Nothing causes more confusion, or contributes to more bad buying decisions, than the role purchase price should play in the PPE buying decision process. This post will try to clear up some of the confusion but a little common sense will do the same thing.
Begin with what PPE does. It is called on to save lives and protect from serious injuries. Because of that, it is no place to look for bargain basement prices. If you required major surgery to save your life, would you shop for the cheapest surgeon? Or would you want the surgeon with the most experience and a track record of success regardless of what he charged? PPE is no different.
There is hardly anything that someone can't make a little cheaper and charge a little less for. The problem is they often don't appear to be any different than higher quality products on the surface. But very often the purchase price is the first indicator of quality. A $10.00 hard hat is worth $10.00 and a $20.00 hard hat is worth $20.00. Don't be fooled into thinking they are the same and you are getting a great deal on the $10.00 version. PPE is priced where it is priced for a reason and the price is a reflection of its value.
Your price is only too high if you can get an identical product for a lower price. You must learn enough about the PPE you are considering to see the differences among brands, understand the value of the differences and put the purchase prices in context. "You only get what you pay for" is just as true in PPE as it is with any other type of product. At the base level, you must appreciate that a safety budget is not a savings account. Safety performance is not judged on how much under budget you are; it is judged on fewer injuries and lower accident costs which are only possible with quality PPE.
With PPE, there is a price for non-performance:
1. The most expensive are those products that are so poorly designed ill-fitting or uncomfortable that they are not worn.
2. The next most expensive are products that are stripped of performance features to lower the price and fail when needed.
A safety official or PPE buying decision maker soon forgets what they paid for PPE when it meets expectations. But the consequences are severe when PPE is bought from the lowest bidder and is ineffective.
Actually, a company cannot save enough on the purchase price of PPE to offset the cost of even one lost time injury. Do the math - a company with 500 employees buys cheap head protection to save $5.00 a cap. That is a $2,500 savings on the purchase price. But a lost time injury that might have been prevented with better PPE, costs $50,000. Even a non-lost time injury costs about $7,000 today. So where is the savings?
Looked at in a positive light, investing an additional $5.00 per employee in top quality head protection, could prevent a $50,000 LTI, or a $7,000 NLTI producing an ROI many times greater than the higher investment. Five dollars an employee works out to $0.025 cents a day in additional head protection. Worth it?
The proper perspective on purchase price is that it is really an investment in protection with an upside and ROI many times greater than the investment expense. In a survey of PPE buying decision makers, purchase price placed 7th out of 10 in importance. When evaluating PPE, do your homework, find out all you can about what is available, select the most appropriate for your hazards and working conditions, and then, and only then, talk about the purchase price.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
PPE FOR WORKER COMFORT IN HIGH HEAT
As the temperature remains in the 80's for the fifth straight day in southeastern Pennsylvania, where we are, it is a reminder that now is the time to take a look at PPE for workers who work in summer time temperature extremes.
Our post in this blog, dated Friday, June 18, 2010, titled "PPE FOR PROTECTION FROM HEAT AND HAZARDS OF WORKING OUTDOORS" details the hazards of sun and heat and how to protect from them. Please take a few minutes to review that information. But in this post, we will address the issue of worker comfort while working outdoors in high heat. The subject of "Quality of Work Life" has been mentioned in several prior posts and is a growing concern as safety officials and others realize its impact on all areas of a company.
In high heat environments, trying to keep cool is the primary comfort goal but there are other things resulting from the elevated temperatures that, when addressed, can contribute. A simple, but often overlooked thing is color. White reflects heat, other colors absorb it. Using white head protection and white protective clothing will be more comfortable than using darker colors. And the difference can be substantial.
Many employers, especially in construction, like to use hard hats in their company colors and some still use the OSHA trade colors to identify workers on the job. But if those colors are dark, they will add to the discomfort of their workers who have to work in high heat. Today most quality head protection manufacturers can imprint company logo's on hard hats for corporate identity and can add colored or reflective tape to a cap for trade identification or high visibility. Decorating a white cap with an imprint and/or tape is a better way to go in high heat.
In addition to deflecting heat, a full brim protective hat, instead of a peak style cap, can provide cooling shade when there is none. Additional shade for the head, face and neck can be added with a brim extender like the SUNBRERO from Fibre-Metal by Honeywell shown below.
Like all PPE, not all brim extenders are alike. Make sure any you consider are one piece and easily snap on and off. Make sure you can see through it (some are completely opaque) for safe visibility. The SUNBRERO blocks 99.9% of UV rays for an extra margin of shade.
Deflecting heat and providing shade are important, but nothing makes a worker in a high heat environment more comfortable than something that provides cooling relief from the oppressive heat. Often over looked but an important part of the cooling process in head protection is the sweatband. Next is the design of the hard hat. Most economy grade head protection has narrow, thin, non-absorbent sweatbands in small, tight fitting shells. The small shells trap the heat and do not allow air to circulate within them. So little or no cooling can take place.
But top quality head protection, like the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT protective hats, are full sized and ergonomically designed for maximum airflow within the shell. That allows air to circulate over their wider, thicker more absorbent sweatbands to provide a cooling effect much like how an air conditioner works. The Fibre-Metal brand provides the industries only full, 360 degree sweatband so cooling takes place all around the wearers head. Actual tests have shown that the temperature within the Fibre-Metal brand protective hats is at least 15 degrees cooler than the ambient air in the workplace.
The Fibre-Metal brand head protection comes with the 360 degree sweatband, a ratchet headband, and a unique combination full sweatband/ratchet headband combination (pictured above). Most outdoors jobs are high activity jobs that need a ratchet headband to keep a hard hat securely in place. All ratchet headbands only have partial sweatbands. But by combining a ratchet headband with a full sweatband, the wearer can also enjoy the maximum cooling effect along with a ratchet headband.
Make sure any head protection you use or issue has a removable sweatband that can be laundered or replaced. Safety officials should make fresh sweatbands readily available. Nothing kills morale faster or says the company doesn't care more than having to come to work and put on PPE with a dirty, smelly, wet sweatband. In addition to the adverse affect on quality of work life, a dirty, wet sweatband can cause contact dermatitis which is an inflammation of the skin caused by direct contact with an irritating substance. Dermatitis is an OSHA recordable illness.
If cooling is needed beyond the capability of quality head protection, special cooling PPE devices can be added to the mix. Again, the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPERCOOL products provide a technically advanced, highly efficient way to provide personal cooling.
There are a lot of supposed "cooling" wear on the market. All of it, except SUPERCOOL, uses gels, beads or crystals, are slow working, and becomes very bulky and heavy when hydrated. SUPERCOOL products from Fibre-Metal are produced from a unique, patented composite material designed to absorb and trap water and use advanced evaporative cooling technology to provide hours of cooling comfort. They hydrate in just 3 to 5 minutes and lay smooth and flat when fully hydrated. Products can be easily rehydrated in just a few minutes as often as desired.
The unique SUPERCOOL headband pprovides relief from the heat at three levels. Use as a regular sweatband to absorb perspiration, soak in water for a few minutes for a cooling headband, or add water and refrigerate for extra cooling. The adjustable neckwrap wraps around the neck to provide cooling at the pulse points. A lot of high heat jobs, especially outdoor construction sites, fill an Igloo cooler or two with ice and water and use them to hydrate and rehydrate the cooling products so they are always fresh and readily available. SUPERCOOL products can be washed and reused.
Finally, to add to the comfort level in a high heat environment, keep PPE clean and dry. Use cleansing, sanitizing wipes or towelettes to clean, deodorize, and disinfect your equipment everyday. If possible, store it so it can air out and dry out overnight.
The health hazards of high heat and extended exposure to the sun are well documented and protection from them should be taken seriously. But comfort and quality of work life in a high heat environment should not be ignored either. A comfortable, well protected worker will stay on the job longer and produce more with fewer injuries. Isn't that what it is all about?
Our post in this blog, dated Friday, June 18, 2010, titled "PPE FOR PROTECTION FROM HEAT AND HAZARDS OF WORKING OUTDOORS" details the hazards of sun and heat and how to protect from them. Please take a few minutes to review that information. But in this post, we will address the issue of worker comfort while working outdoors in high heat. The subject of "Quality of Work Life" has been mentioned in several prior posts and is a growing concern as safety officials and others realize its impact on all areas of a company.
In high heat environments, trying to keep cool is the primary comfort goal but there are other things resulting from the elevated temperatures that, when addressed, can contribute. A simple, but often overlooked thing is color. White reflects heat, other colors absorb it. Using white head protection and white protective clothing will be more comfortable than using darker colors. And the difference can be substantial.
Many employers, especially in construction, like to use hard hats in their company colors and some still use the OSHA trade colors to identify workers on the job. But if those colors are dark, they will add to the discomfort of their workers who have to work in high heat. Today most quality head protection manufacturers can imprint company logo's on hard hats for corporate identity and can add colored or reflective tape to a cap for trade identification or high visibility. Decorating a white cap with an imprint and/or tape is a better way to go in high heat.
In addition to deflecting heat, a full brim protective hat, instead of a peak style cap, can provide cooling shade when there is none. Additional shade for the head, face and neck can be added with a brim extender like the SUNBRERO from Fibre-Metal by Honeywell shown below.
Deflecting heat and providing shade are important, but nothing makes a worker in a high heat environment more comfortable than something that provides cooling relief from the oppressive heat. Often over looked but an important part of the cooling process in head protection is the sweatband. Next is the design of the hard hat. Most economy grade head protection has narrow, thin, non-absorbent sweatbands in small, tight fitting shells. The small shells trap the heat and do not allow air to circulate within them. So little or no cooling can take place.
But top quality head protection, like the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT protective hats, are full sized and ergonomically designed for maximum airflow within the shell. That allows air to circulate over their wider, thicker more absorbent sweatbands to provide a cooling effect much like how an air conditioner works. The Fibre-Metal brand provides the industries only full, 360 degree sweatband so cooling takes place all around the wearers head. Actual tests have shown that the temperature within the Fibre-Metal brand protective hats is at least 15 degrees cooler than the ambient air in the workplace.
The Fibre-Metal brand head protection comes with the 360 degree sweatband, a ratchet headband, and a unique combination full sweatband/ratchet headband combination (pictured above). Most outdoors jobs are high activity jobs that need a ratchet headband to keep a hard hat securely in place. All ratchet headbands only have partial sweatbands. But by combining a ratchet headband with a full sweatband, the wearer can also enjoy the maximum cooling effect along with a ratchet headband.
Make sure any head protection you use or issue has a removable sweatband that can be laundered or replaced. Safety officials should make fresh sweatbands readily available. Nothing kills morale faster or says the company doesn't care more than having to come to work and put on PPE with a dirty, smelly, wet sweatband. In addition to the adverse affect on quality of work life, a dirty, wet sweatband can cause contact dermatitis which is an inflammation of the skin caused by direct contact with an irritating substance. Dermatitis is an OSHA recordable illness.
If cooling is needed beyond the capability of quality head protection, special cooling PPE devices can be added to the mix. Again, the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPERCOOL products provide a technically advanced, highly efficient way to provide personal cooling.
There are a lot of supposed "cooling" wear on the market. All of it, except SUPERCOOL, uses gels, beads or crystals, are slow working, and becomes very bulky and heavy when hydrated. SUPERCOOL products from Fibre-Metal are produced from a unique, patented composite material designed to absorb and trap water and use advanced evaporative cooling technology to provide hours of cooling comfort. They hydrate in just 3 to 5 minutes and lay smooth and flat when fully hydrated. Products can be easily rehydrated in just a few minutes as often as desired.
The unique SUPERCOOL headband pprovides relief from the heat at three levels. Use as a regular sweatband to absorb perspiration, soak in water for a few minutes for a cooling headband, or add water and refrigerate for extra cooling. The adjustable neckwrap wraps around the neck to provide cooling at the pulse points. A lot of high heat jobs, especially outdoor construction sites, fill an Igloo cooler or two with ice and water and use them to hydrate and rehydrate the cooling products so they are always fresh and readily available. SUPERCOOL products can be washed and reused.
Finally, to add to the comfort level in a high heat environment, keep PPE clean and dry. Use cleansing, sanitizing wipes or towelettes to clean, deodorize, and disinfect your equipment everyday. If possible, store it so it can air out and dry out overnight.
The health hazards of high heat and extended exposure to the sun are well documented and protection from them should be taken seriously. But comfort and quality of work life in a high heat environment should not be ignored either. A comfortable, well protected worker will stay on the job longer and produce more with fewer injuries. Isn't that what it is all about?
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
PPE - THE VALUE OF A TOP BRAND
A colleague recently asked me if I thought a product brand was "aging". I had to think about it for a while because "aging" is not a term I was familiar with in terms of brands. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there might be confusion between classic brands longevity and "aging" in the context of losing properties or function.
Recently, a study was done on the top brands in our daily lives. The graph below shows the results:
With very few exceptions, the brands that we value most have been on the market, and been the top in their category for a very long time. Most for 50 to a 100 years or more. Why? Because they provide products we like and they have not changed them just for the sake of change or to try to give the appearance of not "aging". They have added products, gotten bigger and stronger, but they still produce the classic products we expect from them.
The same is true in Personal Protective Equipment. The top brands have longevity on a par with the top consumer products shown above:
Few would describe it as "aging" even though it has been protecting workers for more than 60 years and is, in fact, the original Fibre-Metal protective cap design, with occasional updates as head protection needs have changed. I have never heard an end user ask for it to be changed. To the contrary, I have received numerous comments over the years asking that it NOT be changed. I am sure that the other PPE brand leaders have had the same experience with their classic products.
A Vice-President of Xerox Corporation said "the strongest, most compelling brands are the ones that stay fresh in the minds of customers and prospects. They convey a consistent message to an audience every time they encounter it, but always in new and unexpected ways that suggest the brand can do things no other brand can do". This is very true with the brand leaders in PPE.
Take the Fibre-Metal brand of head protection as an example again. A long time user recently said "when I think of head protection, I think of Fibre-Metal and have for years. But now, when I think of Fibre-Metal, I think of the possibility of driving my injury costs down even lower and increasing my productivity. I just don't get the sense that other brands can address those things"
When you go through your due diligence to evaluate and select the best PPE for your operation, make sure you understand the difference between an "aging brand", one that is no longer capable of doing the job for you, and a traditional, classic brand with the experience and expertise, tempered with the right blend of innovation, that will do for you what it has done for countless others over the years. It is fine to look for what is new, but in PPE, "new" is not good enough. Make sure it is better than the classic brands in enough ways to make a difference. You do not want to use your workforce as a test lab for an new product from an unknown source. You usually cannot go wrong with the brand leaders.
Recently, a study was done on the top brands in our daily lives. The graph below shows the results:
With very few exceptions, the brands that we value most have been on the market, and been the top in their category for a very long time. Most for 50 to a 100 years or more. Why? Because they provide products we like and they have not changed them just for the sake of change or to try to give the appearance of not "aging". They have added products, gotten bigger and stronger, but they still produce the classic products we expect from them.
The same is true in Personal Protective Equipment. The top brands have longevity on a par with the top consumer products shown above:
Each of these brands is a leader in their product catagory and each has been on the market for 50 to 100 years and more. Are they "aging" or are they traditional, classic brands of PPE that have kept millions of workers safe over the years?. Each company has under gone at least some degree of change over the years, but they continue to produce the core products, the "classics" that established their brand and kept it in the forefront over the years.
50 years ago, MSA, Fibre-Metal and Bullard were the top 3 brands of head protection. They still are today. 50 years ago, Fibre-Metal, Jackson and Sellstrom were the top 3 brands of welding helmets. They still are today. And there is a reason for that. The CEO of a Top 400 Construction Company said that "PPE is one of the top 10 most important things we buy and for that reason, we only consider the top brands".
There are some commodities where customers value trendy products, and the latest fads, and want whatever is "new" no matter whether "new" is "better" or not. They want change for change sake because they think it some how makes them more contemporary. But PPE is not one of those commodities. It is serious business. It is relied upon to save lives and prevent serious injuries that can affect the quality of life. For those reasons, buyers want experience and expertise. They want companies and products with long track records of success that they can rely upon.
That is not to say that PPE users do not value and want innovation. What they actually value the most is the brands that provide a good blend of tradition and innovation. Evolution, not revolution. Look at head protection for example. Not only are the same 3 brands still the market leaders, the same 3 products are still the market leaders. But the Fibre-Metal model has been continually upgraded. First Fibre-Metal introduced the ratchet headband to the trade which provided new functionality without changing the classic design or SUPEREIGHT Impact Energy Control System workers relied on. The entire head protection industry followed and today most protective caps sold contain a ratchet headband. Fibre-Metal followed that up with the introduction of their patented SWINGSTRAP which again made their classic cap more functional for those who had to mount a welding helmet or faceshield.
Most head protection users consider the Fibre-Metal brand head protection the most innovative and sophisticated on the market
A Vice-President of Xerox Corporation said "the strongest, most compelling brands are the ones that stay fresh in the minds of customers and prospects. They convey a consistent message to an audience every time they encounter it, but always in new and unexpected ways that suggest the brand can do things no other brand can do". This is very true with the brand leaders in PPE.
Take the Fibre-Metal brand of head protection as an example again. A long time user recently said "when I think of head protection, I think of Fibre-Metal and have for years. But now, when I think of Fibre-Metal, I think of the possibility of driving my injury costs down even lower and increasing my productivity. I just don't get the sense that other brands can address those things"
When you go through your due diligence to evaluate and select the best PPE for your operation, make sure you understand the difference between an "aging brand", one that is no longer capable of doing the job for you, and a traditional, classic brand with the experience and expertise, tempered with the right blend of innovation, that will do for you what it has done for countless others over the years. It is fine to look for what is new, but in PPE, "new" is not good enough. Make sure it is better than the classic brands in enough ways to make a difference. You do not want to use your workforce as a test lab for an new product from an unknown source. You usually cannot go wrong with the brand leaders.
Monday, April 11, 2011
BEFORE YOU SELECT HEAD PROTECTION COMPARE WITH THE BEST
In any product class, there is an exemplar; an archetype that defines the best in class. The model that all others are compared with. From our experience, numerous testimonials, expert opinion and anecdotal evidence, the archetype in head protection today is the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell, SUPEREIGHT, SWINGSTRAP series. They provide a level of next generation head protection sophistication not available in other brands.
But don't take our word for it. Find out for yourself, with your employees, on your job, under your working conditions. Using the SUPEREIGHT hats and caps as your exemplar, compare whatever head protection you are using, or are considering using, with them. If you determine that another brand can help you increase the number of employees who wear their head protection, reduce the frequency and severity of head injuries, reduce your injury costs, increase productivity, the quality of work life and ultimately, the profitability of your business better than the Fibre-Metal models, by all means, chose it. But if what you are using or considering comes up short in a side-by-side comparison, obtain samples to evaluate. Just make sure you have a list of specific things you want to determine. Don't just say "try these to see if you like them". Ask "are these caps more comfortable, are they more adjustable for an individual fit and feel, is the combined full sweatband plus a ratchet better for you, etc." Use the illustration below as a guide:
You can also refer to our last post for a questionnaire that will help you determine if you are getting everything possible from your head protection. Sometimes it helps to take a piece of paper and make two columns. Label one of the columns "GOT" and the other "GET". In the column labeled "GOT", list the things you have, the things you like, about the present brand you are using. In the column labeled "GET", list all of the things you will get from the Fibre-Metal SUPEREIGHT brand that you are not now getting. If the "GET" column is of value to you in equipping your workers with the best possible head protection, switch to the Fibre-Metal brand. If you are already getting everything you need, and are eliminating as much risk as possible with another brand stay with what works for you. But you owe it to yourself and your workforce to at least go through the comparison and evaluation process.
Friday, April 8, 2011
TIME TO REEVALUATE AND UPGRADE YOUR HEAD PROTECTION
The weather is turning nicer in most parts of the country. Construction, even if at lower levels than in the past, is starting up, and industrial employment appears to be inching up. Now is a good time to take a good look at the head protection PPE you are using or supplying to your employees.
Don't just look at the protective caps themselves. Go back over the due diligence you did when you bought them. Reevaluate your buying decision. Why did you buy that brand and model? What choice criteria did you use? Do you feel comfortable that you learned all you could about head protection before you made your buying decision. If you don't or you want a quick review, scroll back and re-read our blog posts dated March 21,2011, November 2, 2009, October 13, 2009, and August 13, 2009.
Ask does your head protection help reduce injury costs, increase productivity, enhance quality of work life and improve profitability? A way to check is to evaluate it using the following questionnaire:
If you can answer "yes" to each of those questions, you are using state-of-the-art head protection and your evaluation should just be to make sure that your protective caps are in good condition. Check for torn, frayed or worn suspension straps. Look for any cracks, chips, scuffs or a dull "chalky" appearance. If something doesn't look right, replace it.
But if you answer "no" to any of the questions, check with your current source to see why your protective caps are missing something. Ask them to upgrade you to their model that has all of the above. If they can't, you should change suppliers to one that lets you answer "yes" to the state-of-the-art questions. Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT brand head protection is one brand that can help you answer "yes" to everything you need. If there are others, put them side-by-side with a SUPEREIGHT cap, compare them, and select the one that best satisfies your needs.
"Struck by an object" is still one of the most frequent injury causes and head injuries are among the most costly of any injury type. Don't take chances, don't incur any risk that you don't have to and you don't have to as long as you have an upgrade alternative.
Don't just look at the protective caps themselves. Go back over the due diligence you did when you bought them. Reevaluate your buying decision. Why did you buy that brand and model? What choice criteria did you use? Do you feel comfortable that you learned all you could about head protection before you made your buying decision. If you don't or you want a quick review, scroll back and re-read our blog posts dated March 21,2011, November 2, 2009, October 13, 2009, and August 13, 2009.
Ask does your head protection help reduce injury costs, increase productivity, enhance quality of work life and improve profitability? A way to check is to evaluate it using the following questionnaire:
If you can answer "yes" to each of those questions, you are using state-of-the-art head protection and your evaluation should just be to make sure that your protective caps are in good condition. Check for torn, frayed or worn suspension straps. Look for any cracks, chips, scuffs or a dull "chalky" appearance. If something doesn't look right, replace it.
But if you answer "no" to any of the questions, check with your current source to see why your protective caps are missing something. Ask them to upgrade you to their model that has all of the above. If they can't, you should change suppliers to one that lets you answer "yes" to the state-of-the-art questions. Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT brand head protection is one brand that can help you answer "yes" to everything you need. If there are others, put them side-by-side with a SUPEREIGHT cap, compare them, and select the one that best satisfies your needs.
"Struck by an object" is still one of the most frequent injury causes and head injuries are among the most costly of any injury type. Don't take chances, don't incur any risk that you don't have to and you don't have to as long as you have an upgrade alternative.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
BE WARY OF ADF GIMMICKS
Auto Darkening Filters were conceived and developed to be serious safety and productivity tools for professional, electric arc production welders. Welding helmets are designed and produced to protect electric arc welders from sparks, spatter and radiation emanating from the arc. Neither device was intended to be used for any other purpose.
But today there are welding helmets equipped with ADF's that advertise they can be used for grinding and Oxy-Fuel welding and cutting. The question is not "can they", it is "should they" and are they the most appropriate PPE for those operations?. Or are those claims just another of the many sales gimmicks that permeate and distort the ADF marketplace.
For many years, standards and common practice dictated that a faceshield, not a welding helmet, be used for grinding. ANSI Z49.1 2005, the welding safety standard, includes the following:
But Z49.1 defers to ANSI Z87.1 2010 for PPE and Z87.1 requires all face and eye products, including welding helmets, to be tested and certified as either "impact" or "non-impact" devices. Some ADF helmet suppliers misinterpret this "impact" rating as confirmation that their product can be used for grinding when, in fact, there are a number of other things that must be taken into consideration.
To begin with, it is highly unlikely that a production welder would complete his weld, extinguish his torch, locate and set up his grinder without taking off his welding helmet. So the argument that using an ADF helmet for grinding saves downtime is specious at best. When the weld is complete, removing the helmet and putting on a faceshield before grinding takes no time at all.
The next consideration is field of vision. Why would a welder want to only be able to see through a 2"X41/4" or 5"X4" opening in a welding helmet with a green tint, when he could look through a clear faceshield, with a full field of vision, to do the hazardous and precise job of cleaning and grinding a weld? Some might argue a welding helmet covers more face area than a faceshield. That all depends on the size and shape of the faceshield selected.
In addition to the risks of grinding with a helmet instead of a faceshield, there are risks inherent in grinding with an ADF lens. In order to grind with an ADF lens in place, the auto darkening function has to be deactivated. If a welder forgets to turn it back on, and strikes an arc, he will only have shade 3 protection from the bright visible light of the arc. Although he will be protected from IR/UV by the permanent interference filter in the lens, being exposed to the bright light of the arc can be painful for some time. A number of the ADF lenses with a "grind mode", have a feature that automatically reactivates the auto darkening function after a period of time. Those lenses are generally super sensitive to extraneous light. A welder could still be grinding, have someone else in the area strike an arc which could trigger his arc putting him in the dark with a dangerous grinder in his hands putting him at high risk of a serious injury.
All standards, past and present, all "application charts", and industry practice since the process was devised show welding goggles, and more recently, faceshields with protective spectacles, are the proper and most appropriate PPE for OxyFuel welding and cutting. So why would anyone want to use a full welding helmet with an ADF for that purpose? Again, it is highly unlikely that a production electric arc welder would have to or want to extinguish his torch, go get his OxyFuel apparatus and begin a new job all with his welding helmet on. And when he does begin his OxyFuel job, he will slip a pair of welding goggles or a lightweight faceshield on rather than his ADF welding helmet for the same reasons mentioned earlier.
The brands and models that offer this option by leaving the helmet in an "off" (usually shade 5) mode, present the same risk as turning the auto darkening function off for grinding. Other brands and models introduce another risk by requiring a welder to select a shade from a much greater range. Some models offer 3 sets of shades: 5 to 8, 8 to 10, and 10 to 13 with the 5 to 8 range for OXyFuel welding and cutting. That presents the risk of a welder selecting the wrong shade by accident, especially with small dials or buttons and big gloves, which could cause exposure to bright light and discomfort.
Going back to the beginning, a welding helmet equipped with an ADF is intended for and designed for enhancing safety and increasing the productivity of professional, production welders. Using them for anything else is not a proper use and could expose the wearer to additional risk while exposing the helmet to damage and a shortened service life. A top quality ADF only needs 3 functions; sensitivity, shade selection, closing delay. There is value in simplicity.
Some brands have so many dials, buttons, and switches they confuse the user. Anything beyond the functions shown above are superfluous, and are either useless gimmicks or warnings for things that go wrong.
_________________________________________________________
But today there are welding helmets equipped with ADF's that advertise they can be used for grinding and Oxy-Fuel welding and cutting. The question is not "can they", it is "should they" and are they the most appropriate PPE for those operations?. Or are those claims just another of the many sales gimmicks that permeate and distort the ADF marketplace.
For many years, standards and common practice dictated that a faceshield, not a welding helmet, be used for grinding. ANSI Z49.1 2005, the welding safety standard, includes the following:
"E4.2.1.1 Welding helmets with filter lenses are intended to protect users from arc rays and fiom weld sparks and spatter which impinge directly against the helmet. They are not intended to protect against slag chips, grinding fragments, wire wheel blistles, and similar hazards. Spectacles with side shields or goggles should also be wom to protect against these hazards."
But Z49.1 defers to ANSI Z87.1 2010 for PPE and Z87.1 requires all face and eye products, including welding helmets, to be tested and certified as either "impact" or "non-impact" devices. Some ADF helmet suppliers misinterpret this "impact" rating as confirmation that their product can be used for grinding when, in fact, there are a number of other things that must be taken into consideration.
To begin with, it is highly unlikely that a production welder would complete his weld, extinguish his torch, locate and set up his grinder without taking off his welding helmet. So the argument that using an ADF helmet for grinding saves downtime is specious at best. When the weld is complete, removing the helmet and putting on a faceshield before grinding takes no time at all.
The next consideration is field of vision. Why would a welder want to only be able to see through a 2"X41/4" or 5"X4" opening in a welding helmet with a green tint, when he could look through a clear faceshield, with a full field of vision, to do the hazardous and precise job of cleaning and grinding a weld? Some might argue a welding helmet covers more face area than a faceshield. That all depends on the size and shape of the faceshield selected.
This heavy duty faceshield from Fibre-Metal by Honeywell, has a wide, deep, uniquely shaped window that covers as much face area as most welding helmets while giving the welder a 360 degree view of his work. And the window, unlike a welding helmet, is made from a material specifically formulated to protect from impact and penetration. A faceshield window like the one above may cost between $10.00 and $15.00. A professional grade welding helmet with ADF will cost about $300.00. Windows are consumables. They are intended to be used and replaced as often as needed. Why would you or your company want you to risk damaging your $300 helmet by subjecting it to the debris from grinding and chipping?
In addition to the risks of grinding with a helmet instead of a faceshield, there are risks inherent in grinding with an ADF lens. In order to grind with an ADF lens in place, the auto darkening function has to be deactivated. If a welder forgets to turn it back on, and strikes an arc, he will only have shade 3 protection from the bright visible light of the arc. Although he will be protected from IR/UV by the permanent interference filter in the lens, being exposed to the bright light of the arc can be painful for some time. A number of the ADF lenses with a "grind mode", have a feature that automatically reactivates the auto darkening function after a period of time. Those lenses are generally super sensitive to extraneous light. A welder could still be grinding, have someone else in the area strike an arc which could trigger his arc putting him in the dark with a dangerous grinder in his hands putting him at high risk of a serious injury.
All standards, past and present, all "application charts", and industry practice since the process was devised show welding goggles, and more recently, faceshields with protective spectacles, are the proper and most appropriate PPE for OxyFuel welding and cutting. So why would anyone want to use a full welding helmet with an ADF for that purpose? Again, it is highly unlikely that a production electric arc welder would have to or want to extinguish his torch, go get his OxyFuel apparatus and begin a new job all with his welding helmet on. And when he does begin his OxyFuel job, he will slip a pair of welding goggles or a lightweight faceshield on rather than his ADF welding helmet for the same reasons mentioned earlier.
The brands and models that offer this option by leaving the helmet in an "off" (usually shade 5) mode, present the same risk as turning the auto darkening function off for grinding. Other brands and models introduce another risk by requiring a welder to select a shade from a much greater range. Some models offer 3 sets of shades: 5 to 8, 8 to 10, and 10 to 13 with the 5 to 8 range for OXyFuel welding and cutting. That presents the risk of a welder selecting the wrong shade by accident, especially with small dials or buttons and big gloves, which could cause exposure to bright light and discomfort.
Going back to the beginning, a welding helmet equipped with an ADF is intended for and designed for enhancing safety and increasing the productivity of professional, production welders. Using them for anything else is not a proper use and could expose the wearer to additional risk while exposing the helmet to damage and a shortened service life. A top quality ADF only needs 3 functions; sensitivity, shade selection, closing delay. There is value in simplicity.
Much of the PPE function is determing the best and most appropriate PPE for a specific function and set of hazards. Claiming an ADF helmet can be used for grinding and OxyFuel welding and cutting violates that goal and is usually used as a sales gimmick by those suppliers who cannot compete against the top ADF brands in the electric arc market.
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WARNING: Always read all labels, instruction, warnings, limitations and cautions on any PPE used in grinding. Make sure any PPE used for grinding is marked "ANSI Z87+" or "ANSI Z87.1 High Impact". Even products labeled ANSI "high impact" provide limited protection and do not protect from exploding grinding wheels or other extreme impacts. Always wear ANSI certified "high impact" protective spectacles under faceshields and welding helmets. Products shown are used for illustration and information only. The writer makes no endorsement or suitability claims. The selection of PPE should only be done by responsible safety officials, after a comprehensive hazard analysis and using OSHA selection guidelines.
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