Use of personal protective equipment

• Think of all the times you completed a task at work without wearing personal protective equipment without being injured.
• Perhaps the application does not seem so dangerous, or perhaps the use of personal protective equipment is uncomfortable, they are worn out or you are simply lazy to use it.
• Also, you are good at what you do. You’ve been doing this job for so long that being careful is second nature.
• Until that time «being careful» is not enough. It happens in a split second, and maybe it wasn’t your fault.
• Maybe you did everything right, but the tool you were using crashed randomly, a coworker didn’t set up the workspace correctly, or a machine didn’t work properly.
• But whatever the reason, it happened: you become part of the statistics. Accidents happen every day and usually happen in situations that you feel comfortable with.

Accidents happen every day and usually happen in situations that you feel comfortable with.

Common reasons personal safety equipment is not used:

It is unbearable. Personal safety equipment becomes more of a distraction than a means of protection. some are uncomfortable, you feel that they squeeze you, they weigh a lot

It is «unnecessary». Despite decades of reported injury experiences and how to prevent them, human ignorance and resistance remain big problems. Many workers think that personal protection is unnecessary and choose not to use their personal protective equipment.

It is fogging up. In a recent study with manufacturing, construction, service, and retail workers, 100% of participants reported fogging as a major factor in not wearing their PPE at work. They can’t see with foggy glasses, so naturally they take them off. In the same study, 55% said that if their safety glasses had anti-fog technology that worked, they would comply with wearing them.

It’s not cool. Let’s face it, personal safety equipment doesn’t always look the most glamorous. Everyone likes to wear things that they feel good in, so it’s no wonder they fall by the wayside for some.

Remember, the best protection for you is the protection you wear. And it’s not just about protecting your eyes, your hands, your feet, it’s about protecting your life.