PROTECTIVE CAP COOLING WITHOUT COOLING VENTS

The weather is starting to warm up in most parts of the country and it won't be long before we are looking at ways to try to keep workers cool in temperature extremes. A relatively recent fad is protective caps with "ventilation vents" in the crown that are supposed to provide a cooling effect. In our opinion, that is a potentially risky, ineffective and unnecessary way to reduce the temperature within a protective hat or cap.

The proponents of ventilation slots claim they reduce trapped heat. The reason heat is "trapped" is because of small, snug fitting shells that do not allow air to circulate to clear it. They claim they reduce perspiration levels. The reason perspiration levels are high is because of small, partial, non-absorbent sweatbands. They claim they let cool air in. The minuscule amount of air that might pass through the vents can contain dirt, dust, debris and potentially hazardous substances that can accumulate in the vents. Finally, flying or falling objects can become lodged in the vents concentrating impact force at that point and potentially overwhelming the impact attenuation capability of the cap. Whether there is a 1 in 10 or 1 in a million chance of that happening, it is a risk and as long as there are alternatives, it is a risk that does not have to be taken.

The alternative begins with a smooth crown protective cap design with no ridges, ribs, slots or vents. That design eliminates the risks that vented caps can present.

The model shown is a Fibre-Metal by Honeywell SUPEREIGHT cap. In addition to eliminating risk, this cap design provides proven cooling for the wearer. When we talk about "cooling" we are talking about reducing the temperature within the cap relative to the temperature of the ambient air in the work environment. First, safety officials should select a light color cap which will deflect much of the heat to which the wearers head would be exposed. Next, the ANSI Standard for head protection requires a fixed space between the top of the suspension and the caps hard shell. That creates an air space that along with the full shell size and design allows air to freely circulate within the cap at a much greater volume than is possible with several small vents in the crown.

The next step in the cooling process is a by-product of the freely circulating air. The illustration below shows the unique 360 degree sweatband in the SUPEREIGHT cap. That not only absorbs more perspiration than the partial sweatbands of the vented caps, it actually provides an "air conditioning" effect as the the air circulates over the moist sweatband causing evaporation.

For those who prefer ratchet headbands, which only have partial sweatbands, the same cooling effect applies but on a reduced level. But there is a solution for that too. The Fibre-Metal brand by Honeywell provides a model unlike any other. Their SWINGSTRAP models combine their full 360 degree sweatbands with a ratchet headband so you get all of the benefit of the ratchet band along with the cooling effect of the full sweatband.

Some years ago, The Fibre-Metal Products Company had tests done to determine if their protective caps actually did cool the inside temperature of the cap. The caps were placed on head forms, a heat source was applied to the ambient air, and the temperature was taken outside of the cap and inside of the cap with a heat probe. The tests proved that the temperature within the cap was consistently 15 to 20 degrees cooler than the temperature of the air outside of the cap. If you are considering a vented cap, ask for similar documentation.

To quote Fox News, "we report, you decide". If you are looking for potential cooling for your workers who wear head protection in temperature extremes, look at all of the options. Ask yourself why assume risk when the same or better result can be achieved without the risk. Our goal here is to inform, show what is available, provide some alternatives. If you can find something that satisfies your needs better, by all means use it.

DON'T BUY PPE BASED ON GRAPHICS

I recently saw a comment from a welding supply distributor that said "as welders are trending younger and younger as the Baby Boomers retire, graphics are becoming a more important factor in their welding helmet buying decision". If that is true, there are going to be a lot of disappointed young welders suffering from "buyers remorse".

These are the highest quality and two of the top selling welding helmet models on the market:

The helmet on the left is the TIGERHOOD Classic from the Fibre-Metal brand by Honeywell. It was the original thermoplastic welding helmet, and is probably still the best selling passive lens welding helmet on the market and its best selling color is probably still gray. The helmet on the right is the Fibre-Metal by Honeywell FUTURA style thermoplastic welding helmet.

The welding helmets below are also FUTURA's

But with full graphic overlays applied. In our post of a few weeks ago, we talked about a welding helmet being a "tool of the trade for welders. Do graphics make them any better tools? Do they protect a welder any better, make him more productive or more comfortable? No, not at all. They may play to a welder wanting to portray a certain image, and it has been said that welders tend to take a little better care of a full graphics helmet, but that is about it and there is usually a pretty significant up charge for the graphics.

If you are a welding helmet buying decision maker, and you are considering full graphics helmets for your welders or if you are a self employed individual welder, or someone who just welds occasionally, be very careful not to be lulled into  a "buy the graphics" and not the helmet mistake. In the examples illustrated above, the full graphic styles are top quality Fibre-Metal brand helmets with graphics applied. The helmet will provide the same degree of performance as the standard helmet. But that is not always the case. Some suppliers use second grade helmets, or helmets with visual defects, or cheap imports in their graphic helmets.  So make sure you know what you are buying. Ask to see the helmet that is being covered with graphics in its natural state. Ask if it is the same grade and quality as their non-graphic helmets.

Several of the welding helmets with the best looking graphics are inferior grade welding helmets underneath. That is especially true with ADF helmets. Never buy a welding helmet just because you or your welders simply like the way it looks. And that holds true no matter what age your welders may happen to be. Do your due diligence; select the brand and model that is best suited to your working conditions as detailed in our "Welding Helmets are a Tool of the Trade" post and then, and only then, select a full graphic style from that manufacturer.

If you buy on looks, and you find that the helmet does not hold up under your working conditions and/or your welders find them so uncomfortable they can't work in them, then that helmet won't look so good after all.

PPE CONTRIBUTES TO QUALITY OF WORK LIFE

Throughout this blog, we have shown how PPE can reduce cost, improve productivity and increase profitability. But there is another area that PPE is closely linked to yet not widely connected with, and that is Quality of Work Life and morale.

Today, Quality of Work Life (QWL) plays a major role in an organizations ability to be successful. Employees are much more mobile than they used to be. They change jobs for a few more dollars a week and they change jobs if what is usually called "working conditions" are not to their satisfaction.

Progressive customer service management talks about the need to create "memorable experiences" for customers. They talk about "touch points" which are every way a customer comes in contact with the company and the overall, cummulative impression a customer develops of the company from those "touches". QWL works in much the same way. Its goal is to create memorable work experiences for employees in as many ways as possible so that an employee develops a positive "quality" of work life from working there.

Every industry and company are different in terms of what makes it a "good place to work" but recent studies have honed in on the 7 top QWL considerations:

1. Economic factors

    a. Compensation or wages

    b. Fringe benefits


2. Job satisfaction

    a. Occupation stress

    b. Recognition


3. Working environment

    a. Culture

    b. Congenial coworkers

    c. Relationship with supervisor/management


4. Health and Safety


5. Training


6. Opportunity for advancement


7. Grievance procedure

PPE comes into play in both the "Safety and Health" and "Job Satisfaction" factors. Nothing is a greater stressor than anxiety or fear. Workers want to leave home in the morning confident that they will return in the evening without being hurt on the job. When they arrive at work they want to feel confident that their employer is serious about safety and health and has done everything possible to eliminate hazards to make the work environment as safe as possible.

Nothing is a more tangible expression of the company's committment to the safety and health of its employees than the PPE they supply. Every time an employee puts on his or her PPE it sends a message from management. If it is top quality, carefully selected, fitted properly and they are well trained in its use and maintenance, it says the company cares about them and the quality of their work life. Facing the day in a confident, positive frame of mind, a well protected  employee will stay on the job longer, produce more with fewer mistakes and rejects.

On the other hand, employees know what is quality PPE and what is not, they know what fits well and feels good and what does not, they know when they have not received any PPE training, and it makes them anxious and apprehensive. If the PPE they have been supplied always come from the lowest bidder, and the company looks at it as just another regulatory expense that should be minimized, that message comes through to the work force also and adversely affects the quality of their work life.

An anxious, uncomfortable, stressed worker is far more likely to have an accident, and is definately less productive than his or her well protected counter part.

Safety programs and policies are important to the quality of work life and morale but they are intangible; employees cannot feel or experience them. But top quality PPE is tangible proof that they are working for a company that is committed to sending them home safe and sound to their families each evening.

A WELDING HELMET IS A TOOL OF THE TRADE

There is no question that the primary function of PPE is to protect the wearer. But some PPE, like welding helmets, are looked at in a different light. Most PPE is optional; a worker should wear it, is required to wear it, but doesn’t have to wear it to do their job. Not so with an electric arc welder. A welder must wear a welding helmet in order to weld. It is a “tool of the trade” and is evaluated, used and maintained more like a tool than a protective devise.


While they certainly appreciate the protection a welding helmet affords them, welders primarily look at the extent to which helmets are light enough, functional enough, and wearable enough to allow them to do their jobs without hindering, distracting or fatiguing them.

As any welder will tell you, they only want the best tools, well known brands they have confidence in. They often view the quality of the tools they are provided as the company’s commitment to their productivity and quality of work life.

A welding environment is harsh; it is hard on welders and their equipment so durability and extended service life are more important considerations in selecting a welding helmet than they might be in other types of PPE. In fact, workers are advised to replace protective caps and faceshields as soon as they get scratches or abrasions on them while welding helmets are expected to last a long time, just like other welding tools.

The key to durability and a long service life is the material a welding helmet is made from. Most welding helmets today are thermoplastic. When Fibre-Metal introduced thermoplastic helmets back in the late 1960’s, they worked with General Electric’s Engineering Grade plastics department to develop a material that could withstand a welding environment over an extended period of time. Today, Fibre-Metal by Honeywell TIGERHOOD brand helmets are still made from NORYL, and is still the brand most welders prefer and the brand all others are compared with. Later on, Fibre-Metal introduced AMODEL, another high quality, engineering grade material in their FUTURA brand helmets. Both materials were specifically formulated and selected to produce high quality “tools” to protect welders.

Because a welding environment is so harsh, the weight of tools and equipment is a huge consideration. Welders have to be able to wear their equipment and use their tools all shift long without being unnecessarily fatigued. Most lesser quality welding helmet brands boast of their “extreme lightweight”. But the lightweight is achieved with thin walled ordinary nylon shells that cannot stand up to sparks and spatter over an extended time. Some even place application limitations on their helmets, like “do not use for overhead welding” because they just can’t stand up to it. There is a fine line between “extreme lightweight” and flimsy. The truth of the matter is there is very little difference between the weight of helmets made from a high quality engineering grade material and those made from flimsy nylon. In fact, the FUTURA brand from Fibre-Metal by Honeywell is actually lighter than lesser brands and will outlast them by a margin of 2 to 1 in real welding applications.

Another way in which a welding helmet is evaluated like a tool of the trade is its reliability. How often does it breakdown and need to be repaired during continual use. The most vulnerable part of a welding helmet is the headgear. Many, if not most, brands are plagued by cracking and breaking headbands and stripping ratchet sizing mechanisms. It is not uncommon to see a barrel in the corner of a welding shop where broken headgears are tossed for replacement by a supplier. Again, it is a material and design situation. Fibre-Metal by Honeywell helmet headgears are produced from a specially blended material that does not crack or break in a welding environment. Their unique ratchet mechanism does not strip no matter how hard it is used. A welder does not want his tool to breakdown in the middle of a job. They do not want to have to worry about reliability. That is why they prefer the top quality welding helmet brands.

Functionality is another welder consideration. Is their welding helmet a tool that protects them but allows them to do their job? Is it full enough to cover as much exposed skin area as possible, but shaped properly to allow freedom of movement? Is it designed to fit over protective spectacles and a respirator if necessary? Can air flow freely within the helmet to clear smoke and fumes and is the crown designed to let those things escape? Are their sufficient adjustments to provide just the right fit and feel for the way each welder likes to work? As a tool of the trade, a welding helmet has to aide and enhance productivity not distract from or hinder it.

Before a welder selects any brand of welding helmet, they should try it on their job under their working conditions. As a welding supervisor said “I’d never buy a tool I didn’t try first and a welding helmet is no exception”. Most reliable suppliers will provide samples or loaners and will help with the test and evaluation.

Like most quality tools, a welding helmet should come to you ready to use out of the box. It should be simple to use (adjust friction joint, fit headgear, replace filter plate) and easy to clean and maintain.

A top quality, respected brand of welding helmet will provide a long service life, increase productivity, and improve morale and the quality of work life on a par with any other tool of the trade. So when you think about welding helmets, of course consider how well they protect, but also keep in mind how well they help a welder do his or her job.

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.

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)

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.