Personal Protective Equipment or PPEs are a life savior. They have saved countless lives for people involved in hazardous professions. It is a part of the compliance for employers in hazardous workplaces to offer PPE training.
Four Things You Must Know About PPE
Yet, there is a lot of ignorance regarding their importance and benefits. It is surprising to see many employees lack awareness as far as these benefits are concerned. Here in this write-up, we shall tell you all that you need to know about the uses and benefits of PPE.
What Is Personal Protective Equipment?
In short, these are wearable equipment that is designed to keep people exposes to hazards from harm’s way especially for people who are likely to counter occupational dangers. Apart from these, they are also worn by sportspersons and adventure enthusiasts.
These kits come in different types but generally, these relate to protective clothing, headwear, and eyewear. Depending on the kind of hazardous nature of the workplace, these are designed to protect a wearer’s limbs, body, eyes, ears, and respiratory system from damage. It is as important to train workers on the use of PPE, as it is to train them in first aid courses.
Importance of Personal Protective Equipment
PPE kits should be worn by people who are exposed to occupational hazardous and other dangers and they should be worn correctly. According to health and safety experts, there should be strict PPE protocols in organizations and recreational places on the use of personal protective equipment.
The organization should ensure that their employees strictly adhere to the minimum requirement of wearing PPE, and there should be strict plans and PPE training courses in place to safeguard human lives.
Why Is PPE Training Important?
PPE training has been conceived to train workers in industries like construction and other hazardous professions on the safe adoption and use of PPEs. Based on the risk perception, such workers need to use different types of PPE from time to time. Apart from these workers in factories, healthcare sector, warehouses, and those involved in the use of chemicals such as beauticians and cleaners.
The primary objective of these courses is to educate the workers on the use and importance of PPEs. Attending PPE training courses workers understand how personal protective equipment help in improving their chances of survival and reduce the risk of injuries at the workplace and other hazardous locations.
Four Important Things You Must Know About Personal Protective Equipment
There are several aspects of Personal Protective Equipment that users and organizations need to be aware of to save lives and prevent injuries. Here we have the four most important things that organizations and employees need to know about PPEs.
- Employer’s Responsibility
Employers are bound by law to provide a safe and healthy working environment to their employees, and this includes the use of PPEs in professions where they are required. The cost of PPEs and timely replacements has to be borne by employers. It is important to choose certified PPE kits that carry the CE marking. This assures the safety of the product and also the quality checks it has gone through. PPE kits come in different sizes and employers need to provide the right size for proper fit and better protection. - Inculcating Safe PPE Practices
It isn’t sufficient to provide PPE kits to the workers, and they have to be educated on their use and benefits. Employees need to be put through PPE training to help them understand their importance. - PPE Maintenance
Personal protective equipment needs to be maintained well to increase their life and also offer complete protection to the wearer. From their storage to their disposal, workers need to be made aware of the best practices. Disposal of used masks, gloves, etc. should be stressed to prevent the spread of infection and diseases. - Safety Audit
Workplace hazards can vary and workers in the same industry and job role are often exposed to different types of hazards based on the location, season, access to safety equipment, etc. Thus it is important to undertake periodic safety audit at the workplace and invest in the right kind of Personal Protective Equipment
Conclusion | Four Things You Must Know About PPE
These are some of the things that organizations and employees should bear in mind to increase safety in the workplace.
