Page 50 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2019

HAND PROTECTION
The Importance of Periodically Reevaluating Your PPE
New equipment, products, or chemicals might make the PPE that was perfect last year less than ideal for what you’re doing now. It’s also worth asking if any new OSHA rules affect the PPE you choose.
BY M.B. SUTHERLANDAfter all the work that goes into picking the best PPE to keep your workers safe, the last thing you probably want to do is repeat the process. But there are many important reasons to schedule a periodic review of the safety gear you’re using. It can keep your workers safer and more compliant and might even improve
your safety program as a whole.
Innovations in Safety
Safety always comes first, so it’s important to review the PPE you’re using to see whether there’s something that might protect even better. New innovations, im- proved technologies, and unique materials hit the market every year.
Manufacturers have begun creating gloves and other PPE with:
■ higher cut resistance to meet the higher ANSI cut-levels that now go all the way up to A9
■ better visibility, including high-vis safety gear with different colors and options to allow workers to be seen
■ touchscreen compatibility so workers can keep their gloves on when using an iPad or phone—so no more forgetting to put them back on
■ better palm coatings for extra grip and less mess
■ customizable options and add-ons to meet more specific safety needs
Many of these weren’t available even three years ago. So if you haven’t taken a look at what’s new, you may not have the best protection. This is particularly important if your workers face extreme hazards or conditions, as manufacturers tend to focus on these areas to solve problems.
Innovations in Worker Comfort
Safer PPE can’t help your workers if they won’t wear it. That makes innovations in comfort just as important as safety developments to protect your people. Review your applications and ask your employees whether they have hand fatigue at the end of the day or wheth- er they find that their PPE tends to trap moisture or heat. Advances in materials and construction keep workers more comfortable and more compliant than ever before through:
■ mesh constructions and special venting that let heat and moisture dissipate
■ lighter cut-resistant materials that create gloves with incredible dexterity and flexibility to
avoid hand-fatigue
■ coreless material infused with strength-en-
hancing micro-particles that allow workers with sen- sitive skin to avoid contact dermatitis
■ impact gloves with better dexterity and movement
■ low-profile impact gloves for lighter-duty jobs that require more flexibility
Changes to Your Applications
or Environment
Periodic reviews aren’t just about the PPE market- place. If it’s been a while since you reviewed your op- erations, it’s possible things have changed. Have you implemented new:
■ machinery or equipment in your plant that re- quires different protection
■ items that add to hazards such as the noise level and might require better hearing protection
■ internal rules or guidelines
■ environments or job sites
■ products you’re manufacturing
■ techniques that make the materials your work-
ers handle more dangerous or harder to manipulate
■ substances or chemicals that may require bet-
ter gloves or full-body protection
Any of these might make the PPE that was perfect
last year less than ideal for what you’re doing now. It’s also worth asking whether any new OSHA rules affect the PPE you choose.
Periodic PPE reviews can even help with problem areas you may not have noticed. Do you find yourself issuing more reminders than you used to?
Normalization of Deviance
Periodic PPE reviews can even help with problem ar- eas you may not have noticed. Do you find yourself issuing more reminders than you used to?
You might be falling victim to Normalization of Deviance.1 This happens when one worker begins to bend the rules. Other workers see that person slack- ing off on safety, and they think it’s acceptable—so they start to mimic the behavior. Their bad example leads others to see it as normal and, before you know it, you’re telling every other worker to wear their safety glasses. One way to break out of this pattern
46 Occupational Health & Safety | JUNE 2019
www.ohsonline.com