LOOK BEYOND PPE STANDARDS

Knowing that the PPE you selected contains an ANSI sticker and believing it is the most appropriate for your hazards are first steps. You need to find out how it protects and what are the risks when hazards are more extreme than the ANSI tests. ANSI administers consensus performance standards for most PPE. An ANSI sticker on a product is your assurance that it has been tested to the ANSI standard and passed.

But ANSI standards only test products under laboratory conditions to hypothetical hazards designed to emulate what might happen in the work place. So you need to know exactly how any PPE you are considering works and if and how it can minimize your risk when hazards are different or more severe than lab conditions.

For example, most protective caps appear to be alike, and most if not all contain an ANSI sticker. But if you look beyond the obvious, you will see significant design and performance differences between the brands you may be considering. The optimum protective cap designs have smooth crowns and as many suspension "points" as possible to spread and manage impact force more effectively. But a lot of caps contain reinforcing ribs or ridges in the shells and have 4 or 6 point suspensions. Only the top quality head protection on the market has a smooth crown and an 8 point impact energy control system. Both designs are tested to the ANSI standard and both designs pass, but because the absolute test results are never made public, you never know if one design just sort of passed while the other passed with flying colors. You just know both passed.

The basic impact test for protective caps involves a ball being dropped squarely in the center of the cap. To pass the test the cap shell and suspension must work together to attenuate impact force to an exceptional level. The ribs and ridges in caps with that design reinforce the shell where the drop ball hits to compensate for their 4 or 6 point suspensions. But in real life, falling objects are rarely if ever smooth round balls striking precisely in the center of the cap. If the hazard is a wrench, or screw driver that hits off center, the ribs and ridges can become "catch basins" that can trap the object which concentrates force and over powers the suspension. So a design built for performance in the lab can create unforeseen hazards and increase risk in the workplace.

Because the very essence of risk management is to eliminate risk whenever possible, choosing the top quality protective cap design, with a smooth crown and 8 point impact energy control system, eliminates the risks caused by ribbed caps design and increases the likelihood that the cap will perform better in real life because of the ability of the 8 point suspension to manage impact force better. Two products, both with ANSI stickers, but with different performance functions and capabilities. There is much more than meets the eye like this with all types of PPE. As we detail the different product types, we will make the differences clear.

As part of your OSHA suggested PPE Buying Decision Process, you need to make sure you don't just settle for the minimum. Ask questions, probe deeper, find out exactly how and why the PPE you are considering works. Pay particular attention to performance features and make a determination of the products ability to reduce risk under your working conditions. Ask for samples. Put the products side-by-side and compare them. Try them out. It is a big decision and looking beyond the obvious will pay huge dividends.