Overalls, PPE And Footwear For Construction Work

2023 Author: Douglas Hoggarth | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 20:16

• Footwear

  • Problem # 1. Slippery, unstable outsole
  • Problem # 2. Thin sole
  • Problem No. 3. Water absorption

• clothing

  • Problem # 1. Weak tissue
  • Problem number 2. Water absorption
  • Problem number 3. "Thermos"
• Gloves

• Safety glasses - care for the face and eyes

  • Problem # 1. Condensation
  • Problem # 2. Glasses fall off and do not hold
  • Problem # 3. Barrier wear and clouding

Taking care of your health and life is part of any construction profession. In the process of work, the foreman is regularly exposed to the risk of minor and major injuries and the larger the work, the more likely it is to get injured and sometimes injured. In order to minimize the consequences, and more often to completely avoid injuries, overalls and personal protective equipment (PPE) are provided.

Footwear

Poor quality and uncomfortable shoes can injure any pedestrian. You don't have to come to the construction site for this - you just need to slip, stumble, twist your leg or catch on to something. There are several major problems, and we will rank them in order of decreasing injury risk.

Problem # 1. Slippery, unstable outsole

Leads to loss of balance, fall. If a person is carrying a tangible load, injury is guaranteed. The problem is most acute in ice.

What to do? A temporary option is to glue cloth-based sandpaper on the sole. Permanent - pick up shoes with steel spikes. Cover icy areas with sand or sawdust.

Problem # 2. Thin sole

Becomes the main cause of punctured feet (when stepping on a nail). This seemingly minor injury can cause an abscess and blood poisoning. In addition, the sharpness of stones and objects is transmitted to the feet and this distracts and tires the master.

What to do? An urgent option is to cut the insoles from the available dense material - from rubber to galvanized. A permanent option is shoes with a special protector that does not allow punctures.

Problem No. 3. Water absorption

Wet footwear is the main reason for getting colds and employee breakdown. It is this factor, and not the weather, that becomes the main cause of illness during construction work.

What to do? Always dry wet shoes, preferably with internal dryers. Always have a spare pair. To make work shoes water-repellent and prolong life, generously lubricate a new pair with grease and leave overnight, remove excess in the morning. Use rubber shoes as widely as possible when working outdoors.

The described troubles rarely occur with specialized shoes, and only at a certain stage of wear. The most common case of an illiterate approach is the use of “worn out”, lost their appearance, fashion, street, beach or sports shoes. This approach is a direct path to injury and illness.

clothing

Most of the problems are also caused by the use of streetwear and sportswear in the harsh construction environment. Soft fabric, inconvenient cut and unreliability cause discomfort in work. But workwear also has points to pay attention to.

Problem # 1. Weak tissue

Prolonged work at a construction site means increased wear and tear on clothing. Hooks to fittings, stains of fuels and lubricants, constant dust and dirt can quickly render a thing unusable.

Problem number 2. Water absorption

If you plan to work under rain, consider this when choosing a jacket or pea coat. Wet clothes will provoke hypothermia, moreover, it becomes 1–2 kg heavier.

Problem number 3. "Thermos"

This is a problem of cheap or poor quality form. A fabric without pores that allows steam to pass through, traps it inside. As a result, things underneath and the insulation material get wet. This is comparable to the vapor barrier of a house insulation - it must remove moisture. The prospect of getting wet from the inside should be alarming, given the fact that physical work produces heat and moisture.

The solution to all three problems will be the selection of quality workwear designed for a specific job. Kits for different professions are on sale - suits of a welder, concrete worker, carpenter, painter, etc., all of them have nuances that are indistinguishable at first glance, but extremely important in work.

Complete neglect of overalls in hot periods results in a multitude of minor injuries, burns (most often solar), irritations from dust and insect bites. This is an extreme case of loss of vigilance and concern for their own health.

Gloves

Builders' favorite pun "change like gloves" is fully confirmed in practice. It is the gloves that wear out the fastest and require replacement. There are many different models available to suit each operation. Based on experience, a number of useful tips can be derived to help avoid many problems:

1. Try not to get your gloves wet. This is the law. Use available tools for operations with wet objects, shake off snow. Change and dry them at every opportunity, keep the maximum allowable supply of dry gloves so as not to interrupt your work. Wet hands are a sure way to arthritis, rheumatism and electric shock (even from a working instrument).
2. Use gloves as directed. Cotton gloves are needed for fine and precise work (marking, nails, screws). Keep rough, heavy duty gloves handy (shovel, jackhammer, sledgehammer).
3. Monitor the condition of your gloves. Loose, disheveled gloves can become a catch for the teeth of a working tool blade.
4. Avoid the "thermos" in winter. Do not wear rubber gloves over cotton, especially tightly. Moisture will accumulate and hands will freeze. Outer mittens should allow steam to pass through well, then the gloves will dry by themselves during work.

There is an exceptional case when it is better not to use a glove - when attaching and holding a self-tapping screw. The sharp edges of the screw wrap cotton fabric over themselves and injure your fingers. In all other cases, the master is obliged to take care of his hands.

Safety glasses - care for the face and eyes

This applies to most types of construction work - from sanding walls to working at the machine. The eyes are the most vulnerable part of the human body, since they have no skin. Burning sparks are especially dangerous when cutting metal. Red-hot shavings caught in the eye can be welded into the protein and require surgical intervention.

Increased requirements are imposed on face protection - it should not only protect eyes from dust and sparks, but also not interfere with work.

Problem # 1. Condensation

Misted glasses of glasses impair or block visibility and the protective effect is reduced to "no". On the contrary, the probability of making a mistake increases significantly. This is typical of the cheapest models, but it also happens with expensive ones with a significant temperature difference.

What to do? You should not buy glasses that are limited on all sides, even with perforations. Practice has shown that air circulation is insufficient to remove fumes from the skin. Use glasses that repeat the design of regular glasses (for vision), where the space between the glasses (transparent barrier) and the eyes is freely ventilated. The ideal solution would be a plastic shield that covers the entire face and part of the neck.

Problem # 2. Glasses fall off and do not hold

Factory fasteners, elastic bands - often of poor quality, tear and unravel.

What to do? Determine in advance what protection is needed for and at what time of year. Install a good quality elastic band that fits your workwear.

Problem # 3. Barrier wear and clouding

This is a low quality barrier problem. Any product in the lower price category wears out quickly and requires constant maintenance.

What to do? Carefully consider the choice of protective glasses. The universal option is yellow plastic glasses with retractable temples. They have a stable plastic of all parts and do not break even if stepped on. Yellow barriers give a backlight effect in low light conditions.

Taking care of health while working is entirely on the foreman. Neglecting protective equipment means making ordinary work harmful and harmful work dangerous. Attentiveness, accuracy and PPE will keep you healthy and in a good mood during any work.