Why PPE is So Important

Personal Protective Equipment requirements are there for a reason - they could save your life

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So, you don’t like wearing the required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as dictated by OSHA? Well you are not alone. I don’t either. It's cumbersome, hot and heavy, especially for the asphalt oil tanker drivers.

But I must say that over the years, I have seen a number of accidents at plants. A lot of these involve hot oil burns. I have been burned early in my career, and although it was a small area on both hands, I can guarantee you that it was a very painful experience.

This accident occurred in the 1970s before there were any mandated safety requirements, but I sure wish I had been wearing gloves at least. I would have a lot less scar tissue on my hands. At least when I am giving lessons at plants, I can show these to illustrate my point.

I occasionally work as an “expert witness” for attorneys around the country in accidents at asphalt plants. The one common factor I see is that most seriously injured employees were NOT wearing the OSHA required PPE at the time of their accident. Hot oil burn injuries and projectile injuries to the eyes seem to be the most common.

When the guy in this picture went to work that morning, he did not think that he was going to encounter an issue. He did not consciously put on his PPE. It became a HABIT for him over time. He had been trained to wear it each and every day. On this day it saved his eye. There is no doubt that that piece of grinding disk would have destroyed that eye. His good habits save him a lifetime of blindness. He is a very lucky man.

As owners, managers, superintendents and foreman, it is ALL of our responsibility to be sure our employees wear the necessary PPE for whatever job they are doing. I have sat in too many courtrooms and listened to an owner say, “If only I had made them follow the rules.”

I say, don’t be that guy. Ensure that all OSHA required PPE is readily available and that all of your employees use the correct PPE. It may save an eye or even a life.

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