You won’t climb up an electric pole to fix connections without safety equipment’s now, would you? So why go to work without wearing the right PPE for whatever job you do. Now, what is PPE?
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) is clothing or equipment designed to protect workers from physical hazards when on a worksite. This includes things like safety helmets, safety goggles, ear protection, safety gloves, high visibility vests, work boots, fall protection and more.
Safety is a major issue for day laborers and skilled laborers. Each year, there are records of accidents happening frequently in the construction industry and often it is due to the absence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or not wearing the right PPE provided for the job. PPE’s are made specifically for worker's safety either when working on construction sites, mining sites or other construction-related work and these jobs have their risk and hazards. These risks can be anything from wet floors to falling debris and everything in between. Let’s explore some PPE commonly used on construction sites and their benefits:
- HEAD PROTECTION:Think of a motorcycle on full speed with the driver without proper head protection, we can say the motorcycle driver doesn’t care much about PPE. Hard hats are common on construction sites. They are designed to protect against flying or falling objects that would otherwise impact or penetrate the worker. Some hard hats are equipped with accessories such as face shields and earmuffs. Hard hats should be well-fitted; those that are too large or too small are considered inappropriate for use.
- FACE AND EYE PROTECTION:Safety goggles and full-face shields can give you the protection needed for the eyes and face. Safety goggles keep small particles away from eyes, they protect against chemical splashes, and they are heat resistant and protect eyes from sparks and flames.
- RESPIRATORY PROTECTION:Chemical substances are harmful to our health so cases where you work in and environment that is either dusty, has chemical fumes, or things like paint spray, pesticides and other dangerous substances that could cause permanent impairment. Respiratory protection should be considered a very piece of vital equipment. Like the use of nose masks on infected areas.
- SKIN AND HAND PROTECTION:Construction jobs typically require the use of hands. Each year, around 150,000 hand injuries are reported. Occupational skin and other skin injuries and infections are the second most common type of occupational disease and can be very costly. Because a lot of work is done with the hands, gloves are an essential item in providing skin protection. Some examples of gloves commonly used as PPE include rubber gloves, cut-resistant gloves, chainsaw gloves, and heat-resistant gloves. Using gloves helps to avoid hazards usually involved when working with chemicals, glass, sheet metal, electricity, hot materials or slippery objects.
- HEARING PROTECTION:Every day, we experience sounds in our environment, such as the sounds from television and radio, household appliances, and traffic. Normally, these sounds are at safe levels that don’t damage our hearing. But sounds can be harmful when they are too loud, even for a brief time, or when they are both loud and long-lasting. These sounds can damage sensitive structures in the inner ear and cause noise-induced hearing loss. Industrial noise is often discounted as an occupational hazard since it isn’t visible. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, about 82% of occupational hearing loss cases occurred to workers in the manufacturing sector. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration establishes occupational noise exposure standards. NIOSH recommends that worker exposures to noise be reduced to a level equivalent to 85 dBA for eight hours to reduce occupational noise-induced hearing loss. Earplugs and earmuffs are common hearing protection tools. It is important to note that earmuffs are more effective in reducing high-frequency noise while earplugs are more effective for reducing low-frequency noise.
Using PPE, and wearing it properly, is vital to avoid unnecessary injury in the workplace. Choosing not to wear PPE can be dangerous and life-threatening especially when it could save your life. Never hesitate to ask temporary staffing agencies if they have the necessary PPE. Safety is important and having an understanding of these various protection devices can help to prevent hazardous injury. Safety is not expensive it’s priceless. That’s why at Safety plus we believe in safety first. You can choose to cut your costs. But not your safety.
