Tag: highway

Highway work zones carry a number of potential hazards. Consider safety issues that come with construction jobs in general and then factor in high speed traffic, night time work, exposure to the elements how much wood is left and additional hazards that road crews face. Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is essential on the job site, along with safe working procedures and engineering guards, to ensure worker safety.
The list of hazards for road crews is long, so here is a checklist of industrial supplies and the industrial clothing that will serve as PPE.
Industrial Clothing As PPE
The clothing that workers wear on the job counts for a large portion of comprehensive personal protection equipment. Industrial clothing covers the majority of the body and with the right materials and accessories will provide a significant layer of protection. At the basic level, heavy duty apparel will provide protection against cuts and abrasions along with weather and temperature conditions.
Industrial clothing is the foundation of visibility on the job site. When working at night or during either of the twilight rush hours, motorists traveling at highway speeds will have difficulty spotting workers and stopping their vehicles if necessary. In fact, motorists non ferrous metals business will need about 1200 feet of stopping distance. High visibility clothing is designed to offer roadside visibility up to a minimum of 1200 feet. Visibility work standards require the use of retro-reflective materials on the chest, arms, and legs to outline a worker.
Specialty apparel is also used to address other hazards on the job. Even in construction, there are fire hazards present. Gasoline and diesel fuels all have the potential to emit flammable vapors that can ignite if not stored correctly. Paints and solvents are also flammable along with resins and epoxies. Hot work carries the potential of flash fires and arc fires, both of which occur in only an instant but are still life-threatening. Flame resistant clothing and coatings will reduce the severity of fire and heat related injuries. Self-extinguishing, non conductive and non flammable materials and coatings will save lives.
Integrating Head, Face, And Eye Protection
Safety culture has come a long way over the years and one of the best advances has been the ubiquitous use of hard hats. Across every job site, workers are wearing hard hats around the clock, offering the best protection against nearly any impact blow to the head. Hard hats have also evolved to being able to support a number of personal protective functions with accessories and attachments.
Being able to integrate many safety features into one piece of equipment is essential for ensuring good safety practices and that PPE is actually used as instructed. Hardhats can be outfitted with ear plugs, ear muffs, face shields, goggles, and welder’s masks in order to extend protection to the face, eyes, and ears.
When using PPE to protect these vital areas, all equipment needs to be routinely inspected. Hardhats should be replaced after sustaining any major blow, even if …