PPE Selection at Heated Workplaces

Your safety is always of utmost concern. There is hardly any thing in this world that is
more valuable than your life. So, when the question of your Personal Protection at
workplace arises, the simplest solution should be Personal Protection Equipments (PPE).
But before doing the same, both the employer and the employee should be well versed
with the utilization of the PPE, how to use them correctly and last but not the least, to
maintain these Personal Protection Equipments on a regular basis. All three combined
will help to make a workplace secure, better and a safe place to be.

Personal Protective Equipment is an important step in protecting the employees against

various hazards in a workplace. In fact, in most situations it is an OSHA requirement.
OSHA or Occupational Safety and Health Act, passed in 1970, ensure safety and healthy
working conditions of an individual at his workplace. The nature of work being
performed will dictate the safety gear that needs to be worn. However, there are five
categories of equipment that should be considered while doing all hot work. They are as
listed below:

Eye protection: Eyes being one of the most important organ of human body,
needs to be protected the most. Hence, using appropriate eye protection is
important to protect your eyes from both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR)
radiation while doing any hot work. Welding, cutting and burning jobs need
goggles which are shaded to protect the eyes from UV and IR radiation. In order
to protect the face from flying materials such as slag, a face shield should be used
in conjunction with goggles. During carbon arc welding to protect the face, neck,
and eyes from UV and IR radiation, Welding helmets with shaded glass viewing
ports are used. While selecting eye protection for hot work, it is very important to
ensure that the proper lens shading is used for the work performed. Remember,
anyone working or standing near the work area should also wear appropriate
protective eyewear too.

Respirators: Respirators help to protect one from the inhalation of harmful gases,
fumes, and vapors. It needs to be considered when hot work is performed in
confined or enclosed spaces. When hot work is done on surfaces containing lead,
mercury or cadmium, Air-purifying respirators should be worn. Again, when hot
work is performed on beryllium, Supplied air respirators (air-line respirators)
should be used. Respirators may also be necessary while working on surfaces
covered with toxic substances, such as solvents or paints, since the high
temperatures involved may vaporize these materials.

Hand and wrist protection: Hand and wrist protection are also important PPE as
high temperature tasks expose your hands to cuts and burns both from heat and
UV or IR radiation. Hence, Leather welding gloves generally provide the
necessary protection during hot work. These gloves also provide a degree of cut
resistance-an important factor when handling sheets of metal or other sharp
 materials. Long-cuffed leather gloves are most appropriate for carbon arc
welding works whereas Short-cuffed welding gloves are best for welding,
cutting , or burning works. In order to provide adequate protection, Leather
welding gloves need to be in good repair and free from flammable and
combustible materials such as oils, grease, and solvents.

Foot protection: Heavy objects (metal plates, for example) and falling sparks and
slag are generally responsible for foot injuries. Thus, High-top Leather boots or
low-top Leather boots in conjunction with leather spats helps to provide
protection from sparks and slag. Safety (steel-toe) boots protect toes from heavy
objects that are dropped.
Protective clothing: Hot work produces heat, creating a burn risk. Hence,
Protective clothing helps to reduce the chance of burns from sparks and slag. In
cases of high temperature, the best protective clothing is leather or fire retardant
garments. But again while wearing leather or fire retardant garments, its important
to remember that the protection they offer will be compromised if they are soiled
with oil, grease, solvents, or other flammable or combustible substances or if they
are in poor condition (holes, fraying, etc.). Pants that are worn should not have
cuffs. Also, if any garment has open pockets, they need to be Velcroed or taped
shut to prevent sparks or slag from entering.

So, to conclude, the correct usage of the above mentioned personal protection equipments
while at hot work will help to prevent any kind of damages caused to both the employer
and the employee and make their organization a sound and safe workplace to be.