Definition of PPE : “All equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health or safety, and any addition or accessory designed to meet that objective”.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is clothing or equipment designed to protect workers from physical hazards when on a worksite. PPE should only be considered as a last line of defence between a hazard and the worker. Attempts to control workplace risks and hazards should always be addressed first.
You are viewing: How Do We Select Ppe Gloves
Workplace safety should begin with a hazard assessment. Once the hazards and risks have been identified, a plan can be put forward to prioritize and reduce risk of injury. Useful systems and tools to perform hazard assessments include performing a Risk Assessment and a Job Safety Analysis.
However, even the strictest controls will not necessarily eliminate all the risks associated with most job tasks and this is where the need for PPE must be evaluated. A hazard assessment can help identify which specialized PPE will be required. Many facotors have to be taken into account when choosing PPE. These can be categorised into four main groups;
1.Substance – Related Factors
Type of protection required– The type of protection selected must reduce the risk from a particular hazard. To choose the right type of equipment, it is important to have a full understanding of the hazard under consideration. For example, before protective footwear is selected for use in a chemical enivorment, the corrosive or solvent nature of the chemicals encountered must be known,so that the chosen footwear is not made from materials that will be adversely affected.
Level of protection required– the PPE chosen must be able to reduce the hazard to an acceptable level. This could mean achieving established occupational exposure limit (OEL), which can be used to determine whether or not an item of PPE will achieve an acceptable level of protection. in other instances, such as when choosing gloves or gaunlets, the level of protection provided by the item will be indicated by the quality; for example, the item may have a quality mark ( such as the european CE mark). However, the level of protection actually required by the nature of the work may call for a more qualitative judgment.
2.Task – Related Factors
Read more : How Can Medical Gloves Be Improved
Duration of work– PPE may only be able to resist chemical “attack” for a limited period of time ( known as the “Breakthrough” time) therefore consideration must be given to the duration of work which will be undertaken as this will affect the length of time the PPE is exposed to the chemical substance. Compatability and breakthrough charts from the manufacturer will indicate the length of time the PPE can be exposed to the chemical.
Dexterity and Durability – sometimes the most durable PPE may not be the most appropriate for a task. Gloves affect the dexterity of the wearer; the thicker( or more durable) the glove, the greater the impact upon dexterity. Therefore there may be occasions where using thinner gloves may be preferable and safer.
Gloves and Guantlets– though the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, gloves are shorter and end at the wrist, whereas guanlets are longer and cover the forearm to the elbow. If there is a risk of contamination of the forearm, guanlets should be selected.
3.Wearer – Related Factors
One of the key failings of PPE is that it can be used incorrectly, or indeed not used at all! Users must be trained in the correct use of fitting of PPE,but if wearer related factors are considered at the selection stage, the potential for misuse can be reduced.
Fit-to acheive the necessarry level of protection for any PPE, it is important that it fits the user correctly. With some items of PPE one size will fit virtually all users ( e.g. filtering face piece respirators). With other items the correct size must be chosen ( e,g, gloves in small , medium, large or extra large sizes or safety boots in a wide variety of foot sizes). in certain instances a high degree of adjustability must be looked for so that all users can acheive a correct fit ( e.g. breathing apparatus).
The correct fit of an item of PPE can often be determined by asking the wearer to subjectively determined whether it fits or not. in other instances simple guidlines can be used to determine correct fit. In some instance correct fir has to be assessed by more accurate means (e.g. face fit tests for breathing appearatus).
Read more : How To Make Crocheted Duster Glove
Compatibility– the PPE chosen must not interfere with or impede the use of other PPE that also has to be worn at the same time. Consequently, it is necessary to assess the various situations under which the PPE will be used to ensure that it will be compatible with all other items that might foreseebly be worn. Typical examples of where problems may arise are: the wearing of ear muffs with a hard hat, or the use of life jackets with harness ( as might be required when working at height above water).
Personal Issues– PPE must be selected with the individual in mind. There may be many reasons why certain PPE is not suitable for a particular individuals. There may also be instances where the requirements of the workplace run contrary to the ability of individuals to wear certain PPE. in these circumstances, the individual may be excluded from certain areas/processes or prohibited from entering the workplace. For example oil refinery or airport fire services the growing and wearing of beards may be forbidden due to the possible need to wear emergency breathing apparatus.
Wearer Acceptability– the effectiveness of an item of PPE is ultimately determined by whether or not users actually wear it. If the equipment is uncomfotable or interferes with the users ability to work then, irrespective of its cost of efficiency, it will be bypassed. Wearer acceptability can be improved by involing workers, or their representatives, in the selection process. This consultation will give end users the oppotunity to voice theur opinion and assist in the selection procedure. This can often be best achieved by selecting a set of items that provide the required level of protection and then involving workers in trails so that they can then choose the item they think is most suitable.
4.Quality – Related Factors
As with any PPE purchased must be of a suficeintly high quality to offer the desired level of protection. There are international quality standards which can be used when purchasing PPE, such as the European EN standards.
If workers are to use PPE effectively, they have to be provided with informaton, instruction and training. In particular they will need to know;
- What the risks are that the PPE can give effective protection against (including limitations)
- How and when the PPE should be used.
- How and when to clean, inspect, maintain or replace the PPE.
- Requirements for storage of the PPE.
Failure to provide this in a comprehensible form will result in poor ( and perhaps even dangerous) practices developing. Since different items of PPE will have different training requirements, it may be sensible for the employer to take this into account when selecting PPE in the first place. if two items of PPE give the same level of protection, but one is more complex and will require considerably more training resources, then it might be better to choose the simpler option.
Finally,management commitment to the use of PPE must be seen to be positive. Management must show clear leadership by using PPE at all appropriate times. They must also provide adequate resources for PPE provision. This may mean buying higher quality items rather than the cheapest available and ensuring that replacement stocks are always kept. Clear and consistent supervision of the use of PPE must be demonstrated.
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: HOW
