People are not excellent and infrequently make mistakes. We take shortcuts, overlook tips on how to do things, or grow to be distracted at times after we shouldn’t. In most facets of our lives, these are usually not things that have dire consequences. At work, nonetheless, surrounded by hazards, these types of mistakes can alter lives, even end them. So, although human beings usually are not excellent, we need to make our safety programs as near perfect as we can.
PPE Focus: Face Shields
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is a side of safety where folks are inclined to make many errors, and for a wide range of reasons. Typically, we think that the mere wearing of PPE makes us resistant to injury. With as a lot emphasis as we place on eye protection and head protection, can we lose sight (no pun intended) of protecting our faces? Certainly, eye protection is important, since eye accidents can lead to everlasting blindness. Equally important is head protection, preventing deadly head injuries the very best that we can. Face accidents could not appear as significant a priority. They don’t have the rapid, everlasting, and probably fatal penalties of the others. With that said, though, an employer’s duty is to protect all parts of their employees, together with their faces.
That accountability consists of identifying tasks where face shields needs to be used, providing face shields for workers to make use of, training them to make use of face shields appropriately, and to right staff when face shields are used incorrectly or not used at all. The primary components are easy. Our workers will make mistakes. Correcting these errors and implementing your organization’s face shield requirements is an essential part of an effective PPE program. Sadly, too usually, this side of the PPE program shouldn’t be enforced until after an worker is injured.
Situations to Use Face Shields
Consider the following situations the place face shields should have been used, and the implications for the injured workers and their employers.
An employee was filling ammonia nurse tanks from a bulk plant. The worker was distracted while closing the valves, and mistakenly turned the unsuitable valve, inflicting a pressure release in the line. The release of anhydrous ammonia splashed on the worker’s face. The worker was hospitalized for chemical burns on and around the face.
An worker was installing a water pipe at a multifamily residential construction project. The worker initially was working an excavator, then climbed down from the excavator to cut a ten-inch water pipe with a minimize-off saw. The noticed kicked back and struck the worker’s face. Co-workers called emergency services, who transported the employee to the hospital. The worker was admitted to the hospital and treated for facial lacerations that prolonged from underneath the left eye to underneath the jaw.
In the first situation, the worker suffered serious chemical burns. A face shield would have significantly reduced the chemical publicity, the extent of the chemical burns, and probably may have prevented any ammonia from splashing on the employee’s face. Sure, the employee turned the improper valve, however does that mean that the employer is absolved of all accountability for this incident? In fact not. The actual fact remains that the employer ought to provide employees filling ammonia nurse tanks with face shields, train staff to make use of the face shields accurately, and require them to use them when performing this task. Then they have to frequently and constantly enforce the face shield requirements. Doing so would have provided additional protection to the employee, even from the effects of the worker’s own actions.