Page 86 - OHS, July/August 2022

PPE: HEAD & FACE PROTECTION
Falls are such a menace in construction worker fatalities that they are included in OSHA’s “Fatal Four” list, which also includes electrocutions, being struck by objects and being caught in or between objects.
Falls were responsible for 38 percent of all construction worker deaths in Fiscal Year 2020, so the importance of having enhanced head protection should be a primary consideration in every safety program. General contractor Clark Construction has done more than consider enhanced head protection, it has made safety helmets a requirement.
Clark Construction, the first general contractor to implement a corporate-wide safety helmet requirement, recently announced in a May 2022 press release that it “will require all craft workers to wear safety helmets that meet certain performance standards and that are equipped with an integrated four-point chin strap on all new projects starting on August 1, 2022.” This requirement further solidifies the company’s commitment to ensuring enhanced head protection for workers on its jobsites.
“Traditional hard hats are no longer the best option to protect the safety and well-being of the men and women on construction sites and just about everybody knows that,” said Kris Manning, senior vice president of safety at Clark. “The time is now for us to evolve as an industry and expedite the adoption of safety helmets.”
CORPORATE PROFILE
LION KEEPS YOU READY FOR ACTION!
Five key benefits of choosing a safety helmet over a hard hat include:
■ less chance of injury to the worker
■ less worker’s compensation claims
■ increased productivity
■ reduced risk and fewer insurance claims
■ longer life cycle as safety helmets typically last longer than
hard hats
Don’t Let Cost Ambush Improved Safety
Granted, the investment in safety helmets is more costly upfront than hard hats, just like LED lightbulbs are more expensive than incandescent lightbulbs. But don’t let costs get in the way of a good decision.
When first introduced, the public resisted switching from incandescent lightbulbs to LED lightbulbs. Like safety helmets, the price was higher, and the cooler color of LED bulbs was different from the traditional amber light of incandescent bulbs that everyone was used to. Likewise, the sleek, low-profile shape of safety helmets is different from the traditional hard hat that construction and industrial workers are used to.
Our qualms about LED bulbs were eventually soothed when we saw how long they lasted and how they saved on electricity over time. Although more expensive upfront, the long-term
Experience safe training solutions, gear that is built for action, and learn about protection that lasts a lifetime with our TotalCare gear maintenance and repair programs.
Circle 37 on card.
LION
https://www.lionprotects.com/
7200 Poe Avenue, Suite 400 Dayton, OH 45414
Contact Information
marketing@lionprotects.com Tel: 800-548-6614
82 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2022
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