Guidance on how to select the most suitable safety eyewear for the wearer

Workplace risk is an acknowledged reality but the implementation of a well thought through safety policy will significantly reduce such risk. Our eyesight is precious and demands the selection and provision of high-quality safety eyewear which not only ‘protects’ but which enhances wearer compliance due to excellent comfort and fit features.

It’s clear that high quality personal protective equipment (PPE) can significantly reduce the high real cost of personal injury (productivity, litigation and income) while enabling more people to return to their families safe and sound.

uvex eyewear redefines WEARABILITY, the unmatched differentiation between uvex technology and other brands.

Despite the availability of high-quality safety eyewear, the frequency of incidents directly affecting the eyes and eyesight, is alarmingly high. The evidence indicates that this is largely due to inappropriate safety eyewear being used or that eyewear is not being worn at all. Both causes are avoidable.

Eye injuries sustained in the workplace can be caused by a multitude of factors including the ingress of airborne materials, chemical splash, direct impact from any number of materials and from the environment, namely ultraviolet light and glare. The combination of a wide range of tasks carried out in diverse workplace environments create the potential for multiple risks, which, if possible should be ‘engineered out’, but where this is not the case, job specific risk assessments should define the type of safety eyewear to be worn.

Types of eyewear

Safety eyewear is primarily classified as either spectacles or goggles and for a very good reason – it is predominantly about the level of impact protection each provides. Safety prescription eyewear is available in both spectacles and goggles. Laser protection eyewear is available from selected manufacturers.

Safety spectacles certified to the core EN166 standard, provide protection against low energy impact, specifically up to 45 meters per second. Safety goggles properly certified to EN166 provide medium energy impact protection, specifically up to 120 meters per second and should be regarded as the mandatory option for those using high power tools such as nail guns or angle grinders. In contrast, safety spectacles are not recommended for use for such applications.

Safety goggles are equally recommended where the task involves the risk of chemical or molten metal splash, exposure to gases or vapours which could be harmful to the eyes or environments where there is a high degree of airborne particulates.

Choosing the right safety eyewear

So, how do you choose the right eyewear? Employers have a duty of care to ensure that workers are provided with appropriate PPE wherever the risk assessment defines that as necessary. There are several areas for consideration when selecting eyewear suitable for your workforce.

The first and most vital thing to remember is that one size does not fit all. Head and facial shapes all differ requiring a range of eyewear from which employees can select. Involvement in this process not only ensures a proper fit, crucial for the wearer’s safety, it also increases the likelihood that eyewear stays worn throughout the working day. A good fit also takes into consideration the ‘wearability’ of safety eyewear which should include the following.

Eyewear should deliver a low-pressure, lightweight fit with even weight distribution. Injection-moulded hard and soft components around the brow, nose and on side arms not only increases comfort but ensures eyewear stays put. Adaptable features such as lens inclination and extendable side arms allow wearers to achieve the ultimate close fit (to keep hazards out) and find a position that means they can work comfortably, confidently and with as little distraction as possible.

all uvex eyewear provides 100% UV protection up to 400nm.

Lens optical quality reduces eye strain, fatigue and headaches (optical class 1). Lenses with excellent optical quality are free of aberrations and imperfections – allowing the wearer to see using as close to natural vision as possible. Low-quality safety eyewear can result in poor optical clarity, one of the biggest factors in eye fatigue due to tiny distortions in the lens.

The effects of UV on the skin are well known however, the cumulative effect of UV on our eyes is less well recognised. As little as 7% of the population associate UV radiation with eye diseases yet the eye is the most susceptible organ to damage caused by sunlight. The name uvex is derived from ultraviolet exclusion, marking our leading position in recognising the damage of UV exposure and technology which protects against it. uvex is the only safety eyewear manufacturer able to offer UV protection up to 400nm across its entire range covering UVB and UVA rays.

Polycarbonate lenses filter UV ensuring that most safety eyewear meets the EN166/EN170 standard which specifies UV protection up to 380 nm, however, the WHO (World Health Organisation) and latest scientific studies state that this level of protection is insufficient and recommend the higher 400nm protection level.

uvex recognises that one size doesn’t fit all. Offering a range of eyewear to ensure everyone finds the perfect fit.

The type of environment in which the work is undertaken should influence the lens shade(s) selected. For example, are employees working indoors under harsh, bright lights? Are people frequently moving between indoors and outdoors, between light and shaded areas or are they working outside in the sunshine where the intensity of the sun can be a hazard in itself? The selection of lens tint that is right for the environment together with the highest quality of lens engineering and performance all positively affects compliance.

Compatibility with other PPE such as respirators, hearing protection or helmets should also be taken into consideration.

Let’s talk about fogging

Due to the way that safety glasses or goggles should fit, close to the head keeping dirt and debris out, it can cause moisture build up, especially if the wearer is doing a physical job which can result in the lens fogging.  How you choose which coating you need depends on the environment and the application being performed. Some coatings offer anti-fog performance on the inside, where it is most needed, and a scratch-resistant hard coat on the exterior of the lens. Others are anti-fog and scratch resistant on both sides making them suitable for environments with high humidity.

However, not all anti-fog coatings are created equal. The tests conducted for the coating performance are optional tests for manufacturers, requiring the anti-fog coating to perform for a minimum of 8 seconds on first use. Where many coatings fail is in the longevity of the anti-fog performance.

Traditional hydrophobic anti-fog coatings are soap-based, washing off after a handful of cleans, making the eyewear ineffective and unusable. As soon as lens coating performance diminishes, employees try to compensate and compliance drops rendering the eyewear useless. Therefore, it is important to look out for manufacturers of permanent hydrophilic coatings that have been bonded onto the lens and last the life of the eyewear.

When ‘wearability’ is designed into safety eyewear, employees are more likely to keep it where it should be, on their face and in front of their eyes. It is possible for employees to have high-performing, comfortable, properly fitted specs or goggles that keeps dust and debris out, in a style and design to ensure there is something for everyone.

Things To Look For When Buying Safety Footwear

 Buying a good pair of safety boots can be one of the best investments you can make in your work life. They are critical to keeping you on your feet. However, with so many to choose from, it can be difficult to know which one to get. In this article, you will learn some of the top things that you should be looking for when buying safety footwear. 

Buying Safety Footwear: 

1. What You Need Them For

The main thing that you should be looking at is how you will be using them. It's important to understand how you will be using the boots to get a good understanding of what you need out of them. After all, if you are someone who works the assembly line, you'll have very different needs than someone who is working construction. Therefore, you want to factor in what you will be primarily using the boots for before shopping for a pair. 

2. Quality and Construction

Whenever you are buying safety boots, you need to look at the quality and construction of them. While quality is important with regular footwear, it's even more so when you are looking at buying footwear for safety. After all, you will be relying on the quality and construction of the footwear to keep your feet healthy. Not every workboot you find is created equal. You need to find the pair that is capable of withstanding the conditions you will be faced with daily. 

3. Steel Toe

If you have any risk of dropping something heavy on your feet, you need to get a pair of steel-toe work boots. If you aren't at risk of having something heavy fall on your feet, you may want to opt for something more flexible and less bulky. A steel toe can save your toes from getting crushed if you work in a hazardous industry where you have the potential to have something drop on your feet. 

4. Slip Resistant Soles

When you are on the worksite and you are walking around, the last thing you want to do is slip and fall. Slipping and falling on just about any worksite can be very dangerous. You need to get footwear that isn't going to have this problem. As long as you shop for shoes that have anti-slip soles, you should be able to minimize the risk of suffering a fall on the job site. While a lot of the shoes you will find will have this feature due to its importance, you still want to be certain you are looking for it. 

5. Comfort

No footwear is going to be optimal if it's not comfortable for your feet. You need to find something that will be comfortable enough to wear daily. After all, these are the footwear you will be using daily. You need to find something that isn't going to ruin your foot health. Having uncomfortable footwear can do more harm than good. It could cause you to walk improperly and you might even avoid wearing the shoes entirely because of the pain they cause. 

By using the tips above, you should be able to identify the right footwear to invest in. Getting a quality pair of shoes or boots will minimize the risk of injury at the workplace.

For more visit our website at 

www.safepro.co.za

How To Buy And Use Barrier Netting

You're going to want to be careful if you're looking for barrier netting because there are some options that are good and some that are not worth the investment. Here, you're going to get an idea of what to look for in this type of netting and you'll learn how to set it up properly.

Figure out how much netting you're going to need to make a barrier around a project that you're working on. You want to think about how big the area is in square feet so you can order enough of the netting to surround everything. You should generally go with a little more than what you know you need so you have extra to work with in case something happens and you need more. Shop around and see who will let you order the size you're going to need so you don't have less than what is required.

Make sure the netting is high enough to deter people and animals from climbing over it. If it's too close to the ground, then people will be tempted to just ignore it and may climb over it. When you're going to use a shorter barrier then at least make sure you get some caution tape to put around the area to show people that it is dangerous for them to ignore what you have set up. Animals are not going to care about warning tape so if you know there will be wild animals in the area, get netting that is high enough to keep them out.

Find out what a good price is to pay for the barrier netting you're going to have to build. You're going to want to contact a company that sells netting to see what it's going to cost you to work with the area you need to secure. Measure where you're going to put it so you can ask the company to give you a price quote that is accurate. Shop around a little at first to see who charges what so that way you can pay a price for what you get that you know is decent.

Learn what you can do to patch a barrier if the netting gets holes in it. Usually, you just have to buy a patch kid that lets you cover up the hole or tear so you can make it safe again. If you just leave a hole in the netting, it's going to get bigger as time goes on and that means the whole barrier will eventually fall apart on you if you don't care for the damage. Make sure you purchase a patch kit when you buy the netting so you have it on hand should something go wrong.

It's good to have barrier netting around an area that has a hole or other dangerous feature. Don't just assume that people will be safe if there's something dangerous they could get hurt by. The netting you get and install could save you a lot of legal troubles, too. 

 

Understanding The Different Types Of Face Masks

Wearing a protective face mask or some form of facial covering is a crucial step in preventing the continuous spread of COVID-19. One of the easiest and most effective steps you as an individual can take is to wear a facial covering when out in public. In fact, many cities are now mandating the use of face masks in all public places.

Studies show that there are two important reasons for wearing a mask. Facial coverings provide some protection for the wearer but more importantly, they prevent the wearer from spreading the virus to others. Because COVID-19 has shown to be most easily spread before an infected individual begins to show symptoms, it is crucial that masks become a daily necessity even if you are not showing any symptoms to help reduce the spread of the virus.

There are a few different protective face mask options making it difficult to know which mask is right for you. Before we dive into the specifics about each protective face mask, let’s first outline your mask options we’ll be going over:

1. 3 Ply Disposable Protective Face Masks
2. KN95 Face Mask Disposable Protective Face Masks
3. Cloth Reusable Face Masks or Covering

Because the World Health Organization has recommended that individuals not seek out medical grade face masks or respirator masks such as the US N95 as to not disrupt supply for official medical practitioners, we will only be focusing on consumer grade face masks for the purpose of this article.

Now that we have a better idea of the protective face equipment we’ll be focusing on, let’s take a deeper dive and learn more about each type of mask so you can have a better understanding which mask is the best fit for you.

3 Ply Face Mask or Surgical Mask

3 Ply Face Masks are a great option for everyday use for adults and most children. They are designed to provide 3 layers of protection against bacteria, viruses, and other large droplets or bodily fluids while also being comfortable to wear and breathable.

3 Ply Face Masks are able to help prevent the wearer from being exposed to airborne pollutants, allergens, bacteria, and viruses while also protecting those nearby from the wearer’s coughs and sneezing with up to 95% efficiency when worn properly. While they do tend to be looser fitting, most 3 Ply face masks come with a flexible nose bridge for an option of a tighter fit. However, they can sometimes allow leakage to occur around the edges when the wearer inhales.

Properly worn 3 Ply masks can protect very well against particles 3.0 microns or larger with up to a 95% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency.

Overall, 3 Ply masks are a great option for facial coverings. We recommended the using the 3 Ply protective face masks for use on everyday errands such as trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, post office, or when in public areas where others are in close proximity.

Certain 3 Ply Mask are also approved for Medical Use. There are three levels of protection - Level I, Level II or Level III. Level 1 surgical mask is appropriate for general use. Level II is commonly referred to as a Dental Mask and offers additional protection from liquid splatter and Level III which provides maximum protection from liquid exposure. All three levels offer similar protection from airborne particles. 

 

KN95 Face Mask

The KN95 masks offer 5 layers of superior protection and are comparable to the US standard N95 face masks. They are European FFP2 certified, and protect against 95% of large and small airborne particles including aerosols and large fluid droplets including bacteria and viruses. Designed with a comfortable ear loop and a moldable nose bridge they offer a tighter, more secure fit for optimal protection for both yourself and others in close contact.

The KN95 face masks are breathable and ideal to be worn for everyday errands or in any public area where you may find yourself in close contact with others. Additionally, they are highly effective at protecting the wearer from pollen and other animal allergens.

Properly worn KN95 face masks can protect very well against PM10, PM2.5, and smaller particles with up to a 95% Bacterial Filtration Efficiency.

Overall, KN95 face masks are an excellent choice to wear when out in public to help protect yourself and others from getting sick as they provide a tighter fit around the nose and face.

Cloth Face Mask

Cloth masks have become a very convenient option during the COVID-19 outbreak. You can find options in all colors and patterns to match your personal style. However, while cloth masks can help in protecting the user from spreading a virus or bacteria to others, they do not provide the wearer much protection from others due to their loose fit.

Cloth face masks do provide one upside to disposable 3 Ply and KN95 masks in that they are washable and can be worn multiple times. It is important, however, to be aware of where and how your cloth mask was made as many homemade masks may not be as effective as the 3 Ply or KN95 face masks at preventing the spread of disease. Infact, many cloth masks that users are turning to were not designed to protect against bacteria and viruses at all.

While wearing a cloth mask is absolutely better than no mask at all, they tend to leave much more open space allowing for leakage when the wearer both inhales and exhales therefore lessening their effectiveness at preventing the spread of COVID 19.

KN95 vs Surgical Mask - Which is Better

Take a look at the breakdown of each Protective Face Mask:

www.safepro.co.za

medical surgi masks is a 3ply mask with earloops

Barrier netting

 

Improve Safety with these Barrier Safety Tips

There are many ways to help keep employees safe while working within a facility. Sometimes it is best to provide them protective equipment to help limit exposure to hazards, for example. Other times you can help by training people to avoid specific dangers within the facility. While these are both great options, sometimes the best way to improve safety is to physically prevent access to the hazardous area by putting up barrier netting.

This practice is known as barrier safety netting, which involves putting up physical barrier netting that will prevent people or vehicles from going to a specific area. Most people are familiar with this type of safety from driving on the road and seeing the metal barriers on bridges and other areas. Using this type of safety within a facility is a great way to improve safety, as long as it is done properly.

www.safepro.co.za

SPERIAN

New distributorship concluded. We now stock the full range of Howard Leight earplugs, Sperian masks formely Wilson mask and Sperian Specs.

TECH-SPEC

Safety Protective Clothing uses excellent breathable and moisture absorbing linings in the footwear we supply which ensure a soft, dry and fresh feel while at the same trime transporting moisture to the outside. The full benefits of this climate management realy come into play when the socks worn are use also suited to the ansorbtion and the expulsion of heat and humidity, so that these can be transported away by the lining and upper material.
For the full range of footwear visit http://www.safepro.co.za/