Safety Equipment in Your Work Environment

Using safety equipment is important in adhering to guidelines, ensuring the safety of personnel, and promoting a work environment that safely performs everyday work. While many might see the use of safety equipment as unimportant, it prevents serious injury and allows work to move forward smoothly in the long run.

Over the years, the guidelines for safety has fallen to OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. They have tested and researched what best practices and equipment are essential for various roles in the workforce.

The Types of Safety Equipment – There are nine main types of safety equipment that can be used to address a wide variety of jobs and common injuries.

• Skin Protection: This may include hats, sunscreen, long sleeves, or thick working materials to keep your skin from getting burnt or cut.
• Head Protection: Helmets or hoods can keep your head safe.
• Eye Protection: Visors, shields, or goggles keep debris from entering your eyes.
• Hearing Protection: Earplugs or muffs help keep your hearing from being harmed.
• Hand Protection: This can include barrier creams or gloves.
• Foot Protection: Specific shoes or boots help your feet stay unharmed.
• Respiratory Protection: Masks, breathing filters, full/half face covers, and other related gear block contaminants from entering your lungs.
• Heights Safety Protection: Harnesses or fall-stopping devices keep you safe when working from heights.
• Other Personal Protective Equipment: Clothing for working with chemicals, temperature-protective clothing, and other types of gear aid in your safety.

Many of these safety equipment types can be used across a wide array of job types, yet all of them address the various hazards that come with certain careers. It is important to follow safety guidelines for each specific task or work position, ensuring the highest level of care and safety.

Training With Safety Equipment – The key to adhering to safety guidelines is training each position on the proper safety protocols for every task. If a trainee has a clear understanding of why a piece of safety equipment is important and how to use it, you will have a higher rate of success in compliance. While many training videos demonstrate the reason why a particular piece of equipment is important, videos may be less effective in showing a trainee the clear need for safety than your own words. If your company takes safety guidelines seriously and shows deep respect for the hazards that come with the job, trainees will understand that and internalize it at a higher success rate.

Overall, there is a wide range of personal safety equipment that is tailored to jobs and tasks. By demonstrating your own adherence to safety guidelines and training personal safety, your company will have a lower rate of on-the-job injuries and higher use of safety equipment.

Make sure your workers stay safe and gain the training you need for safety gear and equipment! Call 570-404-8420.