Friday, February 25, 2011

COMFORT IS AN IMPORTANT PPE CONSIDERATION



The most important consideration in selecting PPE for your operation is its ability to provide protection from the hazards of the job. A very close second, and often overlooked, is the comfort factor. I have heard it said that "none of that stuff (PPE) is comfortable, so just put it on and you'll get used to it". Nothing could be further from the truth. No worker should ever have to wear uncomfortable or ill-fitting PPE on the job.

As mentioned in prior posts, in a BLS study, 40% of those injured were not wearing the PPE that had been issued to them. The reasons given were "it is too hot, too heavy, doesn't fit well, and is so uncomfortable, I can't do my job". Upon inspection, a number of those complaints actually resulted from not utilizing the comfort features built into the PPE or from using cheap PPE that did not contain comfort features.

Our own research showed that when PPE was ergonomically designed, fitted properly, and adjusted for working conditions, most of the complaints were resolved and PPE was worn instead of sitting in a locker. So whenever PPE is being considered, the evaluation process should include comfort features. In fact, a "comfort profile" of features required in every brand being considered should be part of the buying decision choice criteria.

Consider a welding helmet for example:


Electric arc welding produces sparks and spatter along with smoke and fumes. A welding helmet shell should be designed to extend far enough to protect the throat area from sparks and spatter and should be slightly curved at the bottom to block a lot of the smoke and fumes from filling the inside of the helmet. You cannot block all of the smoke and fumes so the helmet shell should be wide enough to let air circulate to push any accumulated smoke and fumes out of the curved top. Extremely narrow shell designs with tight under chin curves trap smoke and fumes within the helmet making it very uncomfortable for the welder.

The only part of a welding helmet that comes in contact with the wearer is the headgear. A top quality, well designed welding helmet headgear should have multiple built-in design features and adjustments to allow the wearer to achieve a perfect individual fit and feel. The headgear design shown is the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell "Free Floating" design. Long acknowledged to be the top quality headgear in the industry, it is a good idea to pattern your "comfort profile" after it.

The "free floating" feature ergonomically balances and stabilizes the weight of the helmet so it does not directly bear on the wearers head. The normal bumps against the head that can occur in welding are absorbed by the free floating arms rather than being transmitted to the wearers head.

The headband is offset to comfortably grasp the nape of the head for even more balance and stability. The unique material is custom blended to be pliable enough to be warmed by the wearer’s body heat to conform to the exact contours of the wearers head for a perfect fit. Yet it is strong enough to be the only headgear on the market that has not had cracking and breaking problems.

The headgear has a large strip-proof ratchet sizing knob that can be adjusted with a gloved hand without having to stop welding and remove the helmet.

There is an overhead band with a sizing "track" that positions the headgear comfortably and securely on the wearers head. Note that the track is on the outside of the headband so the welder’s hair or welders cap does not get caught in it. Many lower quality headgears have the track on the underside which causes problems.

The headgear connects to the helmet with "friction joints". Applying or relieving tension on these joint knobs determines the ease with which the helmet can be pushed up to a "rest" position and returned to the working position with a simple nod of the head. Each welder likes to apply just the right setting for how he works this. Working in conjunction with the friction joints is a "position stop" that controls where the helmet is positioned after it is nodded down. The Fibre-Metal brand position stop provides multiple options that a welder can select for just the right fit and feel.

The position stop and the overhead band can also be adjusted to determine where the filter lens holder is positioned. Many times a welder has to bend into an unnatural work position to be able to see out of the filter lens holder. That puts strain on his neck, shoulders and back. Being able to adjust where the filter holder lines up relative to his line of vision, even if it is just a small adjustment, is a big comfort plus.

The key to friction joint/position stop mechanics is simplicity. In a harsh welding environment, you want as few moving parts as possible. It only takes a tiny drop of spatter to jam up any overly complicated moving parts on a welding helmet. Some lesser brands of helmets and headgears offer "locking" headgears as a sales gimmick. Instead of having a smooth, up and down mechanism, they have a ratchet device that locks the headgear in the up or rest position. That requires a welder to "nod" that much harder which can put strain on his neck and shoulders. Plus, a welder usually strikes his arc just as he nods his helmet down. If it does not come down, he can suffer serious flash burns. Simple smooth, and easy is how most welders prefer it.

Those are the comfort features you should insist on no matter what brand welding helmet you are considering. Make them part of your "choice criteria" or "specs". If a brand does not have what you want, ask why not, what do they have to offer that is better.

A protective cap should also have multiple, built in comfort features and adjustments.

From an ergonomics standpoint, the cap shell should be designed to have a low center of gravity so that the wearers head fits deeply and securely within the shell. Most cheap protective caps have shallow shells which makes the cap sit high on the head and results in what wearers call “wobble”.

It should have as many suspension contact points with the shell as possible. That is a vital factor in impact attenuation but during day-to-day wear, it spreads the weight of the cap over the broadest head area for balance and stability.

The headband should be able to be raised, lowered, angled, and moved front to back for the best possible individual fit and feel. The sizing adjustment should have numerous, small increment adjustments. Non-ratchet models should have full, 360 degree padded headbands for extra comfort all shift long. Headbands should be easily removable for cleaning or replacement.


When a ratchet headband is necessary, look for the same attributes as the headband of the welding helmet headgear described above. And for the ultimate in wearer comfort, consider the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell brand patented “SWINGSTRAP”. That will give you the extra comfort of a full 360 degree padded headband and the extra security of a ratchet headband. As the ratchet is tightened, it pulls in the padded headband on the sensitive temple areas rather than the more rigid ratchet headband. No other brand can offer that.

Just as with the welding helmet, include these comfort features in your head protection choice criteria or “specs”. Insist that any brand that wants your business provides them. If they don’t have them, ask them why not and what do they have that is better.

When you drill down into the comfort features that are available, and you upgrade your PPE to include them, you have taken a giant step in reducing wearer resistance and improving morale. Simply by having more of your workers wear their PPE, you will reduce injury costs and increase profitability.

Friday, February 11, 2011

PPE FOR OXYFUEL AND PLASMA WELDING AND CUTTING



The PPE of choice for most Oxyfuel and plasma welding and cutting operations is goggles or IR/UV protective faceshields. Roughly 2 to 3 times more welding goggles and faceshields are used per year than welding helmets for electric arc welding but little is said or written about them because they pale in comparison to the interest in high-tech ADF equipped electric arc helmets.


In addition to shops that do gas or plasma welding and cutting as their primary function, nearly every company in every industrial market segment performs those functions in their maintenance departments. Like most other PPE, on the surface welding and cutting goggles and faceshields appear to be a commodity with little or no difference among the brands. But as usual, there are significant differences in design, material and workmanship resulting in clear differences in quality.


There are two types of gas welding goggles – rigid frame and flexible frame. The Fibre-Metal Products Company, now a Honeywell Safety brand, introduced the rigid frame more than 60 years ago with its SOLOGGLE brand. It was, and still is, so popular with gas welders and cutters that it became almost a generic name for welding goggles.


Rigid frame goggles have a number of advantages. They are durable enough to withstand a harsh work environment, they fit well, provide good protection against foreign objects, and they can be easily lifted up into a rest position with a gloved hand. Flexible frame goggles are lighter weight, contain air vents for ventilation and they come in both 2X4 ¼ plate or 50MM lens styles. There are no real technical reasons to choose one over the other. Selection is usually made based of personal preference and the specific hazards and working conditions of the job.


There are still a lot of goggles used, but over the past decade or so, faceshields are preferred by an increasing number of oxyfuel welders, cutters and plasma arc cutters. Early IR/UV faceshield windows were dyed or coated to achieve their filtering properties. But those processes produced windows that did not have consistent shading throughout the window, they faded over time and the dye or coating scratched off rendering the window useless for its purpose. Because they were the only manufacturer injection molding windows at the time, again, it was the Fibre-Metal Products Company that developed and perfected the process of adding an IR/UV absorber to the windows raw material to mold the shading in which produced a high performance IR/UV protection window without the flaws of dyed or coated windows. Today, the Fibre-Metal brand offers shade 3, 5 and 8 IR/UV protective faceshield windows. No other supplier offers as broad of a range that we are aware of.


For a quality rigid frame goggle, look for a sturdy frame, capable of providing a long service life in a harsh working environment, smooth rolled or rounded edges for any part of the goggle that touches the face, a top quality headgear (many brand headgears have cracking and breaking problems, check your potential sources track record), and smooth operating “telescoping arms” for ease of lifting the goggle into a rest position when necessary. There are still goggles available with elastic headbands, but most gas welders and cutters prefer a “headrest” model. Most oxy-fuel goggles come with a shade 4 or 5 filter plate and other shades are available on special order or the user can buy a higher shade filter and install it.


The OSHA recommended filter shades for oxyfuel welding and cutting are:


• Oxyfuel welding


o Light - shades 4-5


o Medium - shades 5-6


o Heavy - shades 6-8


• Oxyfuel cutting


o Light - shades 3-4


o Medium- shades 4-5


o Heavy - shades 5-6


(See http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/Z49.1-2005-all.pdf) for additional information)


If head protection is needed in your oxyfuel operation, look for a method of attaching goggles to the head protection that does not require hazardous mounting slots. The “Speedy” loop mounting mechanism provides a secure, easy on, easy off method of mounting goggles that does not compromise the ANSI rating of the protective cap.


IIn flexible frame oxyfuel goggles, look for soft, comfortable frames that hug facial contours for comfort, ventilation for cooling, and a selection of plate and lens, stationary and lift-front models.


Faceshields offer a choice of how to provide protection. OSHA and ANSI Standards require primary eye protection, spectacles or goggles, under faceshields. They also strongly recommended that a clear faceshield be worn over welding and cover goggles or spectacles with filter lenses. So a wearer can use shaded spectacles or goggles under a clear faceshield, or they can wear clear primary eye protection under a shaded faceshield. There are pros and cons to both methods.


With a shaded primary eye protection/clear faceshield combination, when the torch is extinguished and the faceshield lifted, visibility is extremely compromised and tripping or falling is a risk. If the shaded primary eye protection is removed, the wearer is at risk from others working in the area. On the other hand, with a clear primary protection/ shaded faceshield combination, when the faceshield is lifted the wearer is at risk from the visible light from other torches in the area. To provide some degree of protection from that, some oxyfuel welders and cutters wear a light shade 1.7 or 2.0 spectacle under their shade 5 faceshields. The decision of what to use should only be made by trained, experienced welding and safety officials after a thorough evaluation of the working conditions and hazards present.



When considering a faceshield, look first at the faceshield headgear. The crown protector should be made from the same material as a welding helmet for a long service life. It should be designed to cover as much of the head as possible. Most quality suppliers offer a choice of sizes. The faceshield should include a quality headgear. The shaded window should be injection molded from propionate, the best all around material for a welding environment, and should include a top quality, molded in absorber for consistent shading and protection. The window should be preformed to the shape of the headgear for a good seal and to eliminate potential weak spots from having to bend a flat window to mount it. Above all, look for optical quality. An oxyfuel welder must be able to see to be productive. Poor quality windows often provide a distorted view of the job. Look for a selection of window sizes and shapes to cover the most exposed face and neck areas.




The Fibre-Metal brand also provides a unique shade 8 faceshield window for protection from plasma arc cutting up to 100 amps (See http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/Z49.1-2005-all.pdf for information on required protection from higher amperages). The window is made from the same material as their shade 5 windows and fits most Fibre-Metal brand faceshield headgears.


WARNINGS: Because there are apparently similar products on the market that do not provide the same degree of protection and the risk of misuse of these products, several special warnings must be made. ALWAYS wear primary eye protection (spectacles or goggles) under faceshields. NEVER use any of the products mentioned in this post for electric arc welding of any kind. Serious injury could result. Be aware that there are green tinted windows, for glare protection only, that do not provide any filtration. Make sure any PPE you consider for oxyfuel welding, cutting or plasma cutting is clearly marked for IR/UV protection and includes a shade designation. If there is any question or doubt check with welding and safety officials and the manufacturer before using. Failure to do so could result in serious injury.


The protective spectacles mentioned in this post should be used solely for the applications described above and should NOT be used as general purpose sunglasses, or for driving as they have reduced levels of light transmittance and will distort traffic signal colors. Failure to heed this warning could result in serious injury or death.


Make sure you are familiar with ANSI Z87.1 and AWS Z40.9 Standards before making a face and eye PPE buying decision. OSHA’s Non-mandatory Compliance Guidelines for Hazard Assessment and Personal Protective Equipment Selection is available at: (http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10120)









Tuesday, February 8, 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE

It is a new year, so we have a little house keeping to take care of. Please read the notice below carefully. It applies to all past and all future posts.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS


This blog is a Knowledge Transfer Forums (KTF) product authored by Bob Ennamorato. It is intended as a source of information and discussion only. KTF disclaims liability for any injury of any nature whatsoever, whether indirect, consequential or compensatory, directly or indirectly resulting from the use of or reliance on information in these blog posts. KTF also makes no guaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information published herein.

The selection of any PPE for specific hazards is the sole responsibility of user safety specialists following a thorough hazard analysis and in compliance with OSHA’s recommendations. Communication of all PPE instructions, precautions and limitations to the wearer is also the responsibility of user safety officials who are responsible for seeing they are strictly observed. Failure to do so could result in serious injury or death.

Mention of a specific brand, product or product type is not an endorsement of that product for any specific purpose. Products can change rapidly with little or no notice so any product being considered for use should be evaluated only in terms of information from its manufacturer at the time of consideration. Links to other sources are provided for information only. KTF makes no guaranty or warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of any information from a linked source. Readers are cautioned to make their own determination and to contact the source for verification if there is any question or doubt. Failure to heed these disclaimers and warnings could result in serious injury or death.