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Does your workplace provide the proper protective equipment? Here’s a checklist that will tell you. Clothing and equipment should be:
- Of the right grade of protection and appropriate to the job risk. Many jobs require, by law, the use of specified clothing or "approved" equipment.
- Of good quality and constructed to a recognized or approved standard.
- Suitable for the person using it, with size, fit and weight taken into consideration.
- Compatible with other items and tools used in the job.
- Monitored for use. Exemptions should not be allowed for jobs that will take "just a few minutes."
- Well-cared for and stored in a dry, uncontaminated storage area. Replacements should be readily available.
- Provided free. Employees should immediately report the loss or destruction of equipment, as well as any defects.
"Make sure your employees who use protective clothing and equipment understand why the item is needed, when it should be used and how it should be used," emphasizes Mary Jo Wakeman, M.D. Dr. Wakeman is director of OccNet, the occupational health service of the Health Alliance. "In addition, users who help to choose their clothing and equipment for the job will be more likely to cooperate in using it correctly."Don’t forget that visitors to some workplaces also need to be provided with proper protection. Employers and employees should cooperate in order to ensure that all workplaces are safe as well as productive.
For more information about providing the proper protective equipment for your worksite, call OccNet at 1-513-585-9400.
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