What Employers Should Know About PPE

We all know that all employees are responsible for providing a safe workplace for all its employees. In every workplace, there is a risk to any form of danger and they can be in different forms like, sharp objects, chemicals, radiation and even noise. This is especially true when you are working in a factory, hospital or a construction site. It is very important that employees understand the importance of protecting their employees. Before even purchasing safety gears, employers must consider the nature of job and the equipment that their employees handle. The employer of each company must have their own assessment that would include the types of chemicals used in the workplace, sources of electricity and sources of radiation. Once the assessment is done, it is important for the employer to analyse the data for them to be able to properly identify the type of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be purchased.

Once identified it is now time to identify the specific PPE gear to be purchased by the employers. All the PPE safety gears to be purchased must be safe and must be handled with care by the employees when they use it. Almost all the PPE come in different type and sizes so it is also important that employers must have a list of all employees who need them with the actual sizes. According to safety experts, if the PPE does not fit the user, it might pose danger on the part of the employee who is using it, thus the importance of having the accurate sizes.

There are three basic PPE safety gears that must be purchased and they are: Eye and Face protection, Foot Protection. After all these have been purchased, it is also very vital that all the employees who will use them are all required to attend the training. This should include the basic life training. Aside from this, employees must also be properly briefed as to when they need to use the PPE and how to properly use them like how they must properly use and take them off.

So among the basic PPE safety gears, who would be using them? For the eyes and face protection, electricians, carpenters, welders, construction workers and plumbers are among the top employees who must be using this type of gear. They must learn about the proper way to use eye protection like goggles. It would also be best if the employer must explain to their employees the risk and the injuries that might occur if they do not use it properly.

On the other hand, Head Protection would normally include hard hats and protective helmets. During their training, the employer must constantly remind their employees that wearing their hard hats can help them especially when a hard object falls and it can also absorb the shock of blow.

Lastly, Protective Clothing must be used by all employees who are exposed to hazardous materials and chemicals. The protective clothing would include safety shoes, knee pads, and overalls. These materials must be used by workers who are exposed to hot surfaces, poisonous and corrosive materials.