Hey! How are you all coping with the heat? Throughout the fantastic world of internet, there is an innumerable amount of articles and blogs about how to cope with working in the summertime heat and how to prevent heat related illnesses/injuries.
So I don’t want to talk about that, although it’s not rain that is currently filling my rubber boots. So much for being prepared for inclement weather, right? So, with that being said, I want to talk about ill fitting personal protective equipment. Do you realize the complex a girl could have realizing that her legs are bigger than her feet?! Now here I sit with Bozo the clown boots while my legs feel comfortably massaged because of the air that is forced out with every step I take by the oversize fit and pressure build up in the foot section of my boot. Yes, I know that I am a trip hazard waiting to happen but until the very intimidating clouds above my head make way for the natural sauna to dry out the swamp area I am working, the boots stay put. Well, the expediter does have some more appropriate fitting boots headed my way by Monday, so I am not as much of a rebel as I would like to pretend.
What do we as safety professionals do when we come across workers that are fortunate enough not to fit into the mold that all personal protective equipment comes from? From my own personal experiences, I have had to order a safari style hard hat to fit an individual’s head that fit comfortably within the ratchet inside the hard hat but his actual head extended far outside the protective area of the hard hat itself. No, I am not making it up and if I did not admire his intelligence and dedication to safety I would tell you his name but I won’t. He loves the attention.
A great deal of the time things are not to that extreme, many times it is something as simple as gender. There are a few personal protective equipment suppliers that cater to the increasing number of women entering the field of construction, manufacturing and production. I just took a look at Ace Apparel and National Work Wear as well as a few others and they have a variety of apparel for both genders and a size range to accommodate a variety of needs for workers. Places like Ritz Safety and Eagle Safety Supply offer a wide variety of personal protective equipment. Usually it just takes due diligence of the safety professional and input on one’s safety by the worker to ensure the proper fit of the ppe, thus allowing the maximum protection the equipment is designed to give.
Oh! My boots have arrived early! Talk with you warriors later! Have a safe and productive day!
Tags: Accident Prevention, construction safety, Opinions, PPE - Personal Protective Equipment, Safety