Personal protective equipment serves as the last line of defense to save the construction employees from injuries and accidents. The proper use and maintenance of protective clothing can increase its effectiveness and become a life-saving factor in emergencies.
What is PPE and how to use it?
Most accidents can be avoided by making sure that the workers have completed a sst class and have sufficient knowledge about the equipment they use. However, even the most intense training cannot prevent 100% unfortunate cases and this is when protective clothing plays its role.
PPE Strategy
No success is possible without a clear plan of what information should be passed to the employees, what rules they need to follow, and how those rules will be monitored. It is also helpful to think about the availability of PPE for each worker and the possibility of replacing it in case of damage.
2. PPE Training
In order for the personal protective gloves equipment to be effective, the employees need to know what PPE is, how it should be worn, in which cases, how to take it off, and how to maintain it. They need to have real in-person training to be able to test the equipment and learn how to work in it.
3. Head Protection
Hard hats are able to save from electrical shock, injuries resulting from falling objects, or sharp edges. A mandatory fall protection class needs to be included in the general safety strategy of the company since it educates about the possible hazards on the construction sites and how the PPE can prevent them.
3. Hearing Protection
OSHA has introduced special requirements for employees who are working in an environment with an extreme noise level. Such workers need to wear earmuffs or earplugs to protect their eardrums from damage.
4. Eyes & Face Protection
Those who completed an epa lead safe certification know that working with hazardous materials can have a fatal impact on their health. Thus, the use of special masks, safety goggles, safety glasses, and filters is required whenever the workers are exposed to liquid chemicals, acids, gases, or other chemical substances.
5. Hand Protection
To protect the most precious instrument of every laborer – hands, it is mandatory to wear protective gloves at all times during work. This simple element of clothing prevents lacerations, cuts, burns, and other unexpected hazards.
6. Foot Protection
The last pieces of protective clothes are steel-toed shoes and metatarsal footwear. There are many kinds of those, but all of them are intended to protect the workers from falling objects, slips, trips, and sharp edges.
Only by wearing full personal protective equipment is it possible to increase safety.
