Is This the Kind of PPE Example You Want Your Supervisors to Set?

Why it's important to use PPE

The gentleman in the red shorts and tee-shirts who is apparently directing this dangerous operation is dressed more like a California surfer dude than a supervisor. While his crew is properly attired with reflective vests, hard hats and protective boots, the dude isn’t using any PPE at all.

The Moral: Ensure that your work crews are directed by competent supervisors who recognize the hazards of the work and set the right example.

3 Reasons to Pay Attention Based on historical statistics:

More than 500,000 U.S. workers will suffer disabling injuries to the head, hands, eyes or feet this year
Only 16% of the workers who suffer a disabling head injury will be wearing head protection
Only 23% of the workers who suffer a disabling foot injury will be wearing protective shoes or boots

3 Kinds of Hard Hats

There are 3 classes of hard hats, each of which protects against some head hazards but not others:

Class G (formerly called Class A): General service hard hats:

Why it's important to use PPE

Protect you from impact
Provides only limited protection from electricity

Class E (formerly called Class B): Used for electrical work:

Why it's important to use PPE

Protects you against falling objects
Protects you against high voltage shock/burns

Class C: Designed for comfort and provide only limited protection:

ppe3

Protects you against bumping into fixed objects
Doesn’t protect you against falling objects or electrical shock

9 Kinds of Protective Footwear

Flip flops aren’t appropriate foot protection. But the following footwear may be—depending on the hazards to which you’re feet are exposed:

1. Metatarsal (Mt rated) Footwear
• Designed to protect the toes

2. Conductive (Cd rated) Footwear
• Designed to protect against static electricity
• Dissipate static electricity from the ground

3. Electrical Hazard (EH rated) Footwear
• Made of materials that don’t conduct electricity and that resist shock
• Designed to protect against electrical contact

4. Static Dissipative (SD) Footwear
• Reduce accumulation of static electricity
• Conduct body charge to ground while maintaining a high level of resistance

5. Puncture Resistant (PR) Footwear
• Prevent sharp objects from piercing the sole of the foot
• Conduct body charge to ground while maintaining a high level of resistance