The Ultimate Guide to Buying Personal Protective Equipment for Your Employees March 30 2018
Getting the right employee Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not a commonly talked about topic - but it is crucial when your workplace poses potential hazards to your staff.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), companies in the U.S lost over $500 million dollars to treat employee hand injuries alone in one year.
In fact, 1 million hospital emergency visits by U.S. workers per year could be avoided if employees, from medical to industrial and everything in between, would just wear PPE.
Not only does the company save more from buying PPE, it also reassures the employee that they won’t let them become a statistic.
The result? High employee engagement, which brings high productivity and ensures overall workplace safety.
What do I need to know before deciding to buy protective clothing for my employees?
From eye and face protectors to hearing, hand and general body protectors, PPE is to employees what body armor, boots, helmets are to the brave soldiers on the frontlines.
Or would you rather send your employees to the frontlines daily without…
Body protectors like high quality lab coats and
What type of boss would that make you?
When shopping for protective clothing for your employees, you need to pay special attention to both durable and comfortable PPE.
You want to make sure you get them high quality functional products that not only guarantee safety when working but are comfortable enough to work in.
Employees need to be sure that when they put their feet on the ground to work their insoles are relaxed, their footwear is anti-slip and that their toes are protected by comfy steel toe boots.
That said, here are top things to consider when choosing personal protective equipment
Now that you’re absolutely convinced you need to get PPE for your employees, let’s guide you on how to choose exactly what to get from the large number of PPE options.
1. Evaluate your workplace hazard
Different companies require different types of PPE per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
You’ll have to detail every source of potential hazards in the work area. The result of the assessment will serve as a pointer to the right PPE.
For instance, if our employees are in constant contact with flying objects, falling debris, dust, laser beams sparks, very bright lights and chemicals,
These include goggles with side shields, laser eye wear, full-face visors, and respirators that prevent dust, fumes, and biological agents from going into the eyes and lungs. So you definitely need to get eye protection for your employees!
2. Buy quality and super comfortable PPE
PPE is not something to skimp on.
Though PPE
For instance, unadjusted outfits and inappropriate boots may lead to bodily damage such as broken bones or sprained wrist and ankles.
So it is important to buy quality, lightweight, fully breathable PPE that fits properly.
3. Don’t forget to buy the indispensable PPE
Many employers overlook the importance of hand protectors, hearing protection, and footwear when purchasing safety equipment and this can lead to more costly problems down the line.
First, hand injuries are some of the most prominent injuries in industrial workplaces reason high-quality gloves made from different materials are a must.
For instance, if you’re into rebar, metal fabrication, construction, automotive assembly, glass handling, and steel manufacturing then the 15 gauge black polyester glove will work wonders.
Second, without proper safety hearing equipment in noisy workplaces, employees risks suffering from ear damage or impaired hearing resulting from damage to important parts of the ear.
For instance, employees exposed to noisy workplaces without proper safety equipment, tend to experience tinnitus. This is the ringing sensation and buzzing sound in ears even when there is no noise around. It affects their concentration and eventually their productivity drops.
So it is important to invest in quality-hearing protection equipment like ear muffs or ear plug that are effective and extremely comfortable to work with.
And third, without proper footwear employees risk getting injuries and sore feet at the end of the day, especially if the job require a lot of working on their feet. Whether it is PVC boots, Bata, Polyblend boot or studs, PPE footwear are essential.
That’s why it is best to always go for a range of
One final thing… Why it’s important to invest in best sensors and other equipment for warning employees about potential hazard.
In your workplace, leakages and abnormalities are expected.
Worst of all they are highly unpredictable which make it extremely difficult to detect them as soon as they occur.
This is why it is a must to invest in the best monitoring devices and sensors to warn employees in case of a leakage or an emergency.
BRW offers a wide range of monitors and calibration equipment for different industries--from gas detectors, bio-systems calibrators, sound detectors and to air monitoring systems.