Accidents frequently happen in the construction industry, and often it is because of the absence of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE. Safety is the most important thing for day laborers and skilled laborers. You get to work with different people handling different Unitfine machinery and equipment such as fine scr000een, separator, mixer, tractors, etc. With a lot of things going on site, wearing proper gear is vital.
Protect workers against health or safety risks on the job by wearing PPE that include items such as protective helmets, eye protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear, safety harness, and sometimes, respiratory protective equipment. Workers, contractors, students, or visitors to the site should all wear PPE to protect and shield them from visible and hidden workplace hazards.
Let’s find out more about the PPE commonly used on construction sites, their importance, and what are they for.
Head Protection
Safety helmets and hard hats are so conventional on construction sites that you can usually identify workers by their hats when you passed by one. Hard hats are designed to protect the worker’s head from flying or falling objects that may impact or penetrate, and strike head injuries. Some hard hats come with accessories such as face shields and earmuffs. Hard hats that are too large may fall-off, and hard hats that are too small may be uncomfortable for you and thus inappropriate for use. Use well-fitted hats for better protection. Follow the manufacturer’s directions in adjusting the suspension in the hard hat to ensure a comfortable and secure fit.
Eye and Face Protection
Protecting your eye and face are equally important as protecting your head. To protect your eyes and face, use safety goggles, safety spectacles, face screens, visors, and full face shields. These equipment will protect workers from the dangers of hot sparks, caustic liquids, chemical gases, vapors, light radiation, molten metal, acids, flying fragments, large chips, splashes from molten metals, optical radiation as well as particles, mists, sand, dusts, and glare that are usually on construction sites.
All operations, including metalwork, wood-work, hot-work, and air tool operations require this type of protection. Workers, who perform welding operations, must be provided with proper filter lens shade number based on the type of welding they will be performing. For those working with lasers, wear safety goggles that have the appropriate optical density based on the wavelength of the laser.
Respiratory Protection
On sites where there are toxic substances present, respiratory protection is vital. Sometimes these hazardous substances can hurt you without knowing because you can’t see it. Some of these are dust, fumes, paint spray, pesticides, gases, vapors, and other dangerous substances that could cause permanent impairment. Protect your respiratory system against environments with air contaminants by wearing protection like respirators, filtering facepieces, power-assisted respirators, self-contained breathing apparatus, and fresh-air hose. Respirators are used when there is unavailability of adequate ventilation or other engineering control systems are not feasible or inadequate. Make sure that the right type of respirator filter is used for the specified hazard, as each filter is only suitable for a small range of substances and only have a limited lifespan.
Hand and Skin Protection
Typically, all jobs require the work of the hand, especially in construction jobs. Reported hand injuries and occupational skin diseases such as contact dermatitis, skin cancers, and other skin injuries and infections are the second most common type of occupational disease that can be very costly to cure. Because a lot of work is done with the hands, protect it by using gloves. Gloves are essential protective equipment in providing hand and skin protection. Some examples of commonly used gloves for protection include rubber gloves, cut-resistant gloves, chainsaw gloves, and heat-resistant gloves. Use the right kind of gloves when working with chemicals, glass, sheet metal, electricity, hot materials, or slippery objects to avoid hazards.
Hearing Protection
Since it is invisible to the eye, we often neglect industrial noise as an occupational hazard. However, workers in the manufacturing sector who are exposed to harmful noises annually may suffer from hearing loss. Ear protection like earplugs and earmuffs are standard tools to protect you from noise hazards. Earmuffs are more useful for reducing high-frequency noise while earplugs are more effective for reducing low-frequency noise. It is necessary to provide the workers with the right type of hearing protection for the kind of work they are undertaking.
Foot and Leg Protection
Protective footwear like safety shoes and foot guards help prevent foot and leg injuries while on site. Another foot protection equipment is steel toecaps and steel midsole protection. Steel toecaps protect you from dropping objects and steel midsole protection to protect against puncture or penetration wounds from stepping on sharp objects. In addition to these foot protection, leggings made of aluminized rayon, or leather, or other appropriate material can help prevent leg injuries. Leggings protect workers from hazards such as rolling or falling objects, wet and slippery surfaces, sharp objects, molten metals, hot surfaces, and electrical hazards.
Whole Body Protection
In a construction site, there might be occasions when workers are required to work with contaminated dust such as asbestos. Aside from this, they may also be at risk from chemical or metal splashes, spray from pressure leaks or spray guns, an entanglement of their own clothing, impact or penetration. To protect your body from these workplace hazards, the use of conventional or disposable overalls, boiler suits, aprons, or chemical suits made from various materials, might be required.
Increases the Quality of Your Workday
PPE provide you a support system for the work your job requires you to do. These equipment are provided to make you feel that physical risk is minimal. For example, duties that ask you to perform heavy lifting, PPE items such as weight belts offer the stability you need. Safety measures should be taken to prevent simple trips and fall injuries that may be a cause of hindrance in doing your job.
It is imperative to keep employees and workers safe for it will increase their efficiency and give high product quality results. To do this, select the right protective equipment and safety gear for the workplace and any business you run. Consider all evident and hidden hazards, and monitor tasks to ensure the health and safety in your workplace.
Author bio
Rach Andi is a content writer who focuses on topics about SEO, maintenance tips, travel tips, and home improvement. During summer, she likes to go on an adventure with her friends and spend some time with her family.