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

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