Asbestos Mask Protection – Myth Busted!

You’ve heard that asbestos is very dangerous, and it definitely is! You may think that you can get protection from asbestos by wearing a mask, well that is a dangerous untruth and one that could cause you serious health consequences.

Asbestos is nothing to trifle with and most masks are not actually going to protect you from the deadly fibre. If you are working with or near asbestos in your home, office or on a construction site, a mask isn’t enough to keep you safe from asbestos.

Myth – Asbestos isn’t dangerous if you wear a mask

   o   A basic face mask that you can buy at a home improvement store will offer very little or no protection from asbestos fibres. Asbestos dust and fibres can easily get around the edges of these types of masks and can be inhaled which puts your health at risk.

   o   To safely work around asbestos, you need a half-face respirator that completely shields your nose and mouth and seals tightly against your skin. A properly fitted respirator will purify the air you breathe and block asbestos fibres from entering your nose or mouth.

   o   Even a high quality respirator-type mask must be worn properly to ensure you’re protected. Facial hair can break the seal and allow asbestos fibres in. so, for a proper fit, you need to be clean shaven.

   o   A high quality respirator-type mask alone is not enough to protect you from asbestos if you are in an area where asbestos has been disturbed by removal efforts, construction, renovation, flood or fire. In addition to the mask you must wear head to toe disposable protective gear including a hat, gloves and shoe covers. These must then be misted with water and removed while the respirator is still on, placed in asbestos waste bags and then the mask can be removed. A thorough shower afterwards is also recommended.

   o   Asbestos fibre can cling to your clothing, skin, shoes or hair. If you are not coated entirely in protective gear when exposed to asbestos, not only are you putting your health at risk, but your family’s as well. Second hand exposure can be just as dangerous!

Wearing all the right personal protective equipment is essential to protecting your health when working with asbestos – make sure you protect yourself and your family.

For a wide variety of PPE at an affordable price, visit L&A Safety at one of their branches or call us today! Choose anything from ear protection and boiler suits to respirator masks!

It is vital that cyclists wear sunglasses, here’s why

Not too long ago, it was possible to compete in cycling races without sunglasses. Is the upsurge of professional cyclists using sunglasses just an easy way to attract more sponsorship and look good on TV?

No! In addition to protecting your eyes against dirt, dust and a long list of projectiles, sunglasses are the best way to ensure that you won’t suffer from cataracts, keratitis and other eye ailments caused by UV radiation.

Studies have shown that the risk of cataracts is tripled by long term exposure to the suns UV rays. Protecting the eyes with the right sunglasses is vital to prevent cataracts.

Exposure of the unprotected eye to UV rays can also result in keratitis, a temporary loss of vision coupled with a burning sensation that results from inflammation of the cornea. The risk of eye damage from the sun is directly related to length and intensity of the exposure. No one knows what the critical amount of exposure is, but effects are cumulative.

Fortunately, cyclists know about the dangers of the sun and other things that could potentially damage their eyes while cycling, which explains why we haven’t seen the irises of any of the famous cyclists in a while!

Do your cycle professionally? Or maybe just for fun? Make sure you protect your eyes at all times - buy a pair of glasses from L&A Safety. Visit the website and browse through the wide range of safety eye wear. 

Use these 5 easy farm boot cleaning tips to avoid serious infection

Farms set up footbaths with the goal of preventing groups of animals transferring pathogens amongst themselves. However, boot bath maintenance on most farms is quite poor, with gross contamination by organic matter frequently observed. People tend to avoid stepping in boot baths or they simply choose to step through the bath without stopping to clean their boots.

Organic material frequently inactivates or decreases the activity of disinfectants. So, it is important to remove all visible contamination with soap and water to optimize the effectiveness of disinfection. 

Using the following 5 easy tips will minimize the risk of getting pathogens on your footwear.

- Clean visible dirt off boots before disinfecting.

- Use water and a brush over a well-drained area. A boot cleaning station is also an option.

- Soak boots in a cleaning solution.

- Always look at the label recommendations for dilution rate and exposure time.

- Select disinfectants that are based on on-farm efficacy, cost, ease of use and environmental friendliness.

If you’re working on a farm or just visiting, it is vital that you wear farm boots, but it is also important that they are kept clean at all times to avoid serious infection.

At L&A Safety, we have a wide range of PPE clothing, including gumboots which can be used for basically any line of work, including farming. Contact us today or visit us at one of our branches!

How to save lives and look professional at the same time

If you want to wear slip slops to work every day, then you may want to reconsider becoming a medic. In the early days, clothing restrictions were casual, but now that they paramedic field has evolved, it is apparent that the uniform needs to meet certain requirements.

Because a paramedic is a medical professional, he or she needs to show up looking clean, neat and ready for the rigors of a job that can be quite intense and even chaotic.

Paramedic attire needs to be comfortable enough to allow ease of movement. The uniform needs to be durable and easy to clean. After all, paramedics run into more than their fair share of bodily fluids in the course of their work schedule.

There is no single standard paramedic clothing, although paramedic do adopt a uniform style of dress within their unit. Paramedics and EMTs in one city might be issued a long and short sleeved white dress shirt, a long sleeved duty shirt in a dark colour, black pants, a dark polo shirt, steel-toed boots and a winter coat. However, the uniform simply depends on what the company decides they want.

Interestingly enough, despite the absence of an instantly recognizable uniform that’s comparable to what police officers or firefighters wear; some paramedic schools do require their students to wear a uniform in the classroom, in order to increase their sense of professionalism as they learn their skills.

For a wide range of Personal Protection Equipment and clothing, including for those who are in the paramedic field, visit L&A Safety's website and take a look. 

Composite Toe vs Steel Toe Work Boots

What’s the difference between composite toe and steel toe safety boots? Both are great at protecting your toes from getting crushed or pierced on the job. Specifically, safety toe boots offer two forms of protection: impact resistance and compression resistance.

Both these toe boots have materials wrapped around your toes at the front of your boots, and both offer unique benefits that should be weighed when you’re making a decision.

Composite Toe

Comp toe work boots are quickly replacing steel toe boots as the industry norm. It is made of non-metal materials like Kevlar, carbon fibre, plastic or fiberglass. Some jobs might require you to pass through a metal detector; this makes composite toe boots ideal.

Since these boots do not contain metal, they are more comfortable when working outdoors. This is especially true when working outside in extreme conditions. Metal conducts heat, meaning your feet will get colder in cold climates, and hotter in hot climates. So, it is preferable to have comp boots for outdoor work.

Composite boots are also much lighter, this means you’ll use less energy when walking and the boots will actually feel more comfortable if you are wearing them for a long period of time.

Steel Toe

This boot is a classic for qa reason, for years, steel safety toes have been the old tried and true method for protecting the feet of countless workers on the job. And although comp boots are lighter, steel toe boots offer more flat protection.

That’s right, as far as straight impact and protection goes, steel toes can handle much more. That being said, unless you are working in a very hazardous environment, you’re not likely to be in a situation where your toe boot is at risk of shattering.

However, there is a myth that, if met with a heavy enough object, steel toe boots can chop off your toes! Luckily this is false.

Always be careful on the job and be aware. Composite and steel toe bots do a great job of protecting your feet, but it is best to avoid situations that can result in injury in the first place.

Which safety toe do you think is best for your line of work? Browse through L&A Safety’s wide range of work boot options and pick which one is best for you.

Canteen Duty: What to Wear

It’s one of those things that you could probably never imagine doing – spending the day making and serving food, while people crowd around a counter waiting for their food. Yet, many people who work in the food industry, in the school tuck shop or volunteer to help out, know all about it.

The most important thing about canteen duty is what to wear! L&A Safety has a great range of protective clothing including canteen wear like canteen aprons, caps and tops and trousers.

-> Tie up your hair or wear a hair net
 You don’t want to be flinging your hair around and have a strand fall in someone’s sandwich. Many canteens will actually make it mandatory to wear your hair in a hairnet, so make sure you tie it back properly.

-> Cover up the toe cleavage
While it’s not a serious thing, schools may be concerned about Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines. Avoid trouble, or a blob of piping hot soup landing on your toes, and wear closed shoes like a pair of sneakers or clogs from L&A Safety.

->Always wear an apron
Working in a canteen is a messy business, so cover up your clothes with an apron. Make sure it is ideally suited, and get a high-quality one from L&A Safety.

What are some other fail-safe tips for surviving life in the canteen?

A guide to chemical protective clothing

When working in a research laboratory, there may be exposure to dangerous chemicals, so your health and well-being is a vital concern. Whether it is chemical protective clothing for the field or while lab coats for the lab, your safety is easy to maintain as long as you have the right clothing.

The major area of concern when it comes to chemical exposure is contact with your eyes and skin. Your eyes will be protected with safety goggles, and your skin is protected with chemical protective clothing. Think of what a scientist would usually wear – pocket protectors and a white coat.

White lab coats protect from exposure to harmful chemical dust, so a dust mask needs to be worn to prevent inhalation of chemicals. Disposable chemical protective clothing can also provide protection, especially against splashes. For workers who use spray resins or paints, full body garments prevent any skin exposure or transfer of chemicals.

The best feature of these items is of course their disposable nature. Most disposable clothing garments are made from recycled content, which provides safety while being affordable. These pieces of disposable clothing can be discarded after use to minimize cleaning costs, especially in automotive painting, machine shop operations and chemical cleanup.

Depending on your work environment, the level and target areas of exposure vary. The protective clothing items will also differ. From protective hoods, shoes, gloves and sleeves to white coats, pants and full body suits. No matter what you’re wearing, when exposure occurs, you must dispose of the protective garment.

If your job involves exposure to harmful chemicals, always make sure you wear the right chemical protective clothing!

For a wide range of personal protection equipment and clothing, take a look at L&A Safety's website, or visit them at one of their branches in Milnerton, Robertson or Vredenburg!