Construction sites can be dangerous for numerous reasons. That’s why keeping the workers safe is the main concern. Some rules and policies exist, as well as numerous different pieces of safety equipment. Required personnel protection equipment, or PPE, must be worn at all times on a construction site. There are many things that can go wrong on a construction site and different problems can result in serious harm or even death. We’re going to talk about some of the main protective equipment that all members must-have. They include work boots, a hard hat, protective eyewear, gloves, and ear protection.
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Protective Eyewear
Source: Seton
The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), says that everyone on a construction site needs to wear safety glasses in order to protect their eyes from injuries. Sometimes, besides safety glasses, workers need to wear face masks. Eyes can easily get injured and damage can often be permanent. Debris can fly into the eyes of the worker, or someone can get injured accidentally by another person.
There are two main types of safety glasses you can choose from – first are simplistic glasses that go around the head, while others are goggles that are attached firmly around the head. Some of the safety certifications to look for when buying protective eyewear are ANSI Z87.1, ISEA Z87.1, CSA Z94.3, and ENS 166. Certain construction sites require special types of eyewear such as chemical splash goggles that completely cover the eyes, eye sockets, and the facial area surrounding the eyes. There are also fluid resistant shields, dust goggles, laser eyewear, and welding shields. Which type of protective equipment the workers should wear depends on whether they are working with chemicals, biological material, radioactive material, or similar. If you want to read more about these goggles, go here.
Hard hats
Hard hats should provide protection from injury due to a falling object, impact with an object, and electric shock, but they should also be comfortable for the wearer. The hats are regularly inspected for any dents and problems. OSHA also requires everyone on a construction site to protect their heads with hard hats.
Ear protection
Source: Law Office of James M. Hoffmann
There is a lot of noise on construction sites and they can get truly loud. The machines are extremely loud and powerful and can cause permanent hearing damage. A proper pair of ear muffs can cancel out even the loudest noises made by chainsaws, jackhammers, engines, drills, forging, etc. Besides ear muffs, workers can use pre-molded earplugs that come in different shapes and sizes in order to fit different ear canals, foam earplugs, or hearing bands and canal caps. Canal caps can cover the ear canal at its opening and generally don’t provide as much protection as muffs or earplugs.
High visibility vests
All construction workers need maximum flame resistance and maximum visibility. High visibility vests provide just that. They are made out of bright, neon-colored fabric that makes the workers easily visible from great distances and under low light.
Safety shoes
Source: Saf-Gard
These can protect feet from cuts, injuries, and falling objects. Feet can get injured quite easily so protective footwear is necessary.
