Ppe Training

PPE Training Personnel Protective Equipment An In-service for new inductees by Chris Skinner HSE Writer

Aims of Session • At the end of this session participants will know the mandatory 4 types of PPE’s • Will have a clear understanding of the use of each and what they protect against • Will understand the risk of sunburn in the NT

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Name four mandatory PPE requirements

Answers • Hard Hats • Long pants and Long sleeved Hi Vis Shirts • Steel Capped Boots • Glasses

Hard Hats • Hard Hats are for skull and brain protection against sharps and gravitational (falling) hazards as well as unseen overhead obstacles • Head injuries can be serious, even fatal which is why they should be prevented • Brain damage may be irreversible leading to loss of cognitive facilities and fine motor skills as well as significant loss of life quality not to mention income loss

Hard Hats (2) • Types include Construction Hard Hat and Motor Cycle helmet • In the NT Hard Hats used in mining and construction need to have adequate ventilation and, ideally, built in sun protection (i.e. a linen Apron for the back or nape of the neck) – prevents you being a “red neck”

Steel Capped Boots • Steel capped boots are designed to protect the Toes from crush and stab injuries, from Manual Tools, weighty objects like Gas Cylinders and construction materials, as well as ground based sharps such as Nails, Rivets and steel off-cuts

Steel Capped Boots • Leather boots are best in the tropics, as they allow one’s feet to breathe, a good brand are Doc Martin, as are Caterpillar – RM Williams are overpriced. • K-Mart carry cheaper Chinese made steel capped boots but they may have irregularities

Hi-Vis Long Sleeve clothing • Long “Heavy Cotton Drill” trousers or well made 14 gram Denim jeans • Yellow and blue long sleeved shirts with reflective horizontal bars • SLIP SLOP SLAP • Prevent sweating, prevent insect bites to arms and lower legs, prevent sun burn and prevent small stab injuries from sharps, splinters in work place, exposure to hazardous chemicals and substances such as the outer polyvinylchloride on electrical cable

Hi Vis 2 • Easy to see by Crane Drivers and Plant Operators • Air Cell singlets such as bonds airtex T shirts will improve cooling ability

Safety Glasses

• Safety glasses should be worn at all times on the mining or construction site, with exceptions being during crib breaks, if away from dusty environment • To prevent entry of foreign bodies • To prevent damage to the eye, especially the Cornea • To protect against dust

Safety Glasses 2 • Safety glasses should be either clear or amber for indoor work and UV400 or Polarised for outdoor work, they should adequately fit over prescription eye wear for those staff requiring same • Safety glasses should be pliable shatterproof plastic • They should be kept clean and wrapped when not in use

Malignant Melanoma • One of the reasons PPE’s are advocated is to prevent irradiation by UVB and UVC rays from the Sun. This radiation is known to be the cause of two types of skin cancers or neo-plasms (new growths) • These are Basal Cell Carcinomas, so called “sun spots” or “skin cancers” and • Malignant melanomas which can grow rapidly spreading to internal organs and leading to death – malignant melanomas are more common in Australia than in any other country

Anglo-celts and MM • People from the Northern Hemisphere such as Anglo-celtic peoples often have fair skin with a low melatonin level – such people are more prone to sun burn episodes and have a higher risk of developing Malignant Melanoma, therefore • SLIP SLOP SLAP

SLIP SLOP SLAP • Slip on long sleeved shirt and long trousers/jeans • Slop on some +30SPF( Sun Protection Factor ) cream, the best contains titanium dioxide • Slap on a hat and a pair of sunnies