subject: Protect Your Hands, Head, Eyes, and Ears with Construction Safety Supplies [print this page] Protect Your Hands, Head, Eyes, and Ears with Construction Safety Supplies
Construction sites and similar industrial work areas innately have several hazards. Small dust particles can fly into a get stuck in a worker's eye. A ledge only two feet above the ground or a slippery surface becomes a fall hazard. Uneven surfaces and equipment touched or used by workers can even result in lacerations or abrasions. With so many aspects in a workplace that could become potential hazards, risk taking is not recommended. Instead, coming prepared to face all potential dangers with the right construction safety equipment reduces these risks.
Hard hats are required in nearly all construction and industrial work areas. If a space has fall hazards ranging from small drops or slippery surfaces to falling objects, hard hats are necessary protection for the job. Made out of high-density polyethylene, hard hats protect the worker against blows to the top and sides of the head and may be designed with electrical shock protection. For lesser protection against smaller falling objects, bump caps, lighter hard hats, may be sufficient for your work area.
Flying particles, as well as chemical splashes, affect the eyes, and safety glasses or goggles are required for a variety of workplaces. Particles can fly around in construction environments, in welding work areas, in food processing plants, even in package handling environments, and in chemical handling work areas. Eyes are a worker's greatest asset for performance, and being blinded in one eye essentially disables a worker. Although eyewash stations should be available in many work areas, these are backups for construction safety equipment, and workers must come to the job with the appropriate eye protection.
Falling objects are also hazards for hands and so are sharp surfaces. If workers regularly pick up objects, from tools to packages, on the job, hand protection is required. Not all safety gloves, however, are equal, and some may not be relevant to the conditions of your work area. With Kevlar, leather, woven materials, nitrile, and PVC used for work gloves, find the right material for optimal hand protection in your workplace.
Construction workplaces, with equipment and tools consistent in use, are noisy areas, and exposure to this level of noise can deteriorate hearing over time. Workers particularly in areas with tools or equipment are recommended to come to the job with hearing protection, such as ear muffs or plugs. Such construction safety supplies block out enough noise and save your hearing, but because listening to commands from coworkers or superiors is also necessary, hearing protection should not block out all surrounding sounds.
