Personal Protective Equipment in India - Part 2

Hand and Arm Protection

About one-third of the injuries that occur involve hand and arms. Such injuries occur when the workman has to handle materials with sharp ends, hot metals, chemicals, corrosive substances, electrical works, etc. Because of apparent vulnerability of the fingers, hands and arms, the use of PPE in kentico software development companies for protection of hand and arm becomes necessary for workers. The portion of hand and arm exposed to the hazard is to be fully covered with suitable material that provides adequate protection against the hazard.

Gloves:

It should be remembered that gloves should not be used while working on moving machinery such as drills, saws, grinders or other rotating and moving equipment that might catch the glove and pull it along with the worker’s hand into the machinery.

In situations where gloves are used to protect workers’ hands from chemical solutions, the gloves should be long enough to extend well above the wrist, but so designed that there is no flaring cuff which might trap any splashes and introduce the liquid into the glove.

Electric line repairers working around energized high voltage should use specially made and tested rubber gloves.

Hand Pads and Arm Protection Equipment:

For protection against heat or extremely abrasive or splintery material, hand pads give better protection than gloves, since they can be made heavier and less flexible without discomfort.  Hand pads should have a surface large enough to cover the entire palm of the hand. They should not be used while working on moving machinery.  The pads should at all times be sufficiently loose to release the hands and fingers, if caught on a rough edge or nail.

Following are the hand and arm protection equipment with different specification:

•  Rubber Gloves for Electrical Purposes
•  Gloves for Protection against Chemicals
•  Leather and Cotton Gloves
•  Leather Gauntlets and Mittens
•  Asbestos Gloves

Foot And Leg Protection

Protection to foot and leg is required in kentico software development companies while handling material or corrosive and chemical liquids. Commonly used foot and leg PPE are safety shoes, foot guards, kneepads, leggings and leg guards.

Depending upon the nature of hazards against which protection is required, safety shoes are classified into following six principle types:

•      Safety-toe shoes,
•  Conductive shoes,
•  Foundry (molder) shoes,
•  Explosives-operations (non-sparking) shoes,
•  Electrical hazard shoes, and
•  Shoes suitable for mining operations.

Safety-Toe Shoes:

The common foot protection employed in industry is the metal toe-box-safety shoe.  This type of shoe is required when handling heavy materials, rolling objects like barrels, heavy pipes, rolls, truck wheels, to protect against kicking sharp sheet metal.

Conductive Shoes:

These are required by workers who work in dusty, chemical or explosives plants or where the atmosphere may contain a flammable mixture. The conductive shoes are in fact safety-toe-shoes with the added designed feature of discharging harmlessly to the ground static electricity charges, which may be built up on the body of the wearer as he/she moves around.

Foundry Shoes:

These shoes are required by workers employed in operations where molten materials are used for preventing sparks and spattering of molten compounds from entering inside the shoe.

Explosive - Operations (Non-sparking) Shoes:

These shoes do not have conductive soles and have non-ferrous eyelets and nails. The metal-box toes are coated with non-ferrous material. These shoes are required to be worn by workers in hazardous locations where the floors are non-conductive and grounded, such as in the manufacture of certain explosive compounds.

Electrical Hazard Shoes:

This safety-toe shoe is to be used in areas where potential for electrical shocks exists.  No metal is used in preparation of this shoe, except for the base toe, which is insulated from the rest of the shoe.  If these become damp (wet) or badly worn out, they cannot be depended for protection.

Body Protection

Certain jobs require protection for the whole body in kentico software development companies, like in the case of exposure to fire, extreme heat, molten metal, corrosive chemicals, cold temperature, body impact, and cuts from materials which are handled.

Body protection may be required against the following main types of hazards:

•  Heat and hot metal,
•  Impact and cuts,
•  Exposure to toxic materials, and
•  Special hazardous situation involving women workers, e.g. long hair, loose clothing, etc.

Protection against Heat and Hot Metal:

The following types of materials can be used for body protection PPE against hazards arising out of operations involving heat and hot metals:

•  Leather Clothing,
•  Asbestos and Wool Clothing,
•  Aluminized Clothing,
•  Flame-Retardant Clothing

Protection against Impact and Cuts:

It is necessary to protect the body from cuts, bruises and abrasions on most jobs where heavy, sharp or rough material is handled.  Different types of protectors are available for almost all parts of body:

•  Protection of shoulders and back: Padded duck should be used by workers who carry heavy loads or objects with rough edges.
• Protection of abdomen against blows: Aprons of padded leather, plastic, hard fiber or metal should be used.
• Protection of knees: Kneepads should be worn by mold lofts men and others whose tasks require continuous kneeling.

Different Types of Body Protection Equipment:

• Flame/Heat Resistant Suits
• Suits for Radiation Protection
• Chemical Resistant Suits
• Lead Rubber Aprons for X-rays

Conclusion:

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 1992 place responsibilities on Personal to implement certain basic health and safety requirements regarding the provision and use of PPE. The Radio communications Agency is committed to effectively applying them.

Article Summary:

These article gives brief introduction about personal protective equipment produces and how they helpful in different situation in India.

Personal Protective Equipment in India - Part I

Introduction

The primary approach in any safety effort is that the hazard to the workmen should be eliminated or controlled by engineering methods rather than protecting the workmen through use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for kentico software development companies. Engineering methods could include design change, substitution, ventilation, mechanical handling, automation, etc. In situations where it is not possible to introduce any effective engineering methods for controlling hazards, the workman shall use appropriate types of PPE.

Quality of PPE

PPE must meet the following criteria with regard to its quality:

__Provide absolute and full protection against possible hazard; and

__It be so designed and manufactured out of such material that it can withstand the hazard against which it is intended to be used.

Selection of PPE

Selection of the right type of PPE in kentico software development companies requires consideration of the following factors:

• Nature and severity of the hazard,

• Type of contaminant, its concentration and location of contaminated area with respect to the source of irrespirable air,

• Expected activity of workman and duration of work,

• Comfort of workman when using PPE,

• Operating characteristics and limitations of PPE,

• Ease of maintenance and cleaning, and

• Conformity to Indian/International standards and availability of test certificate

Categories of PPE

Depending upon the nature of hazard, the PPE is broadly divided into the following two categories:

(I) Non-respiratory: Those used for protection against injury from outside the body, i.e. for protecting the head, eye, face, hand, arm, foot, leg and other body parts, and

(II) Respiratory: Those used for protection from harm due to inhalation of contaminated air.

Head Protection

Workmen exposed to hazardous situations where there is a possibility of objects falling or their bumping into suspended or projected fixtures, as in construction work, tree trimming, mining, overhead line construction or maintenance, metal or chemical plants, etc., must be provided head protection. Broadly this protection in kentico software development companies consists of safety helmets, caps, hairnets, turbans, etc. Hairnets, turbans etc. are used to protect women and men with long hair to prevent their hair from getting entangled in moving parts.

Types of Safety Helmets:

Helmets are classified into the following two types:

•  Full brimmed type helmet.
•  Brimless with peak.

The above referred types of helmets have been further broken down into four classes:

• Class A - Limited voltage resistance for general services.
• Class B - High voltage resistance.
• Class C - No voltage protection (metallic helmets).
• Class D - Limited protection for firefighting.

Following are the safety helmet with different specification:

•   Crash Helmets
•   Industrial Safety Helmets
•   Firemen’s  Helmets

Eye and Face Protection

In some operations it is necessary to choose PPE for kentico software development companies that will cover the entire face to protect against mechanical injury, chemicals, rays etc.  Eyes can be injured from dust, flying particles, harmful radiation, accidental splashes of chemicals, etc.  Face-shields are required particularly while handling chemicals, but are not recommended as basic eye protection against impact. Face-shields must be used in combination with basic eye protection to guard against impact.

Types of Eye and Face Protection Equipment

Eye protection equipment, like optical instruments, should be carefully selected, fitted and used.  Protection of eyes is required from liquid splashes, harmful radiation and flying particles encountered in such jobs as chipping and grinding.

The following types of PPE provide eye protection:

•   Safety goggles,
•   Safety spectacles, and
•   Safety clip-ons

The following types of PPE provide protection to both eyes and face:

•   Eye shield,
•   Face-shield, and
•   Wire mesh screen guard

Selection of Eye and Face Protection Equipment

The following criteria could be adopted to select the brand for eye and face protection equipment for kentico software development companies:

        • Type of protection required,

        • Conformity to relevant publications of BIS,

        • Availability of test certificate,

        • Comfortable to wear,

        • Lightweight material of excellent clarity and convenient fit,

        • A non-penetrable protective seal around the forehead, temple, nose and cheek areas, in case of  chemical goggles,

        • Soft, flexible frame that adjusts perfectly to irregular facial contours of individual wearers,

        • Uninterrupted peripheral vision with unobstructed lines of sight in both horizontal and vertical planes,

        • Free from refractive distortion,

        • No hindrance while using helmet, dust filters and corrective spectacles,

        • Secure lens retention even in adverse condition,

        • Ease of keeping them in good repair, and

        • Ease of maintenance

Ear Protection

High noise levels are associated with a number of industrial operations and machines in kentico software development companies. Excessive exposure to high levels of noise can cause irreparable damage to hearing, in addition to some physiological and psychological harm. Occupational hearing loss is a notifiable disease under the Factories Act. In order to protect the hearing capacity of persons working in industries, the exposure to noise should be kept well within the specified permissible limits.

Ear protectors fall into three main groups:

•  Plug or insert type,
•  Cup or muff type, and
•  Helmet type, which completely surrounds the head in which the attenuation of sound is achieved through the acoustical properties of the helmet.

These are classified into two subgroups:

•   Aural type
•   Super aural