PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT HELPS YOU STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY Personal Protective Equipment Suitable personal protective equipment must be provided and maintained by the employer, at no cost to the worker, to protect against the risk of accident or injury to health. Workers should be instructed on how to correctly use the personal protective equipment and know how to detect and report any faults. The personal protective equipment must suit the user; consider its size, fit and weight. Workers must make proper use of the equipment; those who help chose the equipment are more likely to use it. All equipment must be maintained, kept clean and stored in a safe place when not in use. When damaged it must be replaced. Information on the specific type of personal protective equipment to use depends on the result of risk assessments. Head Protection Normally they should be worn whenever a worker is on site and always when they are in an area where work is being undertaken overhead. These areas should be clearly marked with safety signs. Face And Eye Protection Goggles, face screens, face shields or other suitable devices should be used when workers are likely to be exposed to hazards that may result in injuries to the eye or face. For example when exposed to flying particles or dust, chemicals, light or other radiation and in particular during welding, flame cutting, rock drilling. Hearing Protection Appropriate earmuffs or earplugs should be used when working with or near noisy machinery or all the time when working at a noisy part of the site. Insert ‘Campaign slogan’ or ‘General safety statement’ ‘Insert logos of participating organizations’ Safety helmets or hard hats should be used to protect their head from injury due to falling or flying objects, or from striking against structures. CAUTION: If you have to shout to make yourself heard by someone about 2 metres away it is likely you will damage your hearing if you do not wear protection even when exposed for short periods of time. Consider if the source of noise or exposure time can be reduced. Hand Protection The type of gloves to use depends on the hazards generated by the work activity; for example use grip gloves when handling stone, use heavy duty gloves for other operations, like steel-fixing. Hand protection should normally be used when operations involve: • Contact with rough, sharp or jagged surfaces • Contact with or splashes from hot, corrosive or toxic substances such as bitumen and resins • Working with vibrating machines such as pneumatic drills to keep your hands warm ensuring blood circulation thus reducing the risk of disease Waterproof Clothing Waterproof clothing and head coverings should be used when working in adverse weather conditions to keep workers warm and dry. Fall Prevention And Fall Arrest Full body safety harnesses with independently secured lanyards should to be used where protection against falls cannot be provided by other appropriate means, e.g. guard rails or to supplement them. High Visibility Clothing Reflective clothing or other reflective devices should be used when there is exposure to danger from moving vehicles. Fall prevention systems prevent workers getting into positions where they can fall; requires harness coupled to a lifeline/lanyard of a defined length attached to an appropriate anchorage point. Fall arrest systems do not prevent a fall but reduce the distance a person can fall; they require a body harness, energy absorber, a lanyard attached to an appropriate anchorage point preferably above the worker. Foot Protection Safety footwear is used to mainly protect against two types of hazards: Respiratory Protection • Sharp objects penetrating through the sole of the shoe, such as nails • Falling objects crushing toes The type of safety shoe or boot will depend on the terrain and the nature of the work. The main requirements are that they have a solid toe cap (to protect against materials being dropped) and steel midsoles (to protect against sharp objects penetrating the sole) and provide good grip. Ankle support may also be required. Waterproof footwear can conform to these requirements as well as protecting the wearer from coming into contact with liquids including cement. Whenever there is exposure to harmful substances in the atmosphere respiratory protective equipment should be worn. The type of equipment will be dependent on the hazard, the worker and the working conditions. ‘Insert contact details of participating organizations’
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