Protect Your Eyes - Personal Protective Equipment

 

Eye injuries can be among the most serious of workplace accidents and unfortunately are also quite common.

An injury which would be minor if it occurred elsewhere on the body can be extremely serious if it occurs on the eye. For example, a piece of metal which is shot through the air from a grinder can cause a minor scratch on your skin, but sudden blindness if it strikes your eye.

That is why it is extremely important to wear eye protection at all times when there might be the danger of flying particles, chemical splashes, or impact accidents involving your eyes.

There are many different types of eye protection available. The most widely used are the basic safety glasses. Unlike street glasses, safety glasses come with side shields for better protection and are made of special material which resists impact. While street glasses are made to provide some protection against impact, they cannot be relied upon to protect you from industrial hazards.

Safety glasses do an extremely important job in protecting your eyesight. What if you lost your vision because of an injury which you could have avoided if you had been wearing safety eye wear? Wouldn't any objections which you had to your safety glasses seem ridiculous compared to losing your precious eyesight?

Not only is it important to wear eye protection, but it is also important to wear the right kind. Get help from your HSE Department. If you are having problems with the fit, keep trying until you find something comfortable. You are more likely to wear your safety glasses if they fit comfortably.

You've heard the phrase 'Keep your eyes on the job.' It means more than just paying attention to what you are doing; it means properly wearing the correct eye protection for the job you are doing.

Personal Protective Equipment

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Head Protection – Hard Hats

There are some practical reasons for wearing a hard hat. They help keep your head cooler in summer; dry during rain; and helps shield your ears from noise. But the main reason to wear a hard hat is that it protects the control center part of your body—your head. 

What a Hard Hat Does:

• Protects you from falling objects. 
• Protects your head in case of a fall or bump’s into machinery, ductwork and the like. 
• Protects you from electrical shocks and burns if it's a non-conductive hat. 
• It is a neat place to put stickers and decals, especially first aid trained or safety committee member. 

Proper Care: In order for your hard hat to take care of you, you need to care for your hat

• Always keep your hard hat properly adjusted. 
• Do not cut, bend or heat the hard hat. 
• When you see deep gouges or cracks in the shell, or the hat color turns dull, its time for a new one. 

Proper Wear: 

• Do not wear it backwards. 
• Don’t put anything inside your hard hat except your head. 
• Don’t try to substitute it for a “bump cap.” The bump cap will not provide adequate protection from falling objects; just isn’t strong enough. 
• It is not a stool or a step; doing so weakens the shell of the hard hat. 

Remember: The average hard hat weighs about 14 ounces. The average head weighs about 14 pounds. That’s about one ounce of protection for each pound of head. A small price to pay to protect the control center of your body.  

Personal Protective Equipment

Pallet Safety

 

Webster defines a pallet as a "support for freight." As a support, it has the potential to take a lot of buse. A lot of old pallets are never discarded when they should be. They are stacked in a corner and not used except as a last resort when there are no good ones left. 

Too many times we hear that a pallet has broken and the freight has fallen to the floor/ground. This not only causes freight damage but can also result in equipment damage--or worse yet, in employee injury or death. 

Please take a moment to review the following safety tips for working around palletized loads:

• Develop a pallet inspection program. Before you use a pallet, inspect it for cracks, weaknesses and other damage. If you find damage, mark it unsafe for use until it is either fixed or thrown away. This can prevent a lot of potential problems.

• When loading a pallet, make sure the load is centered and not out of balance.

• If the pallet is holding several loose items, make sure the entire load is secured with shrink wrap or banding; cargo netting or straps.

• Exercise caution when stacking several pallets high. Make sure the stack is not leaning, because of weak or broken segments, which may cause the whole pile to fall over. Refrain from stacking more than two high. Follow local policies for lifts.

• Always know the load limit of the pallet jack or forklift you are using. Neither the pallets nor mechanical lifting devices should ever be overloaded.

• Load limits should also be established and marked on warehouse floors--balconies, mezzanines, etc. Always comply with these where applicable.

• Make sure your forklift has an overhead cage or screen to protect the operator from falling objects when material load is being stacked overhead.

Remember--thinking ahead can save a lot of trouble. It is a waste of production time and effort to reload a pallet that has fallen. But, more importantly, an effective pallet/warehouse safety plan can prevent injuries and save lives! 

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Eye Injury Prevention

 

One thousand eye injuries occur in American workplaces every day. These injuries are responsible for over $3,000,000.00 annually in medical, lost production and workers' compensation costs!!

Why are these injuries occurring?

• Three out of five injuries happen because the worker was not wearing any eye protection at the time of the accident.

• About 40% of the injured workers were wearing some type of eye protection, but it was the wrong kind and failed to protect adequately. The leading cause in this category is the lack of side shields.

• Accident studies reveal flying or falling objects and sparks as the cause in 70% of eye injuries. Nearly 60% of the objects causing eye injury are smaller than a pin head.

• Nearly 20% of all eye injuries are caused by contact with chemicals. This includes splashing or chemicals being sprayed directly into the eye.

• 40% of eye injuries occurred among craft workers, such as mechanics, repairers, carpenters, and plumbers. 30% of eye injuries occurred among operatives, such as assemblers, sanders, and grinding machine operators.

• 50% of the injured workers were employed in manufacturing. 20% were employed in construction.

What can we do to prevent these injuries?

First of all make sure you select the proper eye protection for the task. 94% of the eye injuries that occurred to workers wearing eye protection resulted from objects or chemicals going around or under the protector.

Second, make sure the eye protection you have selected fits properly and is clean. One of the leading reasons for workers removing or not wearing eye protection is the lens became dirty and they could not see what they were doing.

Nearly 20% of eye injuries happened to workers wearing face shields or welding helmets while grinding. Only 6% of the workers injured while wearing eye protection were wearing goggles.

See your way to Safety!

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Ten Keys to Accident Prevention

The following are 10 keys to accident prevention:

1. Ownership. Give employees responsibility for planning and conducting inspections, for analyzing their own data on work hazards, and for designing safety checklists.
2. Leadership. Set an example. Make sure you, personally, take necessary steps to prevent accidents. That means wearing proper PPE and taking the same precautions as your workers. Be on the lookout for potential hazards and point them out to your workers.
3. Understanding. Emphasize that hazards put employees’ personal health and safety at risk. Understanding the “why” of safety is a strong motivator.
4. Commitment. Work to get commitment to the idea that safety is a number one priority from every one of your employees.
5. Goals. Set clear standards for workplace behavior—and enforce them.
6. Competence. Train employees well so that they have the information and develop the skills they need to work safely and avoid accidents
7. Feedback. Praise employees who identify and correct hazards or who report problems they can’t fix.
8. Involvement. Use every opportunity to encourage employees to play an active role in workplace safety and accident prevention. If you see a hazard, do more than just correct it. Use it as a learning experience to help workers become more alert and more sensitive to potential danger on the job.
9. Respons. Riveness. Make sure you respond promptly to identified hazards and take immediate steps to correct them.
10. Persistence. Remember that accident prevention is an ongoing challenge. It’s something you have to focus on every day, always improving, always setting new safety objectives, and always making steady progress toward achieving them.  

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Personal Protective Equipment

PPE is any equipment or clothing you have to use or wear to protect you from the hazards of your job. It includes but is not limited to gloves, respirators, safety shields, glasses or goggles, hard hats, hearing protectors or high visibility vests.

Your supervisor is responsible for providing most PPE that you require to perform your job safely and to ensure that you are properly trained on how to use, care for and maintain your PPE.

You have a responsibility to use your PPE when & how you have been directed to. You are also required to inspect your equipment prior to using it and to report any problems immediately to your supervisor. If you’re not sure about the right PPE to wear for the job or how to use or care for it, ask your supervisor.

PPE should not create additional hazardous situations. If you are concerned that your PPE is inappropriate or inadequate for the job, immediately report this to your supervisor.

PPE basics

• Ensure it is appropriate for the job you are doing.
• Ensure it fits properly. (For respirators, ensure you have been fit tested).
• Always inspect your equipment before use to ensure it is proving adequate protection.
• Report concerns or defects immediately to your supervisor
• Keep it clean and well maintained and replace it when needed.
• Don’t store it in contaminated areas, but in a clean area and wipe it down as needed.

Safety Eyewear is REQUIRED to be worn in all shops 

Hearing Protection is RECOMMENDED to be worn in all shops

Respirators have some specific applications to protect against wood dust and some fumes and particulates

Gloves have some specific applications to protect against some chemicals

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Gloves and hand safety - Personal Protective Equipment

Company health and safety experts know that selecting the right gloves for their workers is a vital part of ensuring the success of keeping their employees hands’ protected. Depending on the particular hazards of the job, much thought must go into making the right choice. Style is also important to workers and helps ensure compliance. Some PPE (personal protective equipment) may be unattractive, but leading glove manufacturers have gotten the message from retail and athletic clothing markets and developed fashionable, yet functional styles that workers will wear.

Health and safety experts also know that wearing a pair of gloves will not protect the hands of workers unless those workers are careful in performing their work duties, which includes being aware of the dangers their hands are exposed to, even while wearing gloves. Because gloves are made of materials that protect from abrasions, nicks, vibrations, and other hazards, some employees may think they are invincible. They are required to wear their PPE at all times on the job. If there are periods that they do not have to wear gloves, glove guards are handy to attach the gloves to clothing, where they are readily accessible.

Of course, as in any setting where PPE is required, training is mandated before the person starts his/her job. They must understand how important their personal protective equipment is, how to take care of it, and the need to report and replace any damaged or worn product. Workers must remember that unsafe conditions and acts cause injuries.

The most important thing a worker can do is to keep those gloves on at all times, while working carefully. Be sure they fit and are comfortable, and if they look good, that’s a plus, too. There is no one type of glove that will prevent all hand injuries and no glove will help avoid injury if it is not worn. Individuals must continually think about how he/she is handling lifting, or running a particular type of equipment. He doesn’t want to go home missing a finger, or worse.

There are gloves that are high-visibility, others for furnishing good grip and protection. Women want to wear gloves that are made for their smaller hands. Gloves must fit properly to help the hands do their job. If they are too large, grip is lost. Some gloves furnish better ventilation than others, and there are fingerless gloves for mobility, yet they still allow good grip. We see football players wearing gloves, as well as golfers (a golf glove).

Gloves furnish dexterity, sensitivity, durability, and tactility. Each type excels in one or more of these descriptions. Some medical and industrial grade gloves may not meet the “style” factor, but play a very important part in protecting healthcare, food processing, and other types of workers’ hands. Leather gloves are soft and supple, yet are protective.

Employees must know that PPE is the last (but very important) line of defense for their protection. Workers are the front line. 

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First

Foot Protection - Personal Protective Equipment

Foot protection is probably about the least talked about type of personal protection. Nevertheless, it is still an important safety topic. One nail puncture could cause weeks of lost time off the job.

Characteristics of a Suitable Boot:

• Puncture resistant soles
• Steel toes
• Boot extends above the ankle
• Sole provides good traction
• Type of Injuries Commonly Resulting from Poor Footwear:

Punctures from nails and tie wire

• Bruises of the foot
• Unsure footing
• Blisters
• Body fatigue
• Mashing of foot resulting from dropped objects

Other Acceptable Footwear:

• Buckle Overshoes – for work in mud, water and concrete 
•  Knee and Hip boots – for work in deep water and mud

Encourage use of rubber boots when placing concrete. Sometimes we forget concrete can cause severe burns if it comes into contact with the skin for any length of time.

Remember: Almost all of us work on our feet or at least use our feet to get to work. Doesn’t it make sense to take good care of our feet in order to insure that they are able to get us to work? 

Think safe - work safe - live safe

Think safely in everything you do 

Safety First