We can’t undermine the importance of PPE in the workplace. Whether you’re an employer, self employed or an employee, creating a safe working environment should be priority to minimise injuries whilst at work. Personal protection equipment (PPE) refers to all clothing, accessories and equipment that’s designed to protect the wearer from injury or infection. The risks that are minimalised by PPE include injuries caused by physical, electrical, heat and chemical accidents. Parrs has a huge collection of protective equipment to choose from for both you and your employers.
Safety goggles and glasses are not only to protect your eye from rogue dust particles or larger pieces of material from wood or metal, they also protect you from chemical splashes and gasses. With many different types available, it’s important to choose suitable eye protection for the job in hand – as well as making sure they fit correctly.
Goggles work best for when you’re working with materials or equipment that can cause dust or other fine particles and gasses to enter the eye, whereas glasses will protect the eye from materials such as wood and metal. Full face shields should be used to protect your entire face from molten metal and liquid splashes.
Perhaps more prevalent, but not exclusive to, the construction industry, hard hats and safety helmets are used to protect the head from moving machinery and falling objects. They can also be used to protect the head from chemical splashes and UV radiation when working in the summer.
Hard hats and safety helmets are fully adjustable so one size fits all, and come in a range of colours to suit your workwear and other equipment.
Obviously, the main hazard to our hearing is noise caused by machinery and tools. Exposure to loud environments can have long-term implications on your hearing and cause impairments such as tinnitus or hearing loss. Ear plugs, ear muffs and defenders can be used to prevent dangerous sound levels from entering your ear.
Our hands are exposed to the greatest number of hazards in the workplace. Without wearing protective gloves, you put yourself at risk of cuts, burns, chemicals and electric shocks – plus many other hazards.
A range of gloves are available to include cut protection, chemical resistance and grip improvement.
One of the most common requirements of PPE is protection for your feet. Safety boots, shoes and trainers offer additional support to your ankles, as well as featuring protective toe caps and non-penetrable soles. They can also protect your feet from chemical splashes and high temperatures – ideal for the steel industry.
Equipment that’s designed to protect your lungs is called respiratory protection, sometimes abbreviated to RPE. Some working environments and industries will expose employees to chemicals, gases and fine particles such as asbestos.
Respiratory protection includes disposable masks to mask respirators which may include visual aids to identify whether or not air is passing through the filter.
Finally, we have protective equipment that is designed to protect your whole body. This may include high-visibility clothing, which is used in all industries where visibility is crucial to employee safety, and full-body workwear including overalls. Overalls will protect the body from chemicals and other environmental hazards.
