Corporate Safety Manager Brent Bowers has high standards for safety—at work and at home. It’s this perspective that led him to create the first-ever “Safety Sweatpant” coming soon to “Shark Tank” and CEI’s apparel ordering site. We spoke to the man behind the invention who hopes to revolutionize the safety industry the same way Jane Fonda revolutionized the exercise industry.
Marketing Team (MT): First and foremost—what exactly is the “Safety Sweat”?
Brent Bowers (BB): Everyone knows that safety is a core CEI value. We wanted safety to follow people home—literally. So, we thought of how to best leverage the sweats that most employees are wearing these days. We also wanted to make sure that employees working from home avoided hazards: hot coffee collisions in the hallway, blind corners, computer cables for distance learning doubling as trip hazards. These high-visibility yellow or orange sweats allow employees to be seen at home. It’s like a safety vest and a sweatsuit all in one.
MT: Usually, personal protective equipment (PPE) is required at the jobsite. Why add an at-home solution?
BB: We’re following employee work patterns. Pre-pandemic, office employees were in the office for eight hours or so, and then spent 16 hours at home, at the gym or in the car. These days, many office employees are at home a majority of the time. We look at that trend and plan around it. We have to adjust to our changing conditions and working from home is a big change. We look at it as a math equation that just adds up for CEI and its employees: Style + Function + Safety = lower incident rates.
MT: It’s impossible to see beyond the fashion sense you and the team incorporated.
BB: Our partner in design was Adidas, who has shifted to a mantra of “All Day I Dream About Safety.” That’s powerful. They were the perfect partner for what we were trying to do. We also knew that these garments might double as workout attire and would go perfectly at Orange Theory or as an alternative to traditional duck hunting attire. Other inspirations were Lululemon, Under Armour and Gymshark.
MT: What additional features does the Safety Sweat have?
BB: Safety starts at home. The design is meant to anticipate various work-from-home needs. For example, employees working at home might have children doing school at home, too. The large cargo pocket on the left leg can store a homework sign-off sheet and can also double as a place to store P&L (profit and loss) statements. The grease-proof front pockets can store a breakfast bagel, as well as safety gloves. The hood can protect ears from the noise of a neighbor’s loud leaf blower, while also camouflaging unkempt hair during a Zoom call. We wanted our sweats to innovative and practical.
MT: As always, we’re impressed and look forward to seeing these. When are they available?
BB: They’re only available today—April 1st.
