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Workplace safety is essential. Some professions call for a greater degree and consideration of PPE than others, such as those who face chemical and toxin exposure. These roles call for better protective equipment to properly ensure worker safety, but what are the key components for a fully comprehensive PPE setup? This guide highlights the five top items for keeping safety at the forefront of the work day.
Gloves
Protecting hands from exposure to chemicals is important for avoiding harmful rashes, soreness, and general deterioration of the skin surface. Some chemicals are far too harsh to ever be in direct contact with the skin. Lots of these, like formaldehyde, acidic, or corrosive substances, are in general use within the world of building or hospitality, for example. therefore, the need for gloves, such as disposable gloves, is essential to properly support workers.
Goggles
Goggles are more of a niche style of equipment, but they have their place in certain industries – welding or chemical engineering, for instance. Eyes are extremely sensitive and therefore need protecting in order to maintain vision capacity and avoid injury. It is far too easy to harm the eyeballs and retinas, all it takes is the wrong splash at the wrong time and the consequence can be devastating. So, professional-grade goggles should be a standard piece of kit for anyone handling anything that poses a risk.
Hi-Vis
Hi-vis clothing is most important when workers need to be seen. Something as simple as a neon vest with reflective stripes makes anyone instantly more noticeable, which could end up saving their life. Anyone who works around large vehicles, for example, needs to be visible in that environment to avoid being run over and suffering the consequences.
Helmets
Helmets are a hard casing style headgear to protect the cranial area from injury and general harm as a result of falling materials and similar. Construction workers on a building site will often wear these as a part of their role requirement to adhere to official health and safety standards. It provides a layer of protection for them, but the employer also as they have taken the official steps to keep their staff safe.
Foot Protection
Foot protection looks like many different things, but it entirely depends on the context. Let’s return to the construction worker example. There are often splinters, nails, glass, and generally rough terrain to navigate on a building site. Therefore, the need for strong, thick boots becomes more essential than, for instance, for someone working in an office. Conversely, someone working in a scientific laboratory may need a protective slipper around their shoe in case they come into contact accidentally with any toxic substances splashed around, but also to maintain the cleanliness of the research environment too.
Conclusion
Some jobs may even call for more specialist PPE than those listed above, but the five options listed here are the most commonly purchased by a range of industries. Lots of work environments have a need for general PPE!
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