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- Course # 5
Personal Protective Equipment
Duration 4 hours
Fee $ 75.00
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Upon
completion, of this course, participants will be able to demonstrate
knowledge of the selection , care, and use for common personal protective
equipment in construction. They will also be able to identify and explain
legal requirements concerning PPE.
Safety in the workplace should be a priority no matter what the area of
business.
Your employees will appreciate knowing that you take the necessary
precautions to ensure their safety.
You should not think of personal-protective equipment as a substitute for
quality engineering,
administrative controls or good work practices.
Instead, you should incorporate each of these aspects together to
provide a complete safety program.
When designing your PPE program, evaluate all the potential needs of
your employees;
determine what equipment each task requires to minimize the likelihood of
an occupational-related injury or illness;
and consider what options are available for head, face, eye and hand
protection.
Additionally, you may need to investigate respiratory and hearing
protection if your employees work around hazardous fumes or operate
loud equipment.
D.A.L. Enterprise PPE program outlines the individual responsibilities of:employer
supervisors and employees
As a supervisor, some of your responsibilities include implementing
the PPE program, providing the appropriate equipment, training employees on
proper use and maintenance, replacing defective or damaged equipment and
supervising your staff to be sure they follow the program.
Your employees are responsible for wearing the PPE, attending
training classes and caring for the PPE.
Finally, D.A.L. Enterprise conducts workplace-hazard assessments and
periodic reassessments, and provides training, technical assistance and
guidance to supervisors on purchasing, using, caring for and cleaning PPE.
What is personal protective equipment?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration
requires all personal protective clothing and equipment--
including PPE for eyes, face, head and extremities,
protective clothing, respiratory devices, protective shields and barriers--
to be of safe design and construction for employees to perform the intended
task.
By definition, PPE is apparel and other devices that are worn to protect
the body,
and includes gloves, protective eyewear, footwear and head gear, coveralls,
chemical-resistant suits and aprons, and, in some cases, respirators.
It is your responsibility to provide your employees with the
equipment
and make sure they maintain it in a "sanitary and reliable
condition."
Employees must wear the PPE when working in areas
in which chemical or radiological hazards could occur;
where they could sustain an injury due to mechanical irritants;
or suffer from a physical impairment through absorption, inhalation or
physical contact.
Items of protective clothing and equipment acceptable for use
must meet government regulations which is why it enforces its own
requirements pertaining to
hand protection.
Eye and face protection
To ensure adequate prevention of eye injuries, all persons--including
employees, researchers, visitors and contractors--who may be in eye-hazard
areas must wear protective eyewear. You should "procure a sufficient
quantity of goggles and/or plastic eye protectors which afford the maximum
amount of protection possible," according to OSHA.
Protective eyewear should protect the front of the face, brow and temples.
Furthermore, government regulations regulations recommend employees use
face shields and eye protection
when "exposed to hazards from flying particles, molten metal, acids or
caustic liquids, chemical liquids, gases or vapors, bio-aerosols or
potentially injurious light radiation."
Following are some specific government regulations guidelines to remember:
* Wear appropriate eye and face protection devices along with contact
lenses
* Use side protectors when there is hazard from flying objects
* Use goggles and face shields when a hazard from chemical splash exists
* Mark protectors to identify manufacturer
* Use equipment fitted with appropriate filter lenses to protect against
light radiation (tinted and shaded lenses are not filtered lenses unless
they are marked or identified as such)
* For employees who wear prescription lenses, eye protectors should
incorporate the prescription in the design or fit properly over the
prescriptive lenses.
Head protection
If your business requires employees to engage in construction and other
miscellaneous work,
they should wear a protective helmet.
It is especially necessary when working in areas where a potential for
injury to the head from falling objects exists.
Select a helmet designed to reduce electrical shock hazard and require each
employee to wear it when working near exposed electrical conductors that
could contact their head. It is a good idea to furnish your employees with
bump caps/skull guards to protect against scalp lacerations from contact
with sharp objects. "However, they [should not wear them] as
substitutes for safety caps/hats, because they do not afford protection
from high-impact forces or penetration by falling objects," according
to OHSA.
All protective helmets must comply with today's standards.
When working around chemicals, your employees should wear
chemical-resistant headgear,
which would be a chemical-resistant hood or hat with a wide protective
brim.
Foot protection
Wearing safety shoes or boots with impact protection should be standard
procedure
when working in areas where a foot injury could occur from falling or
rolling objects,
objects piercing the sole or when feet could be exposed to electrical
hazards.
Also, government regulations advises wearing protective shoes
when in a situation where you or someone else is carrying or handling large
packages,
objects or heavy tools that could fall onto your feet.
Steel-reinforced safety shoes offer protection against falling or rolling
objects, cuts and puncture.
The toe box and insole of the shoe are reinforced with steel, and the
instep is protected
by either steel, aluminum or plastic materials.
The shoes often are insulated to protect against temperature extremes,
and the soles are designed to guard against slipping, chemicals and
electrical hazards.
Safety boots offer protection against spark and splash hazards, such as
molten materials and chemicals.
Protective footwear must comply with today's standard for personal
protection.
Hand protection
Government regulations requirement for hand protection says,
"Employers shall select and require employees to use appropriate
protection
when employees' hands are exposed to hazards such as those from skin
absorption of harmful substances, severe cuts or laceration, severe
abrasions, punctures, chemical burns, thermal burns and harmful temperature
extremes."
Gloves are the obvious PPE to use. Manufacturers design some gloves
for a specific use, while others can provide protection from multiple
exposures. You should select hand protection based on the needs of a
particular job, the conditions present, duration of use and any potential
hazards. When handling sharp objects or temperature-sensitive materials,
you may consider leather gloves, welder's gloves, aluminum-backed gloves
and insulated gloves.
D.A.L. Enterprise's list of the most common protective work gloves and the
hazards they protect against follows: Disposable gloves, made of
lightweight plastic, guard against mild irritants.
Fabric gloves, made of cotton or fabric blends, improve your grip
when handling slippery objects and insulate hands from mild heat or cold.
Leather gloves protect against injuries from sparks or scraping
against rough surfaces.
Metal-mesh gloves, commonly used by persons working with cutting
tools and sharp instruments, protect hands from accidental cuts and
scratches.
Aluminized gloves, made of aluminized fabric, insulate hands from
intense heat, such as molten materials.
Chemical-resistant gloves, made of rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl
alcohol or vinyl, protect against pesticides, corrosives, oils and
solvents.
Hearing protection
If your employees work in loud-noise areas or with equipment that
produces loud noise,
you should provide adequate hearing protection if you cannot limit the
level or exposure time.
Ear muffs and ear plugs are the two main types of hearing
protection.
Both are capable of providing a seal either inside or outside the ear.
If you work in an area that requires hearing protection, you need to keep it
in place the entire time you are in the area. Removing the earpiece for any
amount of time can cancel its protective effect. An employee who already
suffers from a hearing loss must still wear hearing protection. You want to
protect any hearing you have, therefore, you may want to encourage
employees during off hours to wear protection even when at home if they use
drills, saws and other loud machinery.
Earplugs.
Earplugs fit into the ear canal to reduce the level of noise that
passes through the inner canal.
They should fit tightly enough to block your ear canal completely.
Otherwise, their usefulness diminishes.
Some earplugs are available in a variety of sizes, some in only one size
(compressible foam).
Demonstrate to your employees how to select the correct size of earplugs
and properly fit them into their ears. They should throw away disposable
earplugs immediately after use and clean reusable earplugs with mild soap
and warm water. The earplugs should be completely dry before reinserting
into the ear.
Earmuffs.
Often used in louder-noise areas, earmuffs cover the entire ear, and
a headband holds them in place.
Most earmuffs specify which way they fit onto the head--usually front or
top--and the headband is adjustable to keep the cups in place and the seal
tight. The plastic cushions on earmuffs can become dirty and sweaty, so it
is important to keep them cleaned. You will want to inspect them
regularly and replace any damaged parts.
Respiratory protection
Government regulations recommends that employers provide respiratory
protection to employees
who work in areas where the air may be contaminated with harmful gases,
dusts, fumes, smokes, sprays or vapors. Preventing atmospheric
contamination can reduce
the likelihood of an employee contracting one of several occupational
diseases.
Taking proper engineering-control measures, such as enclosing or confining
the operation,
providing adequate ventilation and substituting less toxic materials, can
help reduce respiratory illness as well. You also need to develop a
standard procedure for employees to follow when using the equipment.
Using the incorrect respirator for a specified job, or using the respirator
incorrectly, compromises the intended safety benefits of the apparatus.
Concerning respirators and other breathing apparatus,
it is your responsibility to provide the PPE that is suitable for the
purpose in which your employees will use them. You should educate your
employees on the importance of wearing, cleaning/disinfecting and
maintaining the respiratory equipment with which you provide them.
Government regulations regulations require trained supervisors to inspect
respirators for wear and determine their effectiveness. All respirators
must comply with today's standards
Protective clothing
Certain tasks require more complete protection of the body.
In such cases--mixing, loading or spraying pesticides, for example--
workers should use aprons, coveralls or "rain suits" made of the
appropriate material, in addition to other protective gear such as gloves,
boots, a hat and eye protection.
Materials may range from disposable coverall-type garments made of
1- paper or a
2- synthetic material to thicker chemical-resistant (will not absorb
any measurable amount of pesticide)
3- rubber or
4- plastic.
Balance the cost of disposable garments against the ongoing task of
cleaning reusable gear.
Look for equipment that provides maximum user comfort, as well as
adequate protection.
After all, if protective clothing is uncomfortable, workers simply won't
use it.
Plus, gear that causes overheating or dehydration may be a hazard in
itself.
Ultimately, however, you must use the minimum necessary to protect against
the hazard at hand.
Grounds care is an industry that requires a great deal of attention
to protective equipment.
Landscape maintenance is an equipment-intensive field
and typically requires boots, eye and ear protection and, often, more
extensive protection such as gloves, helmets and leather chaps. Think of
all the ways your equipment could injure you--spinning blades, hot
mufflers, flying debris, excessive noise--and you'll see why
personal-protective equipment is so important. Tasks that involve
fertilizer or pesticide use mandate protection from chemicals rather than
mechanical force.
Thus, chemical-resistant materials and perhaps particle masks or
respirators are called for in these situations. When you aren't sure of
what's required, use common sense and err on the side of caution until you
obtain specific instructions from the appropriate regulatory agency.
However, most equipment and all pesticide labels provide instructions about
specific hazards for which you'll need protection.
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