It's not enough to know PPE isn't worn: Learn why
ID reasons for non-compliance
Is personal protective equipment (PPE) uncomfortable, too hot, poor-fitting or unattractive looking? The reality, very often, is that employees won't wear it.
Despite the risk of injury, employees don't always wear appropriate safety equipment, according to 98% of safety professionals surveyed by Dallas, TX-based Kimberly-Clark Professionaland 30% report this having happened on numerous occasions.
Increasingly high noncompliance with PPE protocols is a serious threat to worker health and safety, according to Gina Tsiropoulos, Kimberly-Clark's manufacturing segment marketing manager. "Because non-compliance remains an issue, we will continue to see work-related injury as a result," Tsiropoulos says.
Eye protection was cited as the "most challenging" PPE category by 42% of respondents. Nearly three out of five workers who experienced eye injuries were found not to be wearing eye protection at the time of the accident, or were wearing the wrong type of eye protection for the job, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"Clearly, we have a circumstance where workers are either not wearing safety glasses altogether, or are wearing the wrong kind or poorly-fitted eye protection," says Deanna L. Thornton, safety business leader for North America at Kimberly-Clark.
While the goal is always to prevent the injury, if an incident does occur it can serve as a "wake up call" to workers, Tsiropoulos says.
Test results demonstrating changes in hearing can reinforce loss related to misuse of, or failure to use, hearing protection. "Always ask questions such as 'Could gloves have prevented this hand injury?' or 'Could a bump cap or hard hat have prevented the laceration on the scalp from an overhead pipe?'" says Thornton.
Listen up
Hearing protection was the second most challenging area with PPE, the survey found.
"I think most occupational safety and health professionals think that more protection is better," says Laurie Heagy, RN, COHN-S, president of the Berks County Pennsylvania Association of Occupational Health Nurses. "In the case of hearing, I'm not sure that is the correct approach."
Heagy says that she is looking into using hearing protection devices that do not attenuate quite so much noise. She worries that the higher attenuating devices are decreasing compliance, because they block so much noise that the employee cannot hear normal speech.
"We have seen people modify the plugs to make it look like they are in, but they cut them in half or use other methods so they can hear. This defeats the purpose of wearing them," says Heagy. "In an area that is only a few decibles above the OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] limit, you don't need a plug with a Noise Reduction Rating of 28 or 30. It is really overkill."
Heagy says that manufacturers should provide lower attenuating options, so that employees can be protected without isolating them from communication with their coworkers and supervisor.
"I had to tour two plants recently, and I got a really good fit on the hearing protection devices that they gave us," says Heagy. "I was frustrated because I barely heard anything that anyone was saying during the tours. It made me see what the employees go through."
Hearing protection devices should be selected with a goal of reducing the environmental noise to safe levels as directed by OSHA, and not to eliminate all sound entirely, Thornton says. "This type of 'overprotection' is impractical as well as dangerous," she adds. "Employees must be able to hear sounds to perform their jobs safely and effectively."
SOURCES
For more information on improving compliance with personal protective equipment, contact:
Laurie Heagy, RN, COHN-S, President, Berks County Pennsylvania Association of Occupational Health Nurses. E-mail: [email protected].
Susan A. Randolph, MSN, RN, COHN-S, FAAOHN, Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Health Nursing Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Phone: (919) 966-0979. Fax: (919) 966-8999. E-mail: [email protected].
Is personal protective equipment (PPE) uncomfortable, too hot, poor-fitting or unattractive looking? The reality, very often, is that employees won't wear it.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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