FR garments do not stay in the program forever. They get washed, worn, repaired, stained, stretched, damaged, and eventually replaced. A good program makes that normal, not a scramble.
Care and retirement rules should be clear before garments are issued. Workers should know how to follow manufacturer care instructions, what damage to report, and what replacement path to use when a garment should come out of service.
Reasons to review a garment
- Open seams, holes, tears, broken closures, or repairs that do not meet program expectations.
- Contamination that cannot be removed according to garment instructions.
- Missing labels, heavy wear, shrinkage, or fit changes.
- A role change that requires a different garment type, rating, or visibility setup.
Make replacement part of the workflow
Replacement should not depend on someone remembering the right SKU from last year. A managed catalog can keep approved replacements easy to find and help managers see what workers are ordering.
AFR can help with replenishment planning and approved replacement items. The employer should set the care, inspection, and retirement rules with manufacturer documentation and its safety policy.