Workplace safety is sometimes overlooked, and as a result, accidents and injuries happen. Several cases of workplace injuries have resulted in deaths; still, some people are unaware of the essential safety gear they must wear during their working hours. So to prevent workplace accidents, the government has made it compulsory for every firm to ensure that every employee is wearing the essential protective gear during working hours.
Following the government’s policies, most companies have made workplace safety their priority, which has helped prevent several accidents and injuries. Hence, workplace safety is important, and this article will list the essential protective gear one must wear if they work in industries such as construction, mining, cargo ships, transportation, etc.
So the following are the essential safety/protective equipment the workers should wear during their working hours:
- Helmet for Head Protection
A safety helmet is one of the standard safety gear in construction industries. You must have seen the yellow (mostly) helmets worn by the workers on construction sites. Those helmets can protect their head from falling stones, cement particles or anything that could harm their skull. Even a tiny item falling from hundreds of metres above can cause severe damage to your skull.
These safety helmets have undergone several changes in the past decades. As such, it now has a strap, which can be adjusted to fit correctly.
- Welding Goggles for Eye Protection
There’s no doubt that your eyes are very delicate, and pressure or particles can harm your eyeballs which could even cause blindness. As such, safety glasses are essential protective gear for those working in steel and industries that involve melting hot objects/machines. Welding companies also suggest safety glasses to their workers. Welding goggles or a shield is enough for works that involve fire, heat, liquid splash and flashing of light at close range.
- Earmuffs for Hearing Protection
Many don’t realise that the ears are as sensitive as the eyes. Human ears can only hear sounds ranging from 20Hz to 20,000Hz (frequency). Sounds lower than 20Hz are not audible to the human ears, but if the sound is more than 20,000Hz, it could cause severe damage to the eardrums. So one must wear protective gear called earmuffs or earplugs to prevent these injuries. People working in quarries, construction, and mines must wear this gear.
- A Mask to Maintain Good Respiration
The importance of mask is common knowledge for people working in chemical, pharmacy, insecticide, and other industries that involves toxic elements. Not just these industries, people who work underground and places where there’s dust, pollutants and a toxic environment need to wear face masks. Meanwhile, there are different types of masks as per the requirements, such as dust masks, full-face masks, filter masks, etc.
And if you refuse to wear this protective gear during working hours, you will soon suffer from respiratory diseases.
- Gloves for Your Hands
Hand gloves are probably the most used protective gear on the list. A hand glove is used for many purposes and helps protect your hand from dirt, poison, and even viruses. As such, gloves are sometimes underrated and don’t get as much attention as the other safety gear.
Gloves come in different forms, and each can be used for the following purposes:
- Protection from cold and heat.
- Protection from vibrations.
- Protection from bacteria and viruses.
- Protection from splashes from diluted chemicals.
- Protection from cuts by sharp materials.
Work clothes and protective boots are some of the other protective gear you need during the factory or construction work.
So, these are the essential protective gear one must wear when working in a dangerous and dynamic work environment.
Also Read About: Treatments for Spine-related Diseases in 2022