Why is Safety Equipment Important?
Safety equipment, also known as personal protective equipment, is specifically designed to help protect workers against health or safety risks on the jobsite. By wearing the appropriate safety equipment, workers can decrease the number of preventable accidents that occur on jobsites every year.
Types of Personal Protective Equipment
Some of the different types of personal protective equipment that can be worn to help protect against workplace safety risks include:
Head Protection
Head protection, such as hard hats, are specifically designed to protect your head from falling objects like equipment or material that could otherwise impact or penetrate you. While the most basic types of hard hats only cover your head, some hard hats can easily be equipped with extra protection, such as face shields or earmuffs. When selecting the appropriate head protection for your jobsite, make sure that the hard hat fits snuggly on your head.
Eye and Face Protection
In addition to wearing head protection, workers should also take precautions for keeping their eyes and face safe. Consider using products like full-face shields to protect your face from flying debris or safety goggles to protect your eyes when working with metal, wood, or hot temperatures.
Respiratory Protection
Wearing the proper respiratory protection can be vital in keeping your lungs in good working condition, especially if you are working on a jobsite with toxic substances present. Respirators are specifically designed to protect you from paint spray and dust, as well as from dangerous substances, such as pesticides, fumes, and other hazardous contaminants.
Hand & Skin Protection
Since the majority of work completed on a jobsite is done by hand, wearing gloves can be an essential part of providing proper hand and skin protection. Wearing gloves in the workplace can help you avoid hazards involved in working with chemicals, glass, sheet metal, electricity, hot materials, or slippery objects.
Hearing Protection
Workers exposed to a lot of noise in the workplace should consider wearing hearing protection, such as earplugs or earmuffs, to help prevent hearing loss. When selecting the right type of hearing protection for your particular needs, it is important to note that earmuffs are more effective at reducing high-frequency noises and earplugs are more effective at reducing low-frequency noises.
If you would like to learn more about why safety equipment in important, or if you are interested in one of our safety equipment products, please contact EFAS at 604-294-EFAS or by filling out a contact form on our website.