Page 52 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2019

HAND PROTECTION
is to start fresh.
Review your PPE and ask your workers why they were reluc-
tant to wear it in the first place. You might find that you have comfort or safety issues that you weren’t aware of. Or it may be as simple as workers not liking the way they look in their gear.2 Getting worker buy-in to new PPE choices can eliminate many of your daily headaches.
Workers’ Changing Needs
Ideally, we all want our workers to stick around. Training costs time and money, and there’s no substitute for a veteran worker whom you can count on to know the ropes and do the job. But more years on the job mean more candles on the birthday cake, so it’s impor- tant to review your PPE choices to be sure you’re providing every- thing your aging workforce needs. This may include:
■ prescription safety eyewear for workers who used to wear regular safety glasses but now need a little help with close or distant vision
■ PPE with better dexterity and flexibility to reduce fatigue
■ headsets to improve noise attenuation and sound quality in loud environments
Even younger workers might benefit from a periodic review if they have physical considerations such as back strain or other chronic pain.
Better Safe than Sorry
If you review your PPE choices and find that everything you’re using is still a perfect fit, you’ve probably at least learned something from the extra check-in with your workers. But if you find that there’s an issue you missed or some way you can do things better, you may have avoided an accident or injury. If you don’t feel you have the time, consult a safety expert who can perform a thorough safety assessment.
Protecting your workers is too important to get by on good enough. Review your PPE to maximize your workers’ safety!
M.B. Sutherland has been writing for business and news outlets for more than 20 years. She is currently the Senior Safety Writer at Magid—proud U.S. manufacturer and distributor of head- to-toe PPE since 1946. For more information about Magid’s safety products and expertise, visit https://www.magidglove.com or call 800-444-8030.
REFERENCES
1. https://www.magidglove.com/safety-matters/stop-normalization- of-deviance.aspx
2. https://www.magidglove.com/safety-matters/cool-looking-ppe- ensures-safety.aspx
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