Jumat, 04 November 2011

Stay Safe At Work With Protective Equipment

The workplace can be a very dangerous place. To prevent injuries as well as possible, it is essential that employees are educated about dangers and that they wear the proper safety equipment. Without knowledge or protection, serious injury or death are possible.

The most important factor for the business owner is industrial safety. All employees must be experts about all of the head protection, ear safety equipment, eyewear, respiratory apparatuses, fire prevention, etc. Their health is the top priority.

To prevent eye injury, employees must be provided with protective eyewear, eyeglasses, and/or goggles, and those with vision issues should opt for OSHA prescription safety glasses.
This will prevent flying particles from harming or ruining their eyes. Not only should they eyewear be provided, but they must be encouraged to use it at all times. It does no good to have the protection and not use it. The optical quality of the higher quality goggles is excellent, so there is no excuse.

Vision protection isn't the only thing that employees must think about. They also must protect their ears and hearing. Earmuffs and earplugs are the most common forms of ear protection. If an employee is subjected to constant load noises, their eardrums can become damaged, and they may even become deaf. Ear protection will protect your hearing, and protect your ears against debris that could cut your ear, or get inside and cause infections.

You may see protecting your eyes and ears as the same thing as protecting your head, but more needs to be done. You need to protect your scull from impact injuries that can cause irreversible brain damage. A hard hat or helmet is the perfect piece of equipment for this. These are often worn on construction sites, or any time that a worker is in a room where objects might fall.

In addition to protecting yourself from flying or falling objects, and loud noises and bright lights, employees must learn about fire safety. Understanding how to use fire extinguishers can save lives, as well as the factory itself. Fires aren't uncommon, so quick action to put fires out is key. With no protection, it might be too late by the time the fire department arrives.

Employees in certain environments must protect their lungs. Industrial settings often have airborne pollutants that can harm lungs. Wearing a facemask will keep these pollutants out of their lungs, keeping them healthy.

Gloves and work boots are important pieces of equipment as well to protect your hands and feet from being cut or smashed.

As mentioned above, the only way that all of this equipment will be fully useful is if the employees know how to use it, and if they actually do use it. Prevention is very important!