16 Feb Personal Protective Equipment – Concrete Construction
Posted at 16:51h
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Personal Protective Equipment – Concrete Construction
Concrete construction has unique requirements for the need of personal protective equipment (also called PPE). Today we are going to discuss the various types of PPE and why.
Guide for Discussion
Construction Common
- Some sort of head gear. If there is a danger of falling objects, wear a hard hat. If working in cold weather, wear a hat to keep the body warm.
- Eye protection. Wear safety glasses or goggles when pouring concrete. That way any splashing concrete stays out of your eyes.
- Gloves. It makes common sense to protect our hands as much as possible. Wearing gloves protects against scratches and cuts and possible infection because of the chemicals used in concrete.
- Long sleeve shirt/pants. This keeps concrete from splashing on your body. You can avoid burns that way.
Concrete Unusual
- One vital piece of PPE is kneepads. Since concrete finishing often exposes knees to additional wear and tear, it makes sense to wear kneepads designed to take the stress rather than scraps of insulation held on by duct tape.
- Rubber Boots. If wet concrete comes into contact with the skin for any lengthy period of time, we can get severe burns. Besides, it is easier to wash off rubber boots than to wash off and have wet feet with regular boots after pouring mud.
Additional Discussion Notes:
Remember: Just like roofers have to wear a full body harness, concrete workers need to protect themselves. Unlike roofers protecting against a fall, we have to protect ourselves against additional wear and tear on our bodies.