Safety gears and equipment – 7 safety equipment and gears used in work places and in industries

Wait! Did you think helmets and hard hats are worn to protect your costly thoughts from evaporating? Wow! Just wow! And the body harness, are they worn to keep your parts together? Well, literally you win but really? Are your joints that loose?

The use of the right safety equipment and gear has always proven effective in reducing the risk involved in the workplace.

Safety guarantees a continuous and effective working pace in the work site or industries, but to stay safe at work, you must be familiar with the use of safety equipment and gears like face masks- I’m sure the pandemic has made this readily available, goggles, dust mask, respirators, hearing protection devices, proper hand gloves for each specific task, ventilation devices for airflow and adequate dust collectors.

All these safety equipment bear very significant importance no matter how irrelevant they might seem, as it has been seen that refusal to use proper equipment usually results in fatal injuries and even the loss of life. It would be extremely counter-productive to spend your hard-earned salaries on medication and treatment of injuries and conditions that could have been avoided by something as simple as the proper use of safety equipment.

Also Read: Construction Safety File -Meaning, objectives and 5 examples

Let us take a look at a few safety equipment and gears used in workplaces and in industries;

1. Safety glasses for eye protection:

This protects the eye from severe damage caused during powered processes like welding, soldering and handling certain power tools that produce dust and debris. They are also worn while operating lathe machines to keep projectiles from entering the eyes.

2. Hearing protection:

Many industrial processes are attributed with very high noise levels which are medically stated to be unhealthy to the eardrums. Frequent exposure to the high level of noise and sounds over time, if left unchecked can result in hearing impairment, partial or total loss of hearing.

Earplugs and earmuffs must be worn at all times to block out these high sounds and curtail their effects in observance of HSE (Health and Safety) rules to noises exceeding 80 decibels. Asides all these, trust me, you’ll want to remain focused when controlling that grinder- take my advice, it’s the best time to not listen to anyone, not even me; but listen to this.

3. Hand and arm protection using gloves:

Though it might not be an easy fit to find the proper gloves with the right fitting, a compatible material that is well suited for the particular task, yet its advantages are worth it.

Wearing gloves protects your hands from Sharp objects, extreme temperatures, chemical substances and sometimes materials that might be hazardous to bare skin contact.

Also Read: Civil Engineering – Meaning, Types, Sizes And Uses Of  Structural Reinforcement 

4. Face protection using face Shields:

Face Shields are most often than not comfortable to wear and use and can be flipped upwards to let in fresh air when not in use. When carrying out processes where the use of machinery like lathes and similar cutting tools that produce lots of flying chips is required, a face shield is very important to protect the face. I’d advise you to go for those with reflective surfaces, your employer will not give you a termination letter with a stern face after he sees his reflection.

5. Safety helmet for head protection:

Most workplaces are characterised by overhauls and hanging equipment as well as moving parts. Safety helmet protects the more fragile part of your body which is your brain from blows to the head that can cause serious brain injuries. These accidents can be quite common in industries and at such, every worker is advised always to wear a helmet inside the workplace. This should save you from several hailstones at the end of the world.

6. Safety shoes for feet and legs protection:

We have all experienced accidental stumbling on rocks or stone one time or the other. Well, the hazards involved with such occurrence at industrial work sites are innumerable and must be treated with much concern. Safety shoes provide extra comfort, they have a firmer grip and provide better relief from the pain that comes with standing for several long hours and walking long distances at work.

There is always the tendency that the work site will be littered with sharp objects that could lacerate the feet, heavy equipment and machines that could hit and break the legs and chemicals that can cause burns to the feet. These resilient shoes help protect workers from stated potential injuries.

7. Respiratory protection:

If your worksite involves a fairly high amount of gasses, powders, dust and vapours, then breathing apparatus should always be worn before engaging any process in the worksite. Respiratory protection includes a large group of devices like,

° full-face or half-mask respirators,

° powered respirators,

° protective hoods, disposal face mask, detectors, monitors etc,

Workers must be adequately trained to use this equipment.

Many varieties of safety equipment exist for specific hazards from body/skin protection equipment like laboratory coats, coveralls, vest, jackets, aprons, surgical gown and full-body suits, suited for different task and purposes, the best part is, they are built to ergonomic standards to meet comfort and efficiency.