like respirators, and some jobs might require supplied air that’s totally free of contamination. Hazmat suits that contain a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) aren’t usually worn for more than 20 minutes at a time, and use of hazmat suits in general is limited to around two hours depending on the type of work, which means you can decontaminate and get breaks with some frequency. Breathing supplied air may be necessary when trying to avoid breathing toxic gases, vapors, and dust that can cause serious health problems or death.

Can a hazmat suit be reused?

It depends on the suit and the chemicals and other hazards you’re exposed to. For most civilian consumers that use hazard suits, a lot of the available products are going to be single-use and disposable. A suit that can be cleaned, decontaminated, and reused is going to be costly, and the process to clean it is costly as well. For many jobs, it’s easier, cheaper, and safer to dispose of a hazmat suit than to try to decontaminate, sanitize, and reuse it. You should always read the user guide or manual before using any PPE in a job setting anyway, but when getting acquainted with your new hazmat suit look into whether it can be reused and how to properly prepare it for reuse. 

How heavy is a hazmat suit?

Again, it depends on the kind of work being done and the kind of hazards that the hazmat suit needs to protect the wearer against. Some suits are thinner and lighter, which are best for emergency situations where being able to move freely is an asset. They’re also better for worker endurance and ergonomics because of the easier maneuverability when walking, squatting, bending, and reaching. However, these suits aren’t going to be appropriate for all job hazards. Heavier suits are going to cause more strain on the body, are less maneuverable, and can be very strenuous to use, even in the jobs they’re designed for. 

Although they insulate you from many uncomfortable hazards, heavy-duty hazmat suits are designed to keep you safe rather than comfortable. While you shouldn’t be in tremendous amounts of pain while wearing one, they can be awkward, heavy, hot, and unpleasant to wear. However, the effects of breathing or touching worksite hazards are much less comfortable and pleasant than a few minutes or a couple of hours of discomfort. Using proper protection is always worth it when the alternative is at best inconvenient and at worst fatal.

For information about safety workwear,  individual hazmat suits, respirators, and other chemical and contaminant protection equipment and apparel, look on their product pages. For more information about safety around hazmat materials at work or any product questions, contact a PK Safety expert.