Civil Constru

ction!

Jordan Trapani

Hard Hat!• MORE SIMPLY PUT, WHENEVER THERE IS A

REASONABLE CHANCE THAT SOMEONE COULD SUFFER A HEAD INJURY, HEAD PROTECTION SHOULD BE REQUIRED. CAUSES OF HEAD INJURIES MIGHT INCLUDE:

• •FALLING OBJECTS—INCLUDING BOTH SMALL OBJECTS, SUCH AS TOOLS, AND LARGE OBJECTS, SUCH AS LOADS FALLING FROM A RAISED FORKLIFT

• •FLYING OBJECTS—INCLUDING OBJECTS BEING SWUNG FROM A CRANE OR SIMILAR DEVICE

• •BUMPING THE HEAD ON OVERHEAD OBJECTS, SUCH AS PIPING

• •CONTACT WITH ELECTRICAL HAZARDS, SUCH AS POWER LINES OR WIRES

Steel Cap Boots!

• THE BEST WORK BOOTS ARE AN ESSENTIAL FOR MOST BLUE COLLAR JOBS. THEY PROVIDE WORKPLACE SAFETY BY PROTECTING YOUR TOES AND FEET. THEY ALSO IMPROVE TRACTION AND STABILITY. BEFORE MEN OR WOMEN CAN WORK ON CONSTRUCTION SITES OR OTHER RUGGED ENVIRONMENTS, THEY NEED A DEPENDABLE WORK BOOT. NOT EVERY WORK BOOT IS MADE FOR EVERY CONDITION. IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE THE BOOT THAT FITS YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT AND ITS CONDITIONS.

High-Vis Gear!• THERE ARE CERTAIN WORKPLACES THAT HAVE VERY MANY

HAZARDS AND EMPLOYEES ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING TO ENSURE THAT THEY REMAIN SAFE. IN WORKPLACES SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION SITES, TRANSPORT COMPANIES, WAREHOUSES, FACTORIES AND ROADWORK, IT IS CRUCIAL TO WEAR HI VISIBILITY CLOTHING FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY. THE HI VISIBILITY CLOTHING WILL PREVENT EMPLOYEES FROM GETTING CUTS, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS, STATIC ELECTRICITY AND HIGH VOLTAGES.

• THE CLOTHING IS MORE VISIBLE DURING THE NIGHT AND FOR DAYTIME WORK, THE BRIGHT CLOTHING CAN BE WORN ON THE MAIN BODY. THE HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING ALSO PROTECTS EMPLOYEES IN SITUATIONS WHEN IT TOO HOT. THE MATERIAL USED PREVENTS THE HEAT FROM OUTSIDE FROM AFFECTING THE BODY.

Ear Muffs!• WEAR HEARING PROTECTORS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU MUST

WORK IN AN EXCESSIVELY NOISY ENVIRONMENT. YOU SHOULD ALSO WEAR THEM WHEN USING POWER TOOLS, NOISY YARD EQUIPMENT, OR FIREARMS, OR RIDING A MOTORCYCLE OR SNOWMOBILE. HEARING PROTECTORS COME IN TWO FORMS: EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS.

• EARPLUGS ARE SMALL INSERTS THAT FIT INTO THE OUTER EAR CANAL. THEY MUST BE SEALED SNUGLY SO THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE EAR CANAL IS BLOCKED. AN IMPROPERLY FITTED, DIRTY, OR WORN-OUT PLUG MAY NOT SEAL PROPERLY AND CAN RESULT IN IRRITATION OF THE EAR CANAL. PLUGS ARE AVAILABLE IN A VARIETY OF SHAPES AND SIZES TO FIT INDIVIDUAL EAR CANALS AND CAN BE CUSTOM-MADE. FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING THEM IN THEIR EARS, THE PLUGS CAN BE FITTED TO A HEADBAND.

• EARMUFFS FIT OVER THE ENTIRE OUTER EAR TO FORM AN AIR SEAL SO THE ENTIRE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE EAR CANAL IS BLOCKED, AND THEY ARE HELD IN PLACE BY AN ADJUSTABLE BAND. EARMUFFS WILL NOT SEAL AROUND EYEGLASSES OR LONG HAIR, AND THE ADJUSTABLE HEADBAND TENSION MUST BE SUFFICIENT TO HOLD EARMUFFS FIRMLY IN PLACE.

• EARPLUGS AND EARMUFFS CAN BE FOUND AT MOST PHARMACIES.

Safety Gloves!• THE WORKPLACE CAN CREATE MANY HAZARDS FOR YOUR HANDS,

WHETHER FROM CHEMICALS, CUTS OR BURNS. NO SINGLE GLOVE CAN PROVIDE APPROPRIATE PROTECTION FOR EVERY WORK SITUATION, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO ASSESS THE RISK FOR EACH TASK AND SELECT A GLOVE THAT PROVIDES SPECIALIZED PROTECTION.

• THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF GLOVES AND THEIR APPROPRIATE APPLICATION, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL:

• • COTTON AND FABRIC GLOVES: THESE CAN KEEP HANDS CLEAN AND PROTECT AGAINST ABRASIONS, BUT MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE WORK WITH ROUGH OR SHARP MATERIALS.

• • COATED FABRIC GLOVES: THIS TYPE OF GLOVE CAN PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST SOME MODERATE CONCENTRATED CHEMICALS. THEY CAN BE USED IN LABORATORY WORK PROVIDED THEY ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT AGAINST THE SPECIFIC CHEMICAL BEING HANDLED.

• • RUBBER, PLASTIC OR SYNTHETIC GLOVES: THESE TYPES OF GLOVE CAN BE USED WHEN CLEANING OR WORKING WITH OILS, SOLVENTS AND OTHER CHEMICALS.

• • LEATHER GLOVES: THESE SHOULD BE USED WHEN WELDING, AS THE LEATHER CAN RESIST SPARKS AND MODERATE HEAT. THE RISK OF CUTS AND ABRASIONS ALSO CAN BE MINIMIZED BY WEARING LEATHER GLOVES.

• • ALUMINIZED GLOVES: THESE GLOVES ARE RECOMMENDED FOR WELDING, FURNACE AND FOUNDRY WORK, AS THEY PROVIDE REFLECTIVE AND INSULATING PROTECTION.

• • KEVLAR GLOVES: THESE HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. THEY ARE CUT- AND ABRASION-RESISTANT AND PROVIDE PROTECTION AGAINST BOTH HEAT AND COLD.

• • CHEMICAL/LIQUID-RESISTANT GLOVES: SEVERAL TYPES OF GLOVES HELP PROTECT AGAINST SPECIFIC CHEMICALS: