The importance of safety gear

The use of safety gear in environments where dangerous substances are handled is extremely important. The consideration of the correct equipment for purpose must not be taken lightly and should be researched in depth before making a decision.

Safety work gloves must be used in environments where sharp or abrasive objects are being handled, or additional gripping ability is required. In addition, safety work gloves will need to be used in working environments that involve the handling of chemicals and chemical processes. In such environments, one must consider how porous the gloves being used are, how quickly they degrade when in contact with hazardous chemicals or heat, and if they have pinholes or seams that chemicals may seep through.

Respiratory protection

As well as safety work gloves, there are other important safety PPE equipments to consider in environments that involve hazardous chemicals and fumes. These PPE equipments come in the form of respiratory protection and disposable face masks. Respiratory protection comes in the form of disposable face masks for use in dusty environments where dust particles are hazardous to the employee. Environments where these masks would be suitable include those where cutting dangerous materials, such as MDF, takes place or those where materials such as asbestos are being removed or broken up and sweeping is involved.

In environments where dangerous chemical fumes are involved, it is advisable to use heavy duty, non-disposable or semi-disposable respiratory protection such as a PVC mask with disposable filters, or a full face mask that provides protection for the eyes (in the case of chemical splashing) in particularly chemically dangerous environments.

More heavy duty masks can protect against:

• brick dust

• concrete dust

• ferrous metal fumes

• fibre glass particles

• lead fumes

• MDF power tool particles

• mineral fibres

• non isocyanate paint fumes

• plaster dust

• rockwool particles

• sandstone dust

• welding fumes

• silica fumes

• white spirit

• soft and hardwood particles

These various particles and fumes can cause different levels of harm, ranging from mild irritation to severe illness and in some cases death. It is therefore incredibly important to consider all aspects of respiratory protection in order to choose the right protection for the job.

Other employees

In situations where employees are in direct contact with such materials, it is of course important to provide protection. However, employers sometimes overlook the importance of protecting nearby employees that are not in direct contact with the hazardous materials. These nearby employees will assume safety on the grounds that they are not near to the material itself. If, however, the working environment is not extremely well ventilated, fumes and dust particles can travel quickly and in high density, causing harm to the nearby employees who may not be protected.

With this in mind, employers must be fully aware of the importance of safety gear, not only for direct users of hazardous materials, but those who are nearby too.

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