Construction sites are full of risks and dangers, but the work is often essential. The employees who do construction work require protective equipment as mandated by Safe Work Australia, a requirement intended to both protect employees from injuries and employers from litigation. So if you are an employer, learn about five types of equipment that your workers need.
Once the weather cools and winter approaches, you need to kit your workers out in appropriate cold weather gear. If your people are cold on the job, then their productivity could dip. They might not be able to focus on their work and on keeping themselves safe. If they are exposed to cold temperatures for long periods, then they could suffer from cold stress.
Which products can you give your workers to make winter working more comfortable for them?
If you run a youth soccer club, then you need to source kits for your teams. The right kit makes your players feel proud to play for their team and your club. If you provide shirts and shorts for all your teams, then your club's identity also starts to take shape.
Before you choose a kit, ask potential suppliers the following questions. The answers will help you find the right supplier.
If you're stocking up on hi-vis safety vests, you might initially decide to buy products that are all the same colour. However, you can benefit from some unique perks if you buy vests in different colours, especially if you work on larger construction projects with various crews onsite.
Keep reading to learn why you should colour-coordinate your work vests.
If you need to order new safety work gloves, then you want products that are fit for your job needs. You should buy gloves that protect your workers and help them do their jobs. To save money, you should also buy hard-wearing products that don't need replacing too often.
Before you place an order, ask yourself the following questions. The answers will help you choose the right products.
While some safety work gloves simply protect the hands with general coverage and some padding, others are designed for certain types of work. So, think about the jobs your workers do. What kinds of materials will they handle? How will their work affect their gloves?
For example, if your people handle chemicals, then they need gloves that keep these substances off the skin. Anyone who works with materials that might spark should wear flame-resistant gloves. If someone handles rough materials a lot, then gloves with abrasion protection and extra grip work well.
Your choice of products here doesn't just affect the safety and comfort of your workers, it also affects your bottom line. Specialist features, like chemical resistance and abrasion protection, keep gloves in better shape for longer. They won't get damaged or wear too quickly, so your replacement costs will be more manageable.
Safety work gloves don't just have to protect hands, they also need to compensate for environmental factors. Working conditions and the weather play a part in your decision here.
For example, if your workers do a lot of outside jobs in hot weather, then you need to make sure that their gloves don't make their hands too hot. If gloves get sweaty, then they feel heavy and uncomfortable to wear; people will feel that their hands slip around inside them.
On the other hand, you need gloves that keep hands warm and dry in cold or wet conditions. People might lose some dexterity and movement if their hands and fingers are too cold. If water gets inside gloves, then they are hard to wear. They hurt the skin and affect hand mobility.
If you need to compensate for heat, then breathable and ventilated materials work well. Gloves that wick away sweat also help keep hands dry.
Waterproof gloves are useful if people work with water or wet materials, or if they might have to work in the rain. Thermal materials and padding are good for cold weather wear.
If people need hand protection, then you need to ensure that they wear safety gloves at the right times and for the right amount of time. You might find it hard to persuade people to do this if they have to wear uncomfortable gloves for long periods.
Comfort typically becomes more important the longer someone has to wear work gloves. So, if you expect your workers to wear gloves a lot of the time, then look for products that will be easy on their hands.
Features like padding and cushioning increase comfort. Flexible materials stop the gloves from feeling stiff and cumbersome. If people have problems keeping gloves in the right position, then cuffs help hold them more securely in place.
Don't forget about fit here. Ideally, work safety gloves should be tight enough to stay on the hands without constricting movement or blood flow. People might have to take off tighter gloves more often to relieve stress in their hands and fingers.
Gloves that are too loose are also harder to wear. People don't want to have to focus on using their fingers and hands to keep the gloves in place.
For more advice on choosing safety work gloves, contact Ace Workwear. We stock a full range of gloves and accessories to suit both general and specialist jobs.
Work 360 Announcement
We’re thrilled to unveil our refreshed business name Work 360. The new name shows the evolution of our company since its founding in 2006. When established, our core range was workwear & garment decoration. Over the years our product range has increased, and it was time for us to revamp our business name. The new name showcases the different workplace solutions we have to offer. At Work 360 we offer a wide range of work solution products and services that is totally around work. While this is a significant change, our core beliefs haven’t changed to provide great service at great prices. We hope to see you all browse through our showroom and shop at our newly located retail outlet Unit 1/22 Stennett Road, Ingleburn 2565 NSW