Personal Protective Equipment Pain in the…

Posted on October 21, 2014

In the construction industry, all of the work involves physical exertion and concentration.

During the course of a day, workers will be hot, cold, wet and dry. They will also be exposed to hazards such as loud noises, dust and vibration – yet they are still expected to finish the job on time.

As human beings, it’s natural for our minds and bodies to get tired as the day goes on.

On every site in the UK, where construction activities are being carried out, some form of Personal Protective Equipment or PPE is mandatory; whether it’s just boots or a full sweep of gloves, glasses and other task specific PPE.

All PPE has positives and negatives and this is where adequate selection comes into play – one size does not fit all and the wearer should be taken into consideration when the PPE for the job is being chosen.

We hope that at the forefront of every managers mind is that the choice of PPE is an important one and that it isn’t decided by ‘whatever is the cheapest’ there are many things to consider:

• Boots are worn all day every day, therefore having light and comfortable boots is vital.
• Glasses can easily restrict view and steam up, even on a cold day.
• Disposable masks are generally a worse fit and tend to be more expensive in the long run, even if used infrequently.
• Unsurprisingly excessive noise is the leading cause of hearing loss, and the ‘standard’ ear plugs (which look like thimbles) are not as comfortable as the ergonomically shaped plugs.

So, as you can imagine, uncomfortable or ill-fitting PPE can not only slow the job down, but may cause operatives to skip wearing it.  This could land them in trouble, you in trouble and in the case of an incident occurring, would be seen as a contributing factor.

That extra few quid and a bit of thought for your workers comfort is always worth it in the end.