How to Improve Workplace Safety with Proper Safety Wear?
Whether you represent electrical, oil & gas, utilities, or other manufacturing industries, being a safety & production manager, you may face many challenges concerning personal protective equipment (PPE) compliance.
While various decisions are made to ensure the health & safety of personnel, it is important for safety representatives to also develop programs focusing on productivity & efficiency. However, achieving this balance can be difficult. Creating a safe work environment involves the development of necessary procedures, communication & execution of training & inspection programs. So, here we bring you key tips that will help you improve your workplace safety with proper safety wear that works as the first line of defense to decrease worker incidents & injuries:
Know when you need to use PPE
It is important to follow the guidelines by OSHA while deciding what PPE should be used and when it is required. In any area where workers may face airborne debris, safety glasses must be used. Similarly, hard hats are required for construction sites and any work environment where a worker may face the hazard of falling objects. Safety work shirts, jackets, pants, gloves, boots, and masks are required in various operations, including chemicals & flame/burn hazards.
Design a PPE Program
Employers must provide their workers with the tools & safety equipment required to perform their jobs. Training requirements typically include knowing when PPE is needed & what type is required.
Additionally, employees must understand how to use or wear safety clothing & equipment. If these are not worn or used correctly, they’ll not provide the necessary protection.
These PPE training programs should also include how to inspect equipment & when new a PPE should be requested. It is always better than supervisors or any individual assigned to maintain training records & assurance programs to make a checklist so that they don’t miss out on anything.
Choose the appropriate PPE for your work environment
For a PPE to provide the right protection, it must match the quality standards. If it is of substandard quality, it will not provide you the protection that it should. While choosing safety clothing, you must pay attention to the manufacturer’s ratings & test results. Testing, which is conducted in situations that simulate how the clothing item or other PPE is to be worn in actual workplace scenarios, provides the most accurate performance ratings. Make sure that each piece of your safety clothing meets OSHA or NFPA guidelines.
Check out with the products’ manufacturer and what compliance ratings this equipment is designed to meet. Additionally, read the labels for further details about the garment. Often the fabrics designed to protect against a chemical spill are not always the same to provide flame resistance. The items you choose as PPE must meet the hazards of your workplace.
Perform regular maintenance inspections
Like most equipment, these garments will also wear out over time. Many PPE items also have expiration dates, and they must be removed from service after this date. For instance, a hard hat should be in use for not more than five years, and the date on which it is first placed in service must be recorded inside the hat. In addition, some safety clothing items are required to be replaced after an incident or if they become soiled to ensure protection for the wearer is not compromised in any case.
Ending Note
While safety clothing protects you in the event of an accident, it does not prevent the accident itself. By establishing safety guidelines & training your workers on how to correctly use PPE, your workplace will be safer & any accidents will be less likely to end in injury.
