DO YOU REALLY GET ALL YOU "NEED" FROM YOUR PPE?

If you buy PPE for your employer, how often do you say "no thanks, I have everything I need" when a PPE sales person calls on you? But do you really have everything you need? It depends on how you define "need".

Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced the concept of a hierarchy of human needs. His hierarchy suggested that people are motivated to fulfill their basic needs before moving on to other levels of need.  Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a good analogy for what is really needed from PPE.

The most basic need for PPE is to erect a protective barrier between the wearer and the hazards of the job sufficient to comply with OSHA mandated standards. Just about every employer satisfies that basic PPE need. But instead of then moving on to recognizing and satisfying higher levels of need, they stop there. That is why our PPE Forum post of December 15, 2010 shows that approximately 78% of PPE purchases are a straight rebuy or modified rebuy of the products already being used. They see no need to change.

When in reality, there is a hierarchy of PPE needs that begins with basic protection and culminates when PPE is making a contribution to the success of the business. Many times the higher PPE "needs" are confused with "wants" .and satisfying them is looked at as an unnecessary extravagance. But if you look at the PPE hierarchy of needs, you will see that they are sequential and cumulative with the satisfaction of one leading to and supporting the next.

Once you have provided a basic level of protection consider the following hierarchy of PPE higher level needs:

OVERCOME BLS DICHOTOMY
The Bureau of Labor Statistics study of injured workers showed that 60% were not wearing the PPE provided to them and the other 40%'s PPE proved to be inadequate to prevent the injury. Every PPE buying decision maker has a need to over come that in terms of the role their buying decision plays in it. What it says is that whatever PPE you are using may not be the best choice for your job and your hazards. So you have a need to upgrade - to do something else. To go back to the drawing board and reevaluate your PPE due diligence and buying decision process.

COMFORT
Not just basic comfort, but exceptional, extraordinary comfort only available in the highest quality products. Why do you need that level of comfort? Because studies show that a very high percentage of injured workers were not wearing the PPE they were supplied. And a recent study showed the primary reason they were not wearing it was discomfort. So there is definitely a need for a higher level of comfort.

INJURY FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY MINIMIZATION
There is a need to go beyond just basic protection and accepting the results (on average about 4 injuries per 100 workers) to an upgraded level of PPE protection that can reduce and minimize both injury frequency and severity. Accepting the status quo gets you nothing. To reduce injury costs and lower workers comp rates you need to reduce your injury experience. Upgrading to the top quality, high performance PPE brands will help you do that.

REDUCE RISK
As a safety official, you have a responsibility and a need to eliminate or reduce as much risk as you can. To do that, you must look beyond the obvious risks to see the not as well known risks associated with PPE.  A basic tenet of PPE related risk reduction is you do not reduce one risk by introducing another. For example, you should not try to reduce the risk of a head injury by providing a hard hat with ribs, ridges and slots. That design introduces another type of head injury risk. You should never buy PPE that you have to assemble and assume the risk that the wearer assembles it wrong. Upgrading to top quality, well known brands help you satisfy the need to satisfy hidden risks.

ERGONOMICALLY CORRECT
Ergonomics looks at what kind of work is done, what tools are used to do it and the whole job environment. The aim is to find the best fit between a worker, his job, and his tools. PPE is seldom evaluated from an ergonomic standpoint but there really is a need to do so. The primary PPE ergonomic issues are weight, balance, stability, center of gravity, fit and feel.  Many workers complain their PPE is too "heavy". It is often not so much the actual weight of the PPE, it is how the weight is distributed, balance and how it feels while worn. There is a need to evaluate how any PPE you evaluate is ergonomically correct. High quality PPE just plain feels better when worn.

HELP IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
Today's workers are pushed to work harder, faster, longer. Their PPE cannot get in their way. A common complaint is "I can't do my job wearing all of this stuff".  So there is a need for PPE that does not hinder, distract or fatigue its wearer. It must allow a high level of activity and a full range of motion. Everything from design, to adjustability, to comfort features and the availability of accessories can affect a wearers productivity. There is a definite need to make contribution to productivity a major factor in a PPE buying decision process.

LOWER OVERALL COST OF OPERATION
In addition to reducing direct injury costs, there is a need for PPE to help reduce the overall costs of the operation. If it is high performance, high quality PPE that reduces the frequency of injuries, it will also reduce the cost of Workers Comp and Health Insurance. If it is ergonomically correct and comfortable enough to reduce downtime (a major business cost) it helps reduce total cost. High quality PPE has a longer service life, a lower total cost of ownership which reduces costs and increases PPE return on investment. In todays cost conscious environment there definitely is a need for anything that can make a contribution.

ENHANCE QUALITY OF WORK LIFE
In today's downsized, rightsized, workforce, every worker is incrementally more important. When a worker leaves home in the morning, he expects to return home in the evening in the same condition as when he left. He expects the company to provide a safe, healthy work environment and the degree to which it does determines his frame of mind on the job. Each time he puts on his PPE it sends a message from the company about how important they think his personal safety is. If it is basic protection from the lowest bidder, it sends a message. If it is top quality, state-of-the-art PPE, it sends another message and enhances the quality of his work life. Which message do you need to send?

CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS
Is there a need for every person on the payroll to contribute to the success of the business? Is every decision they make expected to contribute to the success of the business?  If each of the prior higher level needs is taken into consideration and satisfied, PPE can be seen to contribute to the success of the business. In order for a business to be more successful it has to reduce costs and increase revenue. Upgrading to top performing PPE will reduce injury costs, workers comp costs, health insurance costs and downtime. On the revenue increasing side of the ledger, it will help increase productivity and and improve ROI.  That puts PPE on a par with any other cost reduction/revenue enhancement program a business may consider.

It is well documented that a well protected, happy, confident worker will stay on the job longer, produce more, with fewer injuries. Is there a "need" for that?