First of all, we believe we should make one thing clear: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not a substitute for following correct safety guidelines. It is just one aspect of being safe while on a work site, but should never be an excuse to act in an unsafe manner!
But what PPE should you be wearing? That entirely depends on your work environment, the work conditions, and the processes that are being performed. Generally, PPE has a specific use, made with special materials, for certain situations. For example, wearing thin plastic gloves may protect you from certain materials, but wouldn’t be appropriate to protect you from the cold.
Here are some considerations that should go into choosing what PPE is right for you:
- Consider what types of hazards you’re going to encounter and what degree of protection you will need.
- Proper PPE should fit you correctly and be worn as instructed.
- Proper training may be required for your PPE. Don’t be afraid to ask.
- PPE should be properly stored and maintained, in order to increase the lifetime wear of your PPE.
- Wear and tear will occur, eventually, and in that event, your PPE should be discarded and replaced.
What PPE do we at Fox Oilfield require of our drivers, though? While the required PPE is site specific, generally we require our drivers wear:
- Hard Hat
Always make sure your hard hat fits correctly, that the suspension and the shell are in working condition prior to each use.
- Gloves
Finding the right gloves for each specific job can be an arduous but necessary process.Some things to consider when selecting your gloves are what types of hazards are going to be present on the job side, the weather, chemicals present, sharp edges, glass, product contamination, and radiation.
- Cover alls with reflective vest built in
For HVSA should have a symmetric X on the back extending from the shoulders to the waist, two vertical stripes on the front passing over the shoulders, and a waist level horizontal stripe extending entirely around the back to the bottom of the vertical stripes on the front. Some other factors to consider when picking out your vest is the size/coverage/fit of your HVSA (baggy vests can actually be the cause of safety incidents), brightness, contrasting colours, weather, & visibility.
- Steel Toed approved boots.
Like everything, you must evaluate the king of working conditions you will be in and assess the hazards that will be present. At the very least, your boots should have a green triangle on them, indicating that your shoes have sole puncture protection and a protective toe.