Common safety equipment

Best usage for common safety equipment

     The most common safety equipment items are work gloves, disposable gloves, safety glasses, safety goggles, hard hat, dust mask, fume mask (respirator), work boots, hearing protection, reflective clothing, and lights.

Standard work gloves:

     Of course, be sure you get the right size.  There are a good number of different types of work gloves.  Some are a very comfortable fit, and some have high-traction grip material molded in on one side.  Mechanic’s gloves are good to carry in your vehicle.  Be sure to consider the type of work you plan to do before purchasing one or more sets.

High/low temperature resistant gloves:

    This type of glove set has a special type of insulation, is excellent for working with or around very cold or very hot items.  Good quality ones are water and oil resistant.  They are good for many types of brief extreme temperature work such as handling very hot or very cold items or working near high-heat parts such as a warmed-up engine’s exhaust manifold.  

Disposable gloves: 

     The most common disposable glove materials are vinyl, latex, and nitrile.  Options are powdered or powder-free.  My favorite is the best type to use, which are the powder-free nitrile.  Note that the first time you encounter an allergic reaction / skin irritation from use of latex gloves, immediately discontinue use, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, then switch to using most recommended powder-free vinyl or nitrile gloves.  For easy mounting, be sure your hands and the interior of the gloves are completely dry / free of any sweat or water. 

Safety glasses:

     There are many different styles of safety glasses, which have side shields, also.  Whether they are the virtually unbreakable polycarbonate type, or some other type of break-resistant, tough plastic, they all need to be occasionally cleaned (Washing with soap and water works well.), and polished.  Polishing is normally needed much less often than general cleaning.  For polishing, use a good quality plastic polish, or if not available at the time, regular fine grade, automotive liquid polishing compound may be used. 

Safety goggles, as you may know, have full, vented enclosures, and normally the front plastic lens is removable.  Clean and polish as needed, as mentioned above.  Be sure to keep the rubber strap adjusted properly for a sealing, stable, yet comfortable fit.

Hard hat: 

     Be sure the top band and hold-on strap (if used) are adjusted for best fit.  To keep skin and hair oils from building up on the upper, adjustable strap, occasionally clean this area with isopropyl alcohol, or wash entire hat with “Simple Green” or soap and water.  Be sure to rinse thoroughly!

Dust mask: 

     Men need to shave before using in order to have the best seal.  The N95 rated, dual strap dust masks with the built in valve are the best to use, and are worth the extra small amount of money as compared to cheaper masks with no valve. 

Fume mask (respirator) 

     Again, men need to shave before using in order to have the best seal.  Follow all factory instructions for best use.

Work boots: 

     There is a large selection of different types of work boots on the market.  Be sure to take your time, and learn all the available options before purchasing.

Hearing protection: 

     Hearing protection items include ear plugs, and noise-reduction ear muffs.  If necessary, for certain situations, or when only a small amount of noise reduction is needed, just the right size piece of cotton in each ear can be the most comfortable and least conspicuous.  Cotton can work best for comfort when using moderately-loud devices such as a vacuum cleaner or a lawn mower.  Cotton also works excellent to prevent any small bug, such as a gnat, from flying into your ear.  Cotton also works well as comfortable, non-conspicuous hearing protection in loud music places, such as at a concert or a night club with DJ music.  Cotton reduces sound levels only a small amount, however, it is definitely noticeable, and can help sufficiently, when needed, to help protect your hearing when use is desired. 

     Some people can get ear-aches when using sound-reduction ear muffs.  To help or completely prevent this problem, use a disposable band of the following draped completely over your head and ears: One layer of paper towel or a double-up layer of bathroom tissue.  Believe it or not, this helps prevent most to all earaches caused by bacteria build-up.  This soft paper material wicks away excessive moisture that can build up between the ear muff seal surface and your skin.

Reflective wear and lights for night-time visibility:

     Always wear reflective clothing or use the right amount of lights or both to be sure you are easily seen at night.  Today, for you to see what you are doing or where you are going, the best head band type or helmet / hardhat-mounted lights are normally the LED type.  For info about lumens, read the "Flashlights" article seen further down this main website page.