Dressed for Safety Success: Encouraging Employee PPE Use

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a universal part of almost every industrial or construction environment, but most people rarely find it enjoyable to wear. PPE comfort issues can make it less likely that employees will wear it, eliminating the protection employees need to do their jobs safety, putting them and your company at risk.  

To ensure the best use and the right degree of comfort for PPE, follow these best practices:

• Make sure PPE meets or exceeds safety standards:  PPE must meet any applicable standards from OSHA and state organizations. These may vary depending on work tasks, and you can sometimes improve worker comfort by only reviewing PPE use and optimizing it to fit the appropriate standards.
  
• Make sure PPE functions as intended to protect the life and well-being of the worker: PPE should be inspected regularly and evaluated to ensure it works as intended. This includes assessing the use behaviors of workers—make sure they’re wearing PPE correctly and that all requirements are being enforced.
  
• Make sure PPE stands up under the conditions in which it will be used: PPE should match the needs of the application and allow employees to conduct their work effectively. In a rough industrial environment, workers may need more heavy-duty PPE to support day-to-day tasks, while less demanding tasks often require light-duty PPE.
  
• Make sure PPE evolves as safety rules, regulations, and best practices evolve: Safety requirements and education change every day; therefore, your PPE strategy should do the same. Stay up to date on changing safety requirements and regulations and stay in-tune with modern best practices.
  
• Make sure PPE is application-specific: Some PPE is only necessary during certain tasks. Using it throughout the day is both inefficient and a great way to increase worker discomfort. Carefully consider the application and make sure PPE is only used when the task at hand calls for it.

Using the appropriate PPE is key to safety on the jobsite. Employers have a complex job to do if they want to promote safe PPE practices. They have to balance many different factors, from ease of access and affordability to effectiveness and compliance. Solutions Plus can help you find the right balance between comfort and function, creating the optimal environment for your workers. Contact us to learn more about PPE Fit Testing.