Area guide · Crawley
Crawley's working day is organised around a runway: ramp crews and ground handlers airside, engineering and cargo on the perimeter, and the Manor Royal district running logistics, facilities and head-office services alongside. It's an economy with security archways in the middle of it — and that one fact reshapes the kit list.
The local economy
Gatwick is the town's engine — one of Europe's busiest single-runway airports — and around it sits everything an airport economy needs: ground handling and ramp operations, aircraft engineering, air cargo, and the Manor Royal business district, one of the South East's largest employment areas, dense with logistics, facilities management, engineering firms and corporate head offices. Hotels and hospitality ride the passenger flow around the clock.
The kit signature here isn't one industry's hazard — it's the operating conditions: outdoor work with zero shelter on the ramp, night shifts year-round, security screening between a worker and their workplace, and a lot of employers for whom staff are the brand.
Kit by industry
| Local sector | The kit that matters | The spec detail |
|---|---|---|
| Ramp & ground handling | Hi-vis rated for the operator's rules, ear defenders | Class 3 for vehicle-heavy aprons — the class logic |
| Airside engineering & cargo | Metal-free footwear, snug-fit workwear | Composite caps, PL/PS midsoles — why metal-free |
| Manor Royal logistics | Hi-vis, S1P trainers, dock-door layers | Kit by zone |
| Facilities & services | Embroidered polos, softshells, washable trousers | Uniform that survives — branded-kit care |
| Hotels & hospitality | FOH uniform, kitchen whites, SR footwear | The sector guide |
The detail that matters
Anyone crossing into the critical part of an airport goes through screening — every shift, sometimes several times a shift. Steel toe caps and steel midsoles turn that into a daily boots-off ritual, which is why airside workers standardise on fully metal-free safety footwear: composite caps and textile (PL/PS) midsoles that clear the archway. It's the clearest example anywhere of a workplace rule, not a hazard, deciding the spec.
The other constant is ramp weather: an apron offers no shelter, work continues in everything short of a closed runway, and hi-vis outers double as the weather layer — which puts DWR maintenance and hi-vis condition on the same maintenance calendar. Individual operators set their own hi-vis colour and class policies, so crews confirm the airport's rules before fleet orders.
Supply
Questions
Fully metal-free ones: composite toe caps with textile PL/PS midsoles, so security archways don't trigger on every crossing. Protection is identical to steel — 200 J is 200 J — and the daily time saved at screening is why airside crews standardise on them.
The airport operator and each handler set the policy — commonly Class 3 on vehicle-heavy aprons, with colour and badging rules per company. Confirm the operator's current airside clothing requirements before ordering for a crew; the class logic itself is standard EN ISO 20471.
Yes — nationwide from stock with embroidery before dispatch, which covers Manor Royal's logistics and facilities firms as readily as airside contractors. Polos, softshells, trousers and footwear on one trade account, reordered as teams change.
We supply nationwide from stock — send the roles and headcount and we'll come back with a kit list, embroidered.