Keeping their kit on
June 1st 2008 Most employers now recognise the important role
that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays
on construction sites. Simply making PPE
available is, however, no guarantee that it will be
regularly used, says Paula Concannon of Sperian
Protection
Building sites are, without doubt, dangerous
places, but many of the dangers present can
be greatly reduced by the use of
appropriate PPE, such as safety harnesses
for working at heights, face shields and
protective eyewear, hearing protection
for noisy locations and safety shoes. But,
when it comes to PPE, what exactly does
'appropriate' mean?
The first requirement is that the equipment
must be equal to the task in hand. As always,
the best way to ensure this is to carry out a
risk assessment and, on the basis of the
results, decide on the level and type of
protection that's needed. Reference to the
catalogue or website of a reputable supplier should
be the next step, so that it is possible to compare
options and prices.
Is equipment up to the job?
Unfortunately, it's not at all unknown for
equipment to be placed on sale that
doesn't actually conform to the relevant
standards. Perhaps even worse is
equipment that does claim conformance, but bases this on
testing just a few samples, rather that testing critical
products individually.
Aside from providing trustworthy assurances about
product quality, reputable suppliers have another big
benefit – in case of doubt or uncertainty, they will be able
to provide dependable and expert advice. In fact, it's
probably fair to say that, in many ways, the choice of
supplier is almost as critical as the choice of the
protective equipment.
Let's now suppose that we've decided on the PPE that's
needed, and found a good supplier you can trust. What's
next? The important thing to bear in mind is that no
matter how effective an item of PPE is in theory, it is of
no value whatsoever unless it's actually used.
Of course, you can make rules insisting on the use of
PPE but in the hurly burly of a typically busy construction
site, who's going to make sure that those rules are 100%
observed?
Comfort, style and convenience
The better approach is to make the PPE acceptable or even
appealing to the potential users, and this involves looking
beyond the protective capabilities of the equipment, and
taking into account such factors as comfort, convenience
and styling.
Let's consider eyewear, for example. Goggle-like safety
glasses with plain plastic lenses may do the job, but
they're much less likely to be worn than a stylish pair of
safety glasses with tinted lenses, which closely resemble
the sort of sunglasses that the user would be happy to
wear in the street.
Similar considerations apply to footwear. The days of
ugly safety boots designed with no regard for visual appeal
– and little regard for comfort – are gone. Today's workers
demand safety footwear that looks good and remains
comfortable even when used continuously for long periods.
Convenience is another important factor, of which
hearing protectors provide a good example. Traditional
types provide more or less equal attenuation across a wide
range of audible frequencies. That's fine for reducing noise
and the risk of hearing damage, but it also makes speech
difficult to hear and to follow.
The latest products use new technologies to provide
reduced attenuation at the key frequencies needed to
follow speech. They are just as effective in providing
hearing protection as their older counterparts but, because
they allow wearers to hear instructions and even carry on a
conversation, they are much more acceptable to users.
Additional features
Another way of increasing user acceptability of PPE can be
to look for extra features. A safety harness that has an
effective and easy to use method of attaching a tool bag
is likely to be welcomed much more than an otherwise
similar product that lacks this feature.
Properly and routinely used, Personal Protective
Equipment can do much to reduce risks on construction
sites. As this article has explained, the best way to
ensure that PPE delivers the maximum benefits is first of
all to ensure that it is suitable for the job in hand, and
then to make sure that it is well accepted by those who
must use it.
The key to meeting these requirements is to buy equipment
from an experienced supplier, with a range of high quality
products that have been designed from the outset to combine
value for money with comfort,
convenience and style. More articles from Sperian Protection (UK) Ltd: | 
