How to Remove gloves and other Protective Equipment

One of the things that is highlighted a lot is the risks of contamination from removing personal protective equipment. Meticulous removal of PPE is as important as its meticulous donning.

We asked the specialists at L&A Safety what we should keep in mind when removing PPE:

Gloves
You don’t ever want to have bare skin touching the contaminated parts of the glove. Remove the first one by grasping the material between the hand and the cuff, and then pull it off while turning it inside out. Remove the second by using a bare finger to reach underneath the other glove and then pull it off, again so that it turns inside out. Then, wash your hands to remove any breakthrough.

Lab coats
Generally, undo the coat and then pull it off one sleeve at a time, reaching for the inside to avoid contaminating your hands. If the lab coat is grossly contaminated, then you would want to turn it inside out and put it in the proper receptacle for laundering or disposal. For a grossly contaminated coat, you might also want to wear gloves while removing it. Again, wash your hands when you’re done. Ideally, individual lab coats should be hung on individual hooks, so the outside of one doesn’t contaminate the inside of another.

Eye protection
In most cases, eye protection should be the least contaminated thing that you have on and they should stay on until the moment you leave the lab. It’s usually safe just to take them off. If they are contaminated, then you probably need to worry less about how to safely remove them and more about why you’re not already under the shower.

Other things to consider
First, make sure you’re wearing the correct PPE. For gloves in particular, check a safety data sheet and a compatibility chart to make sure you’re using the correct protection for the chemical hazard. Also, watch what you touch with your gloves on. Don’t push your eye protection up on the bridge of your nose; don’t use a keyboard that you or others use bare-handed.

Will we see different hard hats in the near future?

As more and more devices become “wired,” it seems that every profession is set to accommodate more data access. Google Glass was one example of a data interface with possible worksite applications, and recently people have commented that another way that this could come to the construction industry is “smart” hard hats. This would involve putting sensors inside a worker’s helmet to address potential safety concerns.

One way this could work is by transmitting health information live from a worker to others, encouraging proper treatment and response when something bad threatens a worker. Eventually, this information could help predictive analytics foresee possible trends and work around them as well.

In an article ways were examined that “disruptive technology” has already entered into construction. These include digital modelling tools that can help construction efforts avoid problems and ensure a safer work site.

It is noted that implementing more technology in this sector will require workers with the skills to use it, which will be especially important in attracting future employees. In this way, the issue of using tech to encourage safety touches on other important trends impacting construction.

For more about hard hats and other necessary construction safety gear, contact L&A Safety or visit one of the branches in Milnerton, Robertson or Vredenburg. We have supplies for many different work situations and weather conditions.

The Most Common Farming Respiratory Hazards

Many farming situations present respiratory health hazards to farm workers. In fact, high percentages of farm workers may risk this type of health problem. For example, exposure to various respiratory hazards has been linked to coughs and the presence of sputum in 20 – 90% of farm workers and families, depending on the type of exposure. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis have been observed in as many as 50 % of swine confinement workers and grain handlers.

Yet with a few precautions and an understanding of respiratory dangers, these hazards can be minimized or even eliminated.

Some common hazards

• Farmer's Lung

Farmer's Lung is an allergic reaction caused by inhaling dust from moldy hay, straw and grain. Dairy and grain farmers are the most common victims. Working outdoors with these materials poses minimal danger because the dust is quickly dispersed. The months when moldy crops are handled indoors are the most dangerous.

Because the dust is so fine, it gets past defence systems in the nose and throat. When the dust reaches the inner parts of the lungs, the lung's internal defence system usually takes over and removes it without damage. But a few people will develop an allergy. The first exposure creates the allergy in sensitive individuals, and subsequent exposures trigger an allergic reaction. Symptoms may resemble anything from a cold to pneumonia. Scar tissue forms in the lungs. The cold-like symptoms may clear up, but the scarring is permanent.

Lung damage may be too slight to notice during the early stages of Farmer's Lung. Repeated exposure increases tissue damage, causing victims to begin experiencing shortness of breath. This makes strenuous work more difficult, and victims eventually may find it a struggle to even get out of a chair.

• Toxic Organic Dust Syndrome

Dust from moldy hay, grain and silage also can cause Toxic Organic Dust Syndrome (TODS), which has symptoms resembling Farmer's Lung. However, TODS does not produce long-term illness or cause permanent lung damage. Even if TODS occurs several times in the same person, it will behave similarly each time, with severity depending on the individual and the dose of inhaled dusts. Farmers will not contract TODS unless they inhale large amounts of moldy dust.

• Nuisance dusts

Suspended dust particles encountered during farm operations that do not contain spores from moldy organic matter are considered "nuisance dusts." While inhaling them usually will not cause an allergic reaction, repeated exposure can turn portions of the lung into hardened, non-functioning tissue. As a result, the lung's capacity to take in oxygen will be reduced, and the victim will become more vulnerable to respiratory diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis and bronchitis.

• Gases

A variety of worker-disabling gases, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), are produced during many routine farm operations. These gases are commonly produced in areas such as silos and manure pits. Exposure to low levels of these gases will produce lung and eye irritations, dizziness, drowsiness and headaches. High levels will quickly render a worker unconscious, and death will follow.

Farm chemicals. Pesticides (herbicides, insecticides and fungicides), fertilizers (ammonium nitrate), sanitizers (calcium hypochlorite) and battery acid are common farm chemicals which produce harmful fumes. Always follow label directions when handling these chemicals. Labels will list potential hazards to workers and identify the personal protective equipment necessary during handling.

The best option to protect yourself from these farming hazards is to purchase a gas mask and a quality air respirator. Visit L&A Safety’s website or pop in at one of their branches in Milnerton, Vredenburg or Robertson to find a wide range of PPE and so much more!

This is why it is critical to wear hard hats in underground coal mines

Hard hats are by far one of the most important pieces of protective gear out there. If you are ever working in a place where there is a chance of injury from falling objects or impact from debris or other hazardous situations then a hard hat is critical.

A hard hat is made up of materials that can sustain dangerous impacts and its suspension bands disperse the weight and prevent the impact from being directly transmitted to your skull. Make sure you are prepared, visit L&A Safety’s website today and take a look at their wide range of hard hats and protective gear or visit one of their stores in Milnerton, Robertson or Vredenburg.

Hard hats are commonly used in construction sites, underground mines and oil rigs. Mines and oil rigs and filled with dangers 24/7, this is why it is mandatory for all workers to wear protective headgear.

Coal and hard rock mining is one of the most perilous jobs and many fatal accidents occur in these work environments every year. Read on to find out why hard hats serve a good cause in the underground mining operations.

BLASTING RELATED ACCIDENTS – Explosives are used to break rocks in order to mine what you’re looking for. Workers in this environment are likely to get injured by flying pieces of rock. Hence why hard hat safety is essential for such workers.

FLY ROCKS – As mentioned, blasting is a technique used frequently. However, if workers are not careful or not equipped with the right protective gear, they can be injured due to flying rocks. Rocks that travel further than expected could even cause fatal injuries.

PREMATURE BLASTS – Sometimes there is a case of a premature blast where the workers are caught unaware and are at serious risk of fatal injuries. Your best bet in such cases is to wear a hard hat at all times.

MISFIRES – If a blast in the mine does not go as planned, the explosion could be even more dangerous as the workers are not prepared. This is why it is critical for workers to wear protective gear from head to toe.

MINE INDUCED SEISMICITY – This is a potential life hazard for those working in underground mines, so make sure to always wear your protective gear and your hard hat at work!

It is essential that employers and employees are aware of the possible hazards that can endanger the lives of those working in underground mines. Hard Hats are becoming more and more of a mandate than a choice for work environments that include these types of working conditions.