Health and safety at work is a serious undertaking, no matter the industry or discipline; over 400,000 employees were reported to have suffered an injury at work in the 2020-21 period.
A business’ duty to protect its employees does not merely concern the legal requirements stipulated by the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1976, but also the moral duty a business has with regard to its employees.
One of the key ways a business can promote workplace and employee safety is in the provision of, and training in the use of, personal protective equipment, or PPE. There are specialised items of safety equipment for all manner of tasks and for protecting different body parts. Below, the different types of PPE are discussed by area of protection, including the reasons for which they may be crucial to workplace safety.
Eye and Face Protection
Eye and face protection includes safety goggles, safety glasses, and welder’s masks; their primary purpose is to protect the eyes from dust, debris, and flying objects, though more specialised forms of eye protection are designed to protect from bright lights and lasers. Eye and face protection is a useful provision in a majority of industries, from engineering and construction to laboratories and storehouses.
Head Protection
Hard hats are the most common form of head protection, used to keep your skull safe from blunt-force impacts. These should be worked at all times on construction sites or in unstable geographic locations, such as cliffsides and quarries.
Hearing Protection
Hearing loss is one of the most common forms of workplace injury, due to three key things: the prevalence of loud machinery and working environments; the sensitivity of the human ear; and misconceptions about hearing. Long-term exposure to relatively loud sounds can be just as damaging, if not more so, than short-term exposure to loud bangs. Ear defenders should be worn in excessively loud environments, while earplugs can be used in small industrial environments or when in close proximity to machinery.
Hand and Arm Protection
Hands and arms are particularly vulnerable to workplace injury, being the main point of contact between workers and the environment. Safety gloves are a typical form of PPE and have practical utility in a majority of workplaces. They protect the skin from contact with toxic or corrosive substances, and heavier-duty gloves can even protect from laceration by sharp objects.
Foot and Leg Protection
Safety boots are worn to protect the foot from the various hazards encountered in construction sites, warehouse environments, and hazardous natural locations. Steel toe-capped boots are especially safe when coming into contact with heavy-duty materials such as rock and metal. Rubber-soled safety shoes are used by electricians to protect them in the event of contact with live wires.
Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE)
Respiratory protective equipment has seen widespread use in the last two years, with the coronavirus pandemic normalising the use of face masks to prevent airborne viral transmission. Masks are also used to prevent the inhalation of debris or toxic substances that could cause harm to the throat and lungs.