Essential Gardening Gear

The sun is out which means it’s time to head to the garden and deal with whatever it throws at you, whether it be a mess of weeds or an overgrown spinach patch. However, before you step outside you need to be wearing the right gardening gear.

You want your gardening clothes to be able to protect you, but at the same time be practical. He’s a list of essential gardening gear you can order now from L&A Safety.

GLOVES

Your gardening gloves need to be durable and withstand regular use in the garden. However the type of glove you buy depends on the type of environment you are working in.

If you choose cotton gloves, they will be comfortable, but they won’t protect you much. All leather gloves are great at protecting your fingers when you’re working with sharp plants and can prevent cuts, however they aren’t very breathable.

I would say the best gloves for gardeners would be gloves made from Lycra or nylon – take a look at the range from L&A Safety.

BOOTS

Gardens offer a range of things, including muddy flower beds, thorns and even spiders, so you need a good pair of boots to protect you from your feet up to your calves. Polyurethane boots are both light, longwearing and have excellent insulation!

Take a look at the L&A Safety website. There Polyurethane boots are light and flexible, insulated correctly, durable, slip resistant, metal free and protect your feet if you step on a sharp object!

GLASSES

The sun is beating down on you and the last thing you need is an annoying glare in your eyes, this is why glasses are so important when you’re gardening.

Choose a pair that suites your needs – a sporty safety pair of glasses with a tinted lens if you’re just pruning your rose garden.  General purpose dust goggles and a clear full face shield if you’re planning on doing some heavy duty gardening like mowing the lawn.

Some other essentials:

- Old, loose, comfortable clothing
- A wide-brimmed hat
- A pouch or apron

Before you step outside into the garden, make sure you have these gardening essentials.

Who uses High-Visibility PPE?

Those who work close to a road or on a road should always wear high-visibility PPE.

Here are a few of the people who would benefit from wearing high-visibility PPE...

-- Road construction workers, highway maintenance, traffic officer’s surveyors and road patrol personnel.  

-- Police officers, fire-fighters and emergency medical personnel who may be on an accident scene during the night.

-- Parking attendants (car guards in South Africa), security officers, airport fight line marshals and tow truck drivers may all wear reflective gear to ensure they can be seen easily by the people driving the cars and the airplanes.

-- Warehouse employees may often wear safety vests to ensure they are seen by moving forklifts. Construction workers and heavy equipment operators could need high visibility clothing as well.

You may feel that it is not necessary for you to wear high-visibility clothing, but it is in fact vital to your safety. Studies have shown that those who wear the right PPE are less likely to be injured or even killed.

To make sure you have the right high-visibility PPE for you, contact L&A Safety on 021 552 0665 or visit their website here...

The Importance of PPE for Chefs

Protective clothing, such as hats and aprons are very important to a chef. Even if you are not a professional chef, when you are cooking in the kitchen you need to know the basics of protective clothing.

Most people think that an apron is worn to avoid getting their clothing dirty, but it is actually worn to protect the person from fire!

Wearing protective clothing that is made from cotton may be comfortable, but it does not protect a person much from fire, plus when food or liquid messes on cotton, there is a high chance of it getting stained.

When you buy protective clothing, always buy from a reliable source, such as L&A Safety.

Chef hats and caps are worn to reduce sweating and prevent any hairs from falling into the food. The colour of a chef’s clothing is also very important. Most of the time they wear white, however there is a downside to this – it stains easily. Recently chefs have been wearing more black clothing, which is less traditional but easier to clean.

Before finding the right fit protective gear such as the aprons and caps, you need to take your measurements. After your have determined your size, you can look out for the protective gear that matches your size. 

If you prefer the online way of shopping for the protective clothing, take a look at L&A Safety’s site. If you’d prefer to visit the actual shop there are branches in Cape Town, Vredenburg and Robertson.

Protective Footwear for Farm Workers

Foot protective for farm workers is vital in their line of work. They can be injured from a variety of different things, including animals stepping on their feet, heavy objects dropping and even sharp objects that can go right through the shoe.

Safety footwear can come in a range of different styles. Hiking boots and cowboy boots are popular because they look good and they are less heavy duty than normal farm worker boots, such as heavy duty work boots and polyurethane boots for damp working environments.

Safety shoes usually have much more than just a steel-toe cap for protection. Steel shanks help distribute weight more evenly, providing support during farm tasks like climbing a ladder.

Metatarsal boots are fit with protection on top of the shoe and also in the shoe to protect the top of the foot. Steel midsoles, either built-in or slip-in, protect against punctures and bone bruises from nails, glass, barbs, and stones. Slip-resistant soles help prevent falls in wet barns and on muddy ground.

L&A Safety provides a variety of protective footwear for farm workers, including metatarsal boots, polyurethane boots and many other gum boots. Click here to browse through the catalogues...

Eye Protection for Farm Workers

It only takes a few simple precautions to avoid eye injuries. You only have one pair, so make sure they are protected as eye injuries can be especially painful and even cause blindness.

Eye injuries are usually from particles flying into your eyes. The eye uses it’s protection, the eyelashes, tearing and blinking to try be protected, but often they are unable to stop the particles and objects.

Farmers should wear eye protection when grinding feed, handling chemicals, harvesting crops, haying, and doing shop work such as drilling, grinding or sawing. Eye wear is also particularly important when farmers are building, demolishing or repairing structures; repairing farm vehicles and machinery; welding and cutting with torches; and working in dusty atmospheres.

If you go for a basic pair of safety glasses, there is still the chance that particles will fly into the eye from the side. Most safety glasses come with either permanent or detachable side shields to protect all sides of your eyes.

Safety goggles are also a great option to provide your eyes with protection from all angles. Goggles are especially handy when farmers are doing work such as chainsaw work, chipping, riveting, and grinding.

Goggles are a cheap option, so farm workers should keep a pair nearby when they are working with things like chemical liquids.

Face shields protect workers from heat, glare, and flying objects, but they are only considered secondary protection and must be worn with either glasses or goggles. Face shields that attach to hard hats are available for jobs that also require head protection.

For a range of PPE, including eye protection, take a look at L&A Safety's range of products! 

Never Wear a Hoodie under your Hard Hat

When the weather gets colder, or the rain comes along, outdoor workers need to keep warm. It is almost always a requirement to wear a hard hat when working on a construction site, however a lot of workers think it is okay to wear a hoodie or beanie underneath their hard hat.

The fact is, this is not only dangerous to the worker, but also the people below if the hat had to fall off from a high place and hit them.

What are some of the dangers of wearing a hoodie under your hard hat?

- The hard hat doesn’t fit properly, so it easily falls off your head.

- Workers may drop what they’re doing and attempt to catch the hard hat.

- The falling hat can endanger anyone below.

- Wearing a hoodie narrows your field of vision, therefore increasing the chances of injury.

- If the hard hat falls off it exposes your head to dangers.

- Helmets are damaged when they fall off and cannot be used again.

Hard hats are specially designed to take a large amount of impact, but if the hat falls from a height and shows any sign of damage it should be replaced immediately!

A workers safety is the most important thing, so a hoodie or beanie should NEVER be worn underneath a hard hat.

To keep warm, consider getting a manufacturer approved head warmer that is designed to fit under the hard hat. Contact L&A Safety, or pop into one of the branches for a wide range of PPE equipment, such as hard hats, safety goggles, eye protection and so much more!

The most Important PPE used Onboard Ships

Safety of self and co-workers is the prime priority kept in mind by a professional seafarer while working onboard a ship. All shipping companies ensure that their crew follow personal safety procedures and rules for all the operations carried onboard.

To achieve the utmost safety onboard a ship, the basic first step is to make sure that everybody wears their personal protective equipment made for different types of jobs carried out on ship. Looking for affordable PPE? Visit L&A safety's website and place your orders!

Here is the basic personal protective equipment (PPE) that is always present onboard a ship to ensure safety of the working crew:

1)      Protective Clothing: Protective clothing is a coverall which protects the body of the crew member from hazardous substance like hot oil, water, welding spark etc. It is popularly known as a boiler suit.

2)      Helmet: The most important part of the human body is the head. It needs utmost protection which is provided by a hard hat. A chin strap is also provided with the helmet which keeps the helmet on place when there is a trip or fall.

3)      Safety Shoes: Most of the internal space of the ship is utilized by cargo and machinery, which is made of hard metal and can make it awkward for the crew to walk around. Safety shoes ensure that nothing happens to the crew member’s feet while working or walking onboard.

4)      Safety Hand gloves: Different types of hand gloves are provided onboard. All these are used in operations wherein it becomes imperative to protect ones hands.  Some of the gloves provided are heat resistant gloves to work on hot surface, cotton gloves for normal operation, welding gloves, chemical gloves etc.

5)      Goggles: Eyes are the most sensitive part of the human body and in daily operations; chances are high that eye injury may occur. Protective glass or goggles are used for eye protection, whereas welding goggles are used for welding operation which protects the eyes from high intensity sparks.

6)      Ear Muff/plug: The Engine room of the ship produces 110-120 db of sound which is very high for human ears. Even few minutes of exposure can lead to head ache, irritation and sometimes partial or full hearing loss. Ear muffs or ear plugs are used onboard ships to dampen the noise to a bearable decibel value.

7)      Safety harness: Routine ship operation includes maintenance and painting of high and elevated surfaces which require crew members to reach areas that are not easily accessible. To avoid a fall from such heightened area, a safety harness needs to be used. A safety harness is donned by the operator at one end and tied at a strong point on the other end.

8)      Face mask: Working on insulation surface, painting or carbon cleaning involves minor hazardous particles which are harmful for human body if inhaled directly. To avoid this, a face mask is provided which acts as shield from hazardous particles and chemicals.

9)      Chemical suit: Use of chemicals onboard a ship happens frequently and some chemicals are very dangerous when they come in direct contact with human skin. A chemical suit is worn to avoid such situations.

10)  Welding shield: Welding is a very common operation onboard a ship for structural repairs. A welder is provided with a welding shield or mask which protects the eyes from coming in direct contact with ultraviolet rays of the spark of the weld.