Personal Protective Equipment | Health and Safety

It is estimated that 90% of workplace injuries could be prevented, if personnel had worn the right personal protective equipment, and used it properly. Unfortunately, the utilization of private protective equipment or PPE is usually not understood. Resulting in accidents, PPE is a vital part of minimizing the risks of accidents. The risk of injury is often minimized if you understand the principles of PPE safety.

This article covers types of PPE including head, foot, hand and arm, face, hearing, body, respiratory and fall protection. We will also look at PPE risk control and maintenance and storage of personal protective equipment or PPE comprises of a range of clothing and equipment that is worn by personnel, contractors or visitors to reduce their exposure to workplace hazards.

Let’s have a look at the range of PPE that is available to protect your health and Safety.

Head Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Head injuries are classified as either closed or open, a closed head injury means you've got received a tough blow to the top from striking an object. An open or penetrating head injury means you're hit with an object that broke the skull and/or entered the brain. 

Two common types of head injuries are concussion the most common type of traumatic brain injury, and the bump which is a bruise on the brain. Head injuries commonly result from impact from flying or falling objects. Bumps and hard blows and hair entanglement, long hair should be tied back or secured under headgear, in most cases head protection will mean an industrial safety helmet. However, bump caps or the same are often utilized in areas with particularly limited space.

Head protection also includes hoods to prevent chemical splashes, hairnets, and caps to keep hair from being entangled. Hats to protect from the Sun and wet weather, hats, hardhats can include rims, visors, face shields, ear muffs and may include neck and side protection. Headbands inside the helmet got to fit properly, the suspension must be in good working order and should get to get replaced annually.

Foot Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Common types of foot injuries result from falling objects that may or may not be heavy. Being run over by mobile plant punctures from such items like nails and sharp metals stubbing your toes, and get in touch with chemically. Safety Footwear includes safety boots with steel cap toes and slips and puncture-resistant soles, suitable for most general work safety boots for use with chemicals, such as steel-capped rubber or wellington boots, safety boots suitable for working with electricity that is nonconductive and anti-static. 

Shoe covers, spats, gaiters, and leggings to protect against chemicals welding sparks and other hazards and stems to go over the upper foot for additional protection.

Safety Footwear should be compulsory. Except where there is negligible risk of a foot injury, accidents can result from wearing poorly maintained safety Footwear, for example, damaged Souls can result in slips. Always make sure that your foot protection is in good condition, kept clean and dry and is free from defects.

Hand and Arm Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

common types of hand and arm injuries are abrasions cuts and punctures, impacts, shocks, chemical burns, electrical burns, thermal or heat burns, resulting from contact with the flame, scolding from steam or hot or molten liquids and contact with hot objects. Cold burns such as frostbite and skin infection and contamination. Gloves are the main sort of PPE for hand and arm protection, and there also are protective sleeves or gauntlets, mitts, wrist cuffs, and armlets.

Gloves are often made up of materials like latex, rubber, cotton, PVC, fit on chrome steel mesh Kevlar and leather. there are a range of different types of gloves suitable for different tasks, such as gloves for working with chemicals and solvents, gloves that are cut resistant, gloves that a heat or cold-resistant, gloves for work with high and low voltage electricity, gloves were working with vibrating machinery, disposable gloves and any combination of those.

When choosing gloves, always seek expert help. advice should be sought for example from the manufacturer or distributor of a chemical agent or glove supplier always remember that if the inner surface of a glove becomes contaminated it will no matter how much care attention and expertise has gone into the selection process, exposure will occur, gloves should always be dry and hole-free. If gloves are wet, they ought to be changed with a dry pair.

Eye Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Common causes of eye injuries are flying objects like bits of metal and glass tools particles, chemicals and harmful radiation with just a touch extra effort. It easy to ensure that you and your co-workers won’t suffer eye damage, while on the job safety eyewear protection includes non-prescription and prescription safety spectacles, goggles, full visor face shields, welding helmets, and full-face respirators. A risk assessment should confirm the local hazards and therefore the sort of protective eyewear you ought to use.

There are glass, plastic, and polycarbonate safety lenses. Glass lenses are often heavy thanks to minimum lens thickness requirements and thus uncomfortable, low impact resistant and aren't always recommended as safety eye protection. Plastic lenses including polycarbonate lenses offer better impact resistance than glass, a lighter weight is often coated for anti-fog and anti-scratch and may be made in your corrective prescription. It is essential to see that the proper level of protection is getting used for every specific task.

A full visor face shield provides protection for not just the eyes, but also the face and throat also. Protective eyewear with a UV filter and tinting will protect your eyes from the sun's ultraviolet rays, which can cause a significant amount of eye damage. Contact lenses or prescription spectacles are not eyed protective devices, and wearing them does not reduce the requirement for eye and face protection. If you wear prescription spectacles or contact lenses, you must ensure that all PPE is a compatible and comfortable fit.

Hearing Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Failure to wear hearing protection in noisy areas may result in deafness. Damage to your hearing is painless, may be permanent and there is no cure. Hearing damage is often caused by very loud, peak noise levels and exposure to general noise over longer periods of your time. Effective safety hearing protection includes earplugs, including ear bands and earmuffs that are rated for specific noise levels. There also are earmuffs that are integrated with PPE, like hard hats when choosing ear protection.

There are a number of factors to keep in mind, your ear protection must be adequate for the level and frequency of sound in your work environment. 

Wearing ear protectors over long hair, spectacle frames or jewelry may reduce the effectiveness of the protection. When using earplugs, it's important to insert them correctly, firstly confirm your hands are clean, dirty earplugs will cause ear infections. roll the plug into a light cylindrical shape, reach around the back of your head and gently pull back the outer part of your ear to straighten your ear canal insert the plug well into your auditory meatus together with your other hand hold the connect firmly and permit it time to expand and block the noise.

Aim to get three-quarters of the length of the plug into the canal, check your earplugs regularly to ensure they are working, loose with earmuffs which way they are meant to be worn. Oval-shaped cups are meant to be worn so that the oval is vertical and not like the brush as much hair as possible away from the ears, and make sure the ears fit right inside the cups and are not pressed against the head. Adjust the headband so it even takes the weight of the cups, and holds them firmly in position. Run your fingers around the cushions to make sure there is a good seal against your head. Earmuffs can be used over earplugs for additional protection.

Earplugs and earmuffs should be cleaned before and after a shift. Ear protection shouldn't be shared with others as this will cause ear infections. Don’t take hearing protection off during a noisy environment. Remember one off-peak noise or long-term exposure to general noise over 85 decibels may damage your hearing.

Body Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Common sorts of body protection include safety overalls, nonporous full-body suits, heavy and lightweight duty aprons, lab coats, hot and cold environment protection, high visibility vests or jackets and sunscreen to protect from UV radiation. Sleeves, knee pads, and elbow pads are all available for extra protection when required. Overalls are required to protect people when engaged in dirty tasks and maybe cotton or disposable aprons maybe made from rubber, PVC or leather and maybe heavy or lightweight.

They are required when extra body protection is required. For example welding and handling chemicals, appropriate clothing, for example, insulation or water resistance should be used when workers are exposed to a cold or wet environment, cooling vests or breathable fabric could also be wont to minimize heat stress when working in hot environments

When working outdoors or in the Sun water-resistant SPF 30 plus sunscreen should be applied before a shift and re-applied every two hours. When working on the brink of machinery you want to wear close-fitting and shut fastened garments that can't get tangled in machinery. Body protection must be sized properly to stop tripping, tearing seam, parting or the restriction of movements. When conducting welding or flame cutting or where there is a potential risk of fire, body protection should be fire-resistant or flame-retardant. Materials made with polyester blends should usually be avoided in these situations. Anti-static overalls may be required in some industries.

Respiratory Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Common examples of respiratory hazards include particulates and dust hazardous. fumes and vapors gases and oxygen-deficient atmospheres, these hazards can be present from solvents specialized paints, the joining, and cutting of metals, welding fumes, dust from wood or plaster, solder flux. hazardous chemicals and confined spaces respiratory protective equipment or RPE include air-purifying respirators used to filter dust, fumes & gas, and air supplying respirators used in more hazardous situations. Air-purifying respirators include particle filtering face masks, path masks, and full-face masks.

Different types of filters are often used with each sort of mask, counting on the hazards present. Respiratory equipment with eye protection may be required when working near smoke & noxious or poisonous particles and fumes which can cause severe eye irritation. Air supplying respirators include airline systems, self-contained systems and closed-circuit breathing apparatus. Before using an air supplied or self-contained breathing apparatus, users must be trained and competent, physically fit, medically tested and fit tested to wear this equipment.

Fall Protection and Personal Protective Equipment-

Falls from height remain one among the only biggest causes of disability injury and death at work. Assessments and control of risk are required even when the potential fall distance is less than two meters. Fall arrest equipment should be designed and used to reduce the possibility of injury if a worker falls. Fall arrest systems are used where workers are required to hold out jobs near an unprotected edge. Safety belts and harnesses, lanyards, safety lines, and safety attachments for ladder work can be used vertical and self-retracting Anchorage lines can be used for work performed from boson’s chairs and ladders, collective fall arrest systems include nets and airbags.

Only people suitably trained and supervised should install and use fall arrest systems. PPE only protects the wearer it does not remove the hazard. It is for this reason that PPEs considered the control measure of last resort. elimination, substitution, isolation, engineering controls and administrative controls should be put in place before personal protective equipment is utilized, but how do you know what type of PPE is suitable, you should assess the PPE requirements, the PPE must be appropriate for the risks and conditions, where it is to be used. Take into consideration the ergonomic requirements and state of health of the person wearing it fit the wearer correctly.     

If necessary after adjustments either prevent or control the danger involved without increasing the general risk and be utilized in conjunction with other control measures. Material safety data sheets or MSDS include information on the types of PPE that should be used for the safe handling of materials and substances however it is also important to check with suppliers and manufacturers to ensure the PPE is suitable for the task.

Each type of PPE that you wear must be compatible or the PPE could be ineffective. The extent of protection provided by PPE depends upon good fit and a spotlight to detail. If PPE is used incorrectly or badly maintained, the wearer may receive no protection at all, never let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security when wearing PPE. The hazard still exists albeit you are not directly engaged during a potentially dangerous activity.

You still need to wear PPE when people work in the vicinity, never remove your PPE in designated areas even if it seems uncomfortable, it may save your life. Visitors are also required to wear PPE in designated areas. Ensure any PPE you use complies with the requirements of the personal protective equipment regulations and meets basic safety requirements. Using poorly maintained PPE can kill you when maintaining and storing PPE.

Follow these rules- clean PPE before and after use, inspect PPE for damage before and after use and replace PPE that's defective. PPE should not be left lying around where it can become contaminated. PPE should be suitably stored when it is not being used. For example during a clean cupboard or within the case of smaller items like eye protection, during a box or case.

Follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule including recommended replacement periods and shelf lives. If you employ the right PPE for the task ensure it’s worn correctly and kept clean and well-maintained. Then you'll significantly reduce the danger of a workplace accident happens to you, an accident can occur once you least expect it. It is therefore vital that you wear your PPE, whenever there is any risk or when signs require it. It could only take a split-second and your life will change forever.