Workplace Safety

We have seen more and more people started to get hurt for some reason.  We see it on the job site and at homes, so we thought it would be a good time to do a review of safety.  No matter how much the medical field advance in various technologies, we still only have one body, so it is important to take the small little steps that can protect you.  When you think about the small investment for these safety items, it is well worth every penny.

Every body part is important to protect, but especially your head.  Your head only weights around 8lbs., so image what a brick, a piece of rebar or a flying object will do to your head.  Which brings us to our first important safety item, a hard hat.  Most job site require a hard hat at all times, but sometimes we forget, we get lazy or just don’t want it on because of the heat.  Check your hard hat everyday for cracks or anything else that might compromise its integrity.  Even certain chemicals can ruin the integrity of the hard hat.

The average human walks the equivalent of five times around the equator.  With most people doing desk jobs, how much is it for the average trades worker?  Your feet take the brunt of the abuse day in and day out.  Not only do they have to take the weight of your body, but also your tool belt.  Oh yeah, all the items you are carrying too.  Spend a couple extra dollars and buy yourself some good work boots.  As with the rest of the safety equipment, do not be cheap.

While there are times we wish our hearing sucked, such as when the boss is talking, most of the time they are a very important part of our body.  Our ears, while very resilient, are also very delicate.  They are susceptible to infection and obviously loud noises.  Working with power tools is not like being at the library, they are loud.  Day to day working with tools doesn’t seem like it has an effect, but over long term they can damage your ears.  Just ask anyone who is over 60 and has been working with tools or machinery for the last 20 years.  Its kind of like when we get older we get fat.  Now if you are like me, I looked in the mirror yesterday and I was in shape.  Today when I looked in the mirror, I had a beer belly and three chins.  Well the truth is that happened slowly over time, just like hearing loss.  There are a lot of types of ear protection.  Get protection that works for you.

Besides your brain, your eyes are the most complex organ in your body.  You need to protect them.  Get a nice pair of safety glasses to protect them.  In fact get a couple.  Get ones that feel comfortable.  Maybe you even want an extra pair that have a tint, so when you are outside, they work.  Your eyes are composed of over 2 million working parts.  Now image what a small piece of metal or wood can do if it gets lodged in one of these parts.

A good pair of work gloves makes all the difference.  They will not stop a saw from cutting off your finger, but they will help protect from small scratches and small impaled objects.  Think about how many times you use your fingers in your life, even how many times you use them throughout the day.  Another reason to use work gloves is to keep you hands clean.  Throughout the day you get small objects, that you can’t even see, on your hands.  How many times do you touch your eyes lids or put things in your mouth.  Do you want these small items getting into your mouth and eyes?  With gloves you can take them off and for the most part, your hands are clean and free of debris.  This will cut down on the odds any small items will enter your eyes or mouth.

Knee pads are a great item to wear.  Not only will you get ahead in life and make a difference with your boss, but your knees will last a little while longer.  Think about how much pressure you put on your knees.  If you are like me or the average American, you are probably overweight.  For every pound of weight you carry, puts 3lbs of pressure on your knees when you take a step.  You know how heavy your tool belt is, plus the items you carry around all day. Well this adds up.  Every time you get up and down off your knees, you put more pressure and damage the cartlidge.  Over time this adds up and in no time you might need a knee replacement.  Knee pads won’t eliminate all damage, but it will control and slow down the damage process.

A safety vest is another important safety device to use.  They are designed to be seen even in low light.  As you know, the light reflects off the vest and allows others to see you.  Plain and simple, wear one when appropriate.  There is no weight to the vest, but can be the difference between going home and seeing your family or going to the hospital and seeing a doctor.  Even worst case scenario, your family will see you at the morgue.

Sometimes you work in areas that are not well lite.  You might have forklifts, trucks or other dangerous vehicles around.  You might have loud tools or other items where it might be hard to hear someone.  That’s where a small flashlight comes in play.  Even though you may have a safety vest on, you might still need to get get someones attention to let them know you are around.  A small flash light can do the trick.  It helps signal a potential hazard.

You have one body, take care of it, protect it.  Don’t be cheap when buying safety items!