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Sorted4Safety
strive to help you work as safely and efficiently as possible. We do this by
providing you with the answers you need today.
Either indulge
yourself in our advice page or ask us a question yourself on (01246) 768682 (See our opening times). Alternatively,
ask us a question on our Facebook page,
we’ll be happy to help.
Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
See our PPE store here.
What is PPE?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
refers to protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other clothing or equipment
which is designed to protect a person's body from injury or infection. The
hazards protected by PPE may include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals,
biohazards, and airborne particulate matter.
When should I wear PPE?
PPE should be used as a last resort.
Wherever there are risks to health and safety that cannot be adequately
controlled in other ways, the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations
1992 require PPE to be supplied. The Regulations also require that PPE
is:
Properly assessed before use to make
sure it is fit for purpose;
Maintained and stored properly;
Provided with instructions on how to
use it safely;
Used correctly by employees.
When must I wear high-visibility
clothing?
If a construction site has a
high-visibility policy, then you must follow it.
High-visibility clothing should be
worn in all construction locations where vehicles are operating.
Is maintenance important?
Clean and properly maintained PPE is
important to ensure the effectiveness and proper functioning of PPE and to
prevent transition of infections.
Who’s responsible for my PPE?
Your employer must ensure that
suitable personal protective equipment is provided for you if you’re at risk of
being exposed to a danger to your health or safety while at work. Your employer
must also, therefore, provide you with appropriate training of usage of said
PPE.
What risks are there to not wearing
the right PPE?
There are many risks to not wearing
the correct PPE, an example of that is Silicosis. Respirable
crystalline silica (RCS) is found in stone, rocks, sands and clays. Exposure
to RCS over a long period can cause fibrosis (hardening or scarring) of the
lung tissue with a consequent loss of lung function. Sufferers are likely to
have severe shortness of breath and may find it difficult or impossible to walk
even short distances or upstairs. The effect continues to develop after
exposure has stopped and is irreversible. Sufferers usually become house- or
bed-bound and often die prematurely due to heart failure.
What are EN standards?
Standards have been defined as
"an agreed, repeatable way of doing something" (BSI). Normally
they are published documents containing technical information to guide or
define practice in a consistent way and are usually used by designers and
manufacturers of products.
For example, EN 388 is the
European Standard governing gloves that provide protection against mechanical
risks. The EN 388 standard requires gloves to be scored on a scale of 1 to
5 for blade cut resistance and 1 to 4 for abrasion resistance, tear resistance
and puncture resistance. The test results will vary according to the fibres,
materials, stitching and coating used to make a particular glove.
(https://www.traffiglove.com/traffisystem/en-388-compliance/)
Still not answered your question? Ask
us any question on (01246) 768682 (See our opening times). Alternatively,
ask us a question on our Facebook page,
we’ll be happy to help.
Working at Height
See our Height Safety store here.
Here’s a helpful hand of Do’s and
Don’ts of working at height:
Do...
· as much work from
the ground as you possibly can
· ensure you can get
safely to and from where you work at height
· ensure equipment
you’re using is suitable, stable and strong enough for the job, and is
maintained and checked regularly (see our CLiC-iT®PRO 60)
· ensure when using equipment,
it is fitted/used properly and with care
· be cautious when
working on or near fragile surfaces
· have protection
from falling objects
· consider emergency
evacuation and rescue procedures
Don’t...
· overload ladders –
check the pictogram or label on the ladder for information
· overreach on
ladders or stepladders
· rest a ladder
against weak upper surfaces, e.g.glazing or plastic gutters
· use ladders or
stepladders for strenuous tasks, only use them for light work of short duration
(recommend a maximum of 30 minutes at a time)
· let anyone who is
not competent or confident to work at height
Still not answered your question? Ask us any
question on (01246) 768682 (See our opening times). Alternatively,
ask us a question on our Facebook page,
we’ll be happy to help.
Noise
See our Hearing Protection store here.
Do I have a noise problem?
You will probably need to do
something about the noise if:
· The noise if worse
than intrusive, for most of the working day
· You have to raise your voice
to have a normal conversation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of
the day
· You or your
employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day
· Your area of work
is known to have noisy tasks, e.g. construction, demolition or road repair,
woodworking, plastics processing, engineering, textile manufacture, general
fabrication, forging or stamping, paper or board making, canning or bottling,
foundries, waste and recycling
· There are noises
due to impact, e.g. demolition, hammering
Does my employer
have to do anything about the noise problem?
The Control of
Noise at Work Regulations 2005 requires employers to take action to prevent or
reduce risks to health and safety from noise at work. Reducing noise
at work cannot also reduce the risk of hearing difficulties, but also reduce
stress in the work place
What if I’m self-employed?
If you are self-employed,
you still need to take the same precautions that an employer would for their
employees. You also need to use PPE on the same basis as an employee.
Still not answered
your question? Ask us any question on (01246) 768682 (See our opening times). Alternatively,
ask us a question on our Facebook page,
we’ll be happy to help.
All information used is sourced from HSE, unless stated otherwise.