PPE FOR COLD TEMPERATURES

Before long it will start to get cold in many parts of the country. Protection from the cold is a high priority with OSHA and NIOSH. Frostbite and other cold related conditions are considered recordable injuries by OSHA. As usual, engineering and administrative means are the preferred methods of limiting exposure to the cold, but specialized PPE often provides the first and last line of defense against the elements.

In addition to the hazard of direct injury from the cold, workers become sluggish, and distracted which puts them at risk for other injuries. Productivity also suffers when employees are exposed to temperature extremes. My four page article reprint, detailing the hazards of a cold working environment, is available free of charge by emailing your request to bob.ennamorato@gmail.com and using "PPE for Winter" as the subject line.

Taking time to become acclimated, limiting exposure to short intervals, and "layering" clothing to maximize warmth are all important to protect from the cold. But appropriate hand, foot and head protection are equally as important. Protective gloves, boots and shoes, insulated to protect from the cold are well know PPE devices. But what not be as well known are the protective cap winter liners, neck warmers, vests and other products equipped with pockets for warming devices.

The air activated warming packets provide warmth all shift long in most work environments. In addition to being inserted in the PPE specially designed for them, the warming packets can be dropped in boots, placed in gloves and clothing pockets for an extra margin of protection from the cold.

Now is the time to check into what PPE is available for protection from the hazards of cold weather and cold working environments. Make sure you check everything before you decide and then get it in stock before the first cold snap or snow storm. The return on your investment will be lower injury costs, higher productivity, and better morale.

PPE CONTRIBUTES TO PRODUCTIVITY

The safety benefits and lower injury costs related to quality PPE are obvious. What is not so obvious are the productivity related cost reduction and profit enhancing possibilities.

It is well documented that a confident, comfortable, well protected worker stays on the job longer and produces more with fewer rejects. How would you feel if you worked in a hazardous environment and the PPE your employer provided you all came from the lowest bidder?

PPE, like all products, is priced the way it is for a reason. It is highly unlikely you will find PPE loaded with safety and comfort features at the lowest price. It is said that the purchase price of a product reflects its true worth. A $5.00 protective cap is worth $5.00 while a $15.00 protective cap is worth three times as much. The cap requiring the higher initial investment is worth more because it is more capable of doing more things which will produce a greater return on that investment.

It begins with morale. A worker who starts his or her day, confident that they are well protected and free of the fear of injury feels good about themselves and the company and their positive attitude is reflected in their productivity. Because their higher quality PPE fits and feels better, they are not distracted or fatigued by it and they can produce more with fewer rejects.

Downtime is a leading drain on productivity. Poorly designed, ill-fitting, uncomfortable PPE results in time wasted trying to adjust it to fit better, frequent breaks, even trips to the dispensary for something to relieve a headache or other ailment. All of which contribute to downtime.

Well designed PPE, loaded with performance and comfort features that allows the wearer to adjust it for a perfect individual fit and feel, and that makes him or her feel like they will return to their families safe and sound each day, will have a positive impact on productivity. And productivity improvement drops straight to the bottom line returning any additional initial investment many times over.