Fire safety equipment for the workplace

As a small business owner, it is your duty to ensure the safety of your staff in all working conditions. Protective clothing and fire safety equipment have been specially developed to reduce the risk of injury - particularly if people are undertaking hazardous tasks in workshops or on construction sites.

For many industries, appropriate fire safety garments and equipment are mandatory and it is an offence not to make them available to your staff.

If you can’t be heard, be seen

If your workers are on the job in busy traffic zones, fluorescent vests are very effective - and there’s no question they prevent accidents and save lives.

“Hi-viz vests make a brightly coloured statement to the passing traffic to avoid colliding with workers participating in roadworks, or truck drivers checking their loads,” says Jenny Goodwin of Goodwin Solutions.

Keep a hard head

Hard hats are legally required in construction environments. It is essential that workers, not to mention visitors, wear them on site.

“Hard hats and safety helmets protect people constructing bridges, office towers and other infrastructure from the danger of falling objects,” says Jenny.

“These hats have a durable exterior and are often internally padded to cushion any impact to the head. A harness secures the hat to the head and the wearer needs to ensure this is fastened tightly but comfortably around the chin.”

Cover up and save face

Specialist masks shield workers who cut and weld steel from blinding doses of ultraviolet light as well as flying fragments of metal.

Face masks are also necessary when dealing with hazardous chemicals - as are gloves, aprons and other safety clothing.

“When you’re working with chemicals it’s important to know which materials are resistant to those chemicals and ensure that your protective clothing is made from those materials,” says Jenny. “The wrong materials will disintegrate, leaving your workers completely exposed.”

Fall gear only works with the right clothes

Safety harnesses and fall-arrest systems protect people working at heights from disaster - but they need to be securely anchored and able to hold the accelerating loads if someone falls.

“These devices work best with the appropriate safety clothing,” Jenny says. “If they are not used in tandem with durable, fit-for-purpose protective clothing, they may not be effective.”

Remember feet - and fittings

Steel-capped safety footwear has prevented many horrible foot injuries from burns and falling objects, but it needs to be specially fitted to each worker to be comfortable.

“Protective equipment and clothing needs to fit well, so it needs to be adjusted to each individual at your workplace,” says Jenny. “It also needs to be clean and comfortable so it can continue to be a good barrier against many risks of injury.”

To ensure your business is doing the right thing by its workers, not to mention the law, consult a safety clothing specialist today.