subject: Which Workplace Hazards Need Safety Supplies? [print this page] Which Workplace Hazards Need Safety Supplies?
Construction, manufacturing, and industrial work areas all need safety supplies, but personal protection equipment is not uniform for every type of job. Although the workplace should tell you the type of safety supplies to purchase beforehand, the potential hazards around you influence the equipment you will need. Workers handling chemicals in a laboratory environment, for example, would need a different set of safety supplies from those on a construction site with fall and slip hazards. For all potential injuries in a workplace, here are the general safety supplies workers may need.
Workplaces with fall hazards range from construction sites, in which workers may be a few stories above the ground, to factories and food processing plants with slip or fall hazards near assembly lines. A combination of head and fall protection may be required in either type of work area. For the worker several stories above the ground, a fall harness is a prerequisite, in addition to a hard hat. Areas with just slip and small fall hazards, however, likely do not require harnesses, but some form of head protection, either a standard high-density polyethylene hard hat or a bump cap, is necessary.
With equipment and tools in use and items, from tools to food, coming down an assembly line, particles may be flying around your workplace. Although small, a particle no larger than a grain of sand can enter your eye and temporarily blind you. Eyes determine whether a worker can function or not on the job, and while workplaces are often equipped with eyewash stations, they should be a backup to your safety supplies, such as safety glasses or goggles. Wearing these personal protection products keeps small particles out of your eyes and keeps you functional on the job.
Most surfaces on a construction site or in another industrial workplace are not smooth. No matter if a worker regularly lifts packages, uses tools, or handles chemicals, he or she is required to wear safety gloves. Materials used for safety gloves vary with the environment. Workers simply lifting packages may just need a pair of leather or woven cloth with PVC gloves. Stronger materials, such as Kevlar, may be needed for workplaces with falling objects or sharp machinery. Those handling chemicals or pathogens, however, need hand protection against spills, and safety gloves for such environments are made out of butyl, PVC, or nitrile.
Constant exposure to noise weakens a person's hearing over time, and workplaces with loud equipment and tools consistently in use can be considered such a hazard. Workers in these instances need safety supplies, such as muffs or ear plugs, for hearing protection. Ear plugs or muffs, however, should not be powerful enough that all sounds are blocked out. Instead, these safety supplies should reduce background noise and allow you to hear those around you at the same time.
