The Importance of Personal Protective Equipment

Amongst the many things necessary to consider during the planning stages of your warehouse, implementing health and safety measures to ensure the safe working of your employees is at the top of the list. As such, providing suitable PPE for your workers is important for safe business operations.

The requirements of PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment, varies depending on the type of working environment you are in. For high-risk environments such as warehouses, there are essential safety clothing and equipment that help ensure the safety of employees and reduce the risks of potential hazards. Common PPE used in warehouses for safety measures include:

• Hard hats

• Hi-Vis jackets

• Safety Goggles

• Steel Toe Cap Safety Boots

• Safety Gloves

The safety rules implemented in your storage space should specify that whenever necessary, employees must adhere to the PPE regulations in given areas. The main causes of injury in warehouses are due to slips and trips, as well as manual handling. These two causes of compromise to workers’ safety can be minimised by implementing certain safety measures and ensuring that the correct PPE is being used at all times.

Why The Importance? PPE helps to minimise the levels of risk within your warehouse and to those working onsite. Risk assessments should be carried out prior to employees working in that area, and from this, any potential risks to safety are assessed, and as are the appropriate prevention measures. Some examples of risks to health and safety within the warehouse include:

• Moving vehicles

• Falling materials

• Excess particles coming into contact with eyes

• Exposure to continuous high-noise levels

• Splashes of harmful liquids on skin

• Electrical equipment

In these instances, PPE can be used to prevent these hazards resulting in severe injury.

Hard-hats Hard hats provide protection against falling materials and objects. When working on high-levels, or where outside work taking place, hard hats should always be used to minimise the risks to safety. Equally, hard hats should be given to any visitors spending time in those areas.

Hi-Vis Jacket High visibility clothing allows for anyone working in poorly lit areas, or low-light areas, to be seen. Also, any workers that are near operating vehicles should wear hi-vis jackets, so they are easily spotted by the drivers of the vehicles. Forklift drivers, for instance, should be able to clearly see all individuals within that area due to the bright coloured clothing. Dark clothing makes for poor visibility – compromising the safety of your employees. Safety Shoes Safety shoes, such as steel toe cap boots, prevent extra protection against any falling objects and provide the appropriate comfort and support needed to feet, ankles, and toes. Looking for shoes that have been awarded safety certifications and are slip resistant is also important in maximising safety for your employees.

Updating PPE Policies Regularly reviewing your policies on PPE ensures that they will not become outdated, so analysing the safety assessments carried out can highlight where PPE policies must be updated.

Receiving regular health and safety training is vital for the efficiency of your business, as well as for ensuring the safety of each employee. A crucial part of this is ensuring that there is always enough PPE available when necessary, checking for general faults and general wear and tear in the equipment. Having spare PPE available allows for visitors and infrequent employees to have access to them at all times.

Encouraging your workers to be proactive in reporting any faults in the PPE as soon as they are detected will also reduce the risks of these faults compromising employee's safety further down the line. As such, the faulty PPE can be replaced in a time efficient manner. Storing your PPE correctly and carefully ensures that the equipment will remain in good standard and will continue to serve their purpose.

Is Your Warehouse Safe? Creating a safety culture within your warehouse allows for efficient business to run smoothly with minimal risks, and for this to be accomplished, PPE must be provided when and where necessary. To ensure the safety of your warehouse, you must complete regular risk assessments to ensure that you are keeping up to date with the PPE requirements necessary within your storage space.

DC Space & Storage Solutions offer a bespoke end-to-end service, and our accreditations highlight our commitment to your safety - offering our customers the highest quality service available. Contact us today for any inquiries you may have on your storage solution, and speak directly to a member of our team!