Page 36 - Occupational Health & Safety, August 2017

PROTECTIVE APPAREL
The programs that are most likely to generate pushback are “no-choice” programs that dictate a specific pant and shirt in a specific style, made from a specific fabric, and in a specific color.
table, top-flight value chain/service pro- viders. Look for suppliers that are actively involved in industry safety standards orga- nizations and have a track record of helping companies like yours comply with evolving safety standards.
Tight Specifications
Providing vendors tight specifications is another important step to safely and suc- cessfully implementing a managed choice program. When writing specifications, there is an understandable tendency to de- fault to certain broad, basic requirements, suchas:Cat2(formerlyknownasHRC2); 8 or 12 calories, UL-certification, NFPA 2112 compliance, inherent fabrics, etc. However, there can be significant and con- sequential differences among compliant products or products that appear to have similar or identical protective ratings.
Safeguards for key factors, such as dura- bility of flame resistance, shrinkage control, consistency of commercial production, and many other vital characteristics, are often weak or missing in simple default specifi- cations. A qualified SME partner can help you understand the standards and their limits, as well as best practices employed by peers across the country, to write and en- force a tighter spec.
Regular Monitoring
Once a quality choice program is up and running, it should be monitored at regular intervals. This includes adjusting the pro- gram over time as you acquire feedback on which garments your employees prefer. For best results, select a vendor or service provider with a true quantitative ratings system and report capability. Re-engage with your AR/FR safari guide to ensure that you’re aware of innovations, new brands and technologies, issues, trends, and what’s coming soon, along with any pending up- dates to industry standards that could im- pact both your program and the safety of your workforce.
Still not convinced it’s a jungle out there? Here are a few recent real-world ex- amples of the dangers of buying just any- thing on the open market that claims to be compliant:
■ 143 utility workers were hospital- ized for nausea, vomiting, and rashes be- cause an imported generic of a known and trusted AR/FR fabric brand turned out
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the programs that are most likely to generate pushback are “no-choice” programs that dictate a spe- cific pant and shirt in a specific style, made from a specific fabric, and in a specific col- or. These kinds of programs can introduce risk on many levels: safety risks resulting from workers not wearing the AR/FR PPE at all or not wearing it properly; safety and financialrisksbynotproperlymaintaining their AR/FR PPE out of resentment; morale issues and reduced worker efficiency; and significant managerial time lost to admin- istering the program, including handling complaints and related problems. The common refrain from frustrated manag- ers is usually some variation of “I’m not in the PPE uniform business. I don’t want to spend hours every week on PPE.”
This approach to PPE is rooted a decade or more in the past, when two or three fab- rics and a handful of garment styles had more than 90 percent of the market. At that time, there simply wasn’t much choice within the industry. However, there has been significant innovation in AR/FR fab- ric options and garment styles during the last few years. Today’s AR/FR PPE bears about as much resemblance to the last gen- eration AR/FR as your smartphone today does to the flip phone you had in 2005. Quality is way up, FR durability and protec- tion are a given in many domestic brands, fabric weights are dropping, comfort is in- creasing, and styles and brands have begun to rival non-AR/FR street wear.
As a result, the hottest trend in AR/FR PPE in the last few years is the movement from no-choice uniform programs into managed choice programs (often called “catalog” programs). These programs have proven effective in eliminating many of the issues inherent in no-choice programs. In fact, the top five reasons cited by safety managers for moving to managed choice programs are increased compliance rates, greater worker comfort, access to future innovations, improved morale, and cost reduction.
If your company requires a uniform im- age and fixed colors, don’t despair; you can still take advantage of most of the power
of choice. Choice program can provide dozens of fibers, fabrics, weights, garment styles, and brands for employees to choose from even within a given requirement. For instance, if your company requires a light blue shirt over khaki pants, these differenc- es will be invisible to your customers but make a major difference to your wearers.
But be careful! While choice is a pow- erful motivator, with many significant benefits in an AR/FR PPE program, there are potential pitfalls you need to iden- tify and avoid. These challenges are easily eliminated with a few simple steps: early and continuing access to a trusted SME, tight specifications, and ongoing program monitoring.
An SME, Your Trusted
AR/FR ‘Safari Guide’
Less than a decade ago, it was relatively easy to become familiar with AR/FR tech- nologies and their respective pros and cons. There were only two to three domi- nant fabrics, a handful of major national players in AR/FR garment manufacturing, and a few large safety distributors. This contrasts sharply with the industry today. In the last several years, there has been an almost exponential explosion of AR/FR fibers, fabric blends, garment brands, and distribution channels.
Some of these new options offer excel- lent quality and high performance, while others offer neither. And unfortunately, some of the options out there today are downright dangerous. When AR/FR PPE can be found online, at gas stations and bait & tackle shops (really!), and in too many styles and brands to believe, it’s extremely difficult for the average safety manager to keep up—much less ensure your workers are wearing apparel that meets the neces- sary standards. It’s suddenly a jungle out there. So unless your company is willing to invest the time and money to develop and maintain a true AR/FR clothing expert on staff, it’s highly advisable to make sure you have an AR/FR “safari guide.”
The best place to find the necessary combination of expertise, experience and current market knowledge is from repu-
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www.ohsonline.com