SIGNIFICANCE AND USES OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTS
(PPE’s) IN INDUSTRIAL WORK
Personal protective equipments (PPE’s) are required where where
elimination of hazard is not possible by system and acts as a barrier between
workmen & potential hazard.
Criteria for selection of suitable personal
protective equipment:
The
suitability of personal protective equipment will depend upon the following
factors:
1. The equipment should provide adequate
protection against the hazards to which the workers are exposed.
2. The equipment should give maximum
comfort and be of minimum weight compatible with protective efficiency.
3.
The equipment should not restrict the
essential movement of the worker.
4.
Construction and design of the
protective equipment should be in accordance with the accepted standard (BIS /
CE) for performance and materials.
Type of personal protective equipment:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) may be divided
into two groups:
1.
Respiratory
Protective Equipment (Respirators)
2.
Non-Respiratory
Protective Equipment
1. Respiratory
protective equipment (respirators): The respiratory protective equipments
are designed to protect workers from various environmental chemical
contaminants. These equipments are designed to protect against specific types
of substances/chemicals and in certain concentration range.
Type of hazards from working area atmosphere:
1.
Oxygen deficient atmosphere
2.
Atmosphere with gaseous contaminants
3.
Atmosphere with particulate contaminants
4.
Atmosphere having mixture of gaseous & particulate
contaminants
GAS MASKS:
1. Gas
masks offer protection against specific gases or vapors not in excess of
2% by volume (3% for ammonia).
2. They
provide effective and reliable protection for routine and emergency application,
if used within their limited application.
3. Gas
masks should never be used in confined spaces below or above the ground
where oxygen deficiency and high concentration of gases/vapors may occur.
4. These
consists of full face piece which covers the eye, nose and mouth connected
either directly or via flexible hose to a canister, containing a granular
sorbet to collect the continent gases or vapors.
2.
Non-Respiratory
Protective Equipments:
HEAD PROTECTION:
Head injuries
are common in industries and are as a result of blow caused by angular objects
such
as tools, bolts, etc. Falling from height and hitting the ground or some
fixed objects with their
heads, etc. Therefore to protect head from such
injuries, safety helmet will be ideal.
A safety helmet should fulfill the following
requirements:
1.
1. It
should limit the pressure imposed on the skull by spreading the load over the
greatest
Possible surface.
2. It
should deflect falling objects by having a suitably smooth and round shape.
3. It
should be dissipate and disperse energy that may be transmitted to it in such a
way that energy is not passed totally to head and neck.
4. Material
of construction : thermoplastic material
5. Storing
outer shell, no projection
6. Weight
appox. 400 gm
7. Harness
ribs & shell gap = 50mm
8. Chin
strip should be adjustable.
9. It
should be discarded after any impact load or strike.
6.
EYE AND FACE
PROTECTION:
Eye protection is
required in a wide range of occupations, against flying particles and foreign
bodies, against chemical fumes and radiation. The face protection may be needed
against mechanical, thermal, radiation and chemical hazards. Sometimes the face
shield may be adequate also for the protection of the eyes. But occupations
having severe risks, specific eye protection is necessary as a complement of
the face shield.
There are four basic
types of eye protection:
1. Spectacle type
–either with or without side shield.
2. Eye cup (goggles)
type.
3. Helmet type.
4. Hand shield type.
FACE PROTECTION: There are three
basic types of face protection:
1. Hood
type including diver’s helmet type (covering the head completely).
2. Helmet type (shielding the whole front of
face).
3. Face shield type (shielding eye sockets and
the central of face).
HAND AND ARM PROTECTION:
Protection of hands and arm becomes necessary when
workers have to handle materials having sharp edges or when hot and molten
metals, chemicals and corrosive substances are to be handled. The protective
devices may be hand gloves, wrist gloves, mittens, hand pads and thumb and
finger guards and sleeves.
FOOT AND LEG PROTECTION:
1. Risk of injury may be in handling of
heavy materials, caustic and corrosive liquids, wet conditions, molten metal’s,
etc.
2. Common foot and leg protective devices
are safety shoes and boots, leggings, foot-guards and leg guards. Shoes and
boots may be provides with steel toe-box and inner steel sole, and they may be
ankle, calf or thigh or hip high. They may be made of leather, asbestos,
neoprene, natural rubber, synthetic rubber.
3.
Leg protection may be in the form of
leggings which may be knee high.
BODY PROTECTION:
Certain jobs require
protection from whole of body. These are provided by covering the whole body
with the help of aprons, overalls, jackets or head to toe protection suit.
Selection of protection depends on the hazard, its degree as well as the
activities to be performed by the user. These protections are made of various
materials depending upon the nature of potential hazard.
EAR PROTECTION: EAR PLUG/MUFF
1.Ceiling should be perfect
2.Muff should be adjustable
3.Normal communication should be done
4.Hear attenuation
5.Ear plug: up to 30 db
6.Ear muff: 30-35 db
Jobs and its related PPE’s:
1.
Work at height more than 2.5 m
Recommended PPE’s: safety belt,
safety net, safety helmet, safety screen, hand gloves, safety shoes
2.
Electrical equipment’s -electrical rubber gloves
3.
Confined space-mask air, BA set, safety
belt, safety helmet, and life line.
4.
Around hot surface /component -asbestos hand gloves, safety shoes
5.
Heavy material handling-leather hand
gloves, safety shoes.
6.
Work at fragile roof-roof ladder ,
helmet
7.
Work in high noise area-ear muff, ear
plug
8.
Work on grinding/drilling machine-safety
goggle, safety shoes ,dust mask
9.
Painting work-cotton glove, safety
goggles
10. Welding
work-safety goggle
Fall Arrestors:
Safety Nets:
7
8.