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.

PPE that is vital to keep your restaurant staff safe

Providing staff with the proper restaurant equipment and supplies is so important if you want to ensure the well-being and safety of employees. More specifically, restaurants, hotels and just about every other place of business requires some degree of PPE (personal protective equipment) to reduce the risk of injury and keep workers as protected as possible from potential hazards.

Common injuries experienced by employees in commercial kitchens include burns, cuts and sprains. For affordable, durable PPE browse through L&A Safety's catalogs or visit one of their branches in Milnerton, Vredenburg or Robertson.

Restaurant supplies that can help safeguard staff from unnecessary injury are:

GLOVES:

  §  Dishwashing gloves
Help protect the workers hands from hot water, as well as from abrasive chemicals that may be used in soaps and sanitizers.

  §  Cut-resistant gloves Made from special, strong materials that help prevent skin from being accidentally cut or sliced by a sharp knife.

  §  Freezer gloves
Insulated gloves with good grip designed to shield hands from frostbite, which can be a potential problem when spending a lot of time in freezers or walk in refrigeration storage units.

OVEN MITTS:

Prevents burns and are primarily used for placing and removing hot items from ovens, handling hot plates or dealing with other hot food or restaurant equipment.

APRONS:

Not only does this PPE keep a worker’s uniform clean, but it also provides an additional barrier between the employee’s body and dangerous substances like hot grease and oil.

ANTI-SLIP SHOES:

The floors in a kitchen are often slippery due to water and grease spills. Wearing safety footwear helps provide employees with better grip, which assists in the prevention of slipping and falling.

It is essential that your staff is educated on the importance of using safety gear and the proper methods to use it.

3 factors to help you understand and select firefighter gloves

Of all the clothing items worn by firefighters, perhaps the most misunderstood items are the gloves. Among garments, footwear and helmets, they are considered the throwaway item of the protective ensemble and are often given little consideration in their purchase.  

But hand protection during firefighting is so important! Burns and other injuries to the hand, though lessened over the years, still represent a significant proportion of all injuries. Where there are complaints about the different elements of the protective ensemble, often gloves top the list. Complaints include them being too bulky or too restrictive on hand movements. 

Hand protection challenge:

Protecting firefighters' hands from hazards is actually a relatively difficult challenge. This, combined with our reliance for working with our hands in a variety of tasks during firefighting, imposes tough trade-offs for permitting hand function while providing insulation from heat and protection from physical hazards.

Make sure you have the best gloves for the job – contact L&A Safety today!

In contrast, protecting the other parts of the body — such as torso, arms, legs and feet — with other items of clothing is significantly easier. To gain good protection, hand function and hand comfort is often reduced. This challenge has focused the glove industry to be creative with its selection of materials and development of designs.

Material selection:

Gloves use the same principles of layering materials as applied to garments. Firefighting gloves employ the same functional three-layer construction as turnout gear. For gloves, there is a shell, which may be either leather or textile. Inside the shell is a moisture barrier or barrier layer that may be separate or combined with a thermal lining.

All layers must work together to provide protection to the hands. However, in the selection of these layers there are trade-offs that dictate the use of certain materials to limit the reduction of firefighter dexterity, grip, and tactility.

Design considerations:

As great an impact as the selection of materials might be for glove function, glove design cannot be overlooked. There are several different ways that gloves can be constructed that relate to the way the fingers and thumb are set in the glove pattern. Seam location is critical in affecting hand function because inappropriately placed seams can cause poor fit and hand function.

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For a wide range of PPE, L&A Safety is your one-stop shop! Whether it be boiler suits, safety goggles, gumboots or hard hats - L&A Safety has it all.

The dangers of welding

Some health and safety welding regulations, such as; keeping clear of the fumes while gas welding, not to breathe the fumes and to ensure enough ventilation seem to be common sense, yet according to the Welding Information Centre there are on average 365 000 welding related injuries per year!

Such injuries include hot metal slag burns, injuries from flying particles, radiation exposure or exposure to fumes, vapours or chemicals.

Arc welding and cutting processes, as well as other forms of welding, produce radiation. The quantity of radiation could be small, but in some cases ultraviolet or infrared radiation can go undetected. Such radiation can cause eye damage or skin burns.

It is therefore necessary to use a welding helmet with the correct shade of filter plate, gloves and the correct clothing. For a wide range of safety equipment and clothing, including safety gear for welding – contact L&A Safety today and place your order!

Screen curtains can be used to protect other people in the vicinity. Safety glasses should have UV protective side shields. In addition, noise caused by welding can be hazardous, with temporary or permanent loss of hearing occurring. Ear muffs or ear plugs can be used as protection.

Electric shock from welding and cutting equipment is another danger that can result in injury or even death. When welding there are various components that are electrically energised, such as the welding circuit, the internal circuits, the reel of wire or the drive rolls.

Incorrectly installed equipment or equipment which has not been properly grounded is normally the cause of electrical shocks during welding. To avoid electrical shock it is important to follow the instruction of the equipment in use.

Employees should be trained on how to avoid electrical injuries. Principles such as not touching live electrical parts, having installations and maintenance done by qualified people, having the equipment grounded at all times and frequently inspecting power cords for open wires should be adhered to.

When conditions are less than perfect it is important not to work alone, wear insulating gloves and rubber soled boots, while making use of mats and insulated electrode holders. Of course, water should be avoided under all circumstances.

7 helpful tips for encouraging PPE compliance

PPE only works if you use it!

Whether you work in the electrical, oil or manufacturing industry, there are always challenges when it comes to personal protective equipment compliance. Creating a safe work environment is critical, so use these 7 helpful tips to encourage PPE compliance…

1. Establish and enforce a policy requiring the use of the assigned PPE. Make sure all employees are aware of the rules and the consequences if they break them.

2. Take about PPE when appropriate in safety meetings. Identify hazards and explain how specific PPE is designed to protect against them.

3. Ask employees to give their personal reasons for wearing PPE. For example, getting home safe and sound to their families, avoiding injury and because it’s simply the smart thing to do.

4. Ask for employee input concerning PPE. Listen to complaints and reasons for not complying.

5. Post signs indicating what PPE is needed in each work area.

6. Provide statistics and descriptions of accidents that have occurred in the workplace because workers weren’t wearing PPE.

7. Make sure supervisors monitor PPE use daily among all their employees and don’t overlook noncompliance for any reason.

What other strategies would you use to encourage PPE compliance? 

Contact L&A Safety for a wide range of PPE and other safety equipment. From hard hats to boiler suits and respirators - L&A Safety has it all!