Article Safety Products A SHARPER FOCUS ON EYE SAFETY AND FACE PROTECTION PRODUCTS From the experts at Hultafors Group UK and Hellberg Safety... Face Protection products, such as safety glasses, masks and visors, have all been brought into much sharper focus during the Covid-19 pandemic. They’re all critical components in the PPE framework that ensures wellbeing and safety at work. In business and industrial environments, the use of Face Protection products should be second nature. But believe it or not, a recent report showed that many men are now more concerned about face masks of the cosmetic kind than personal safety and protection on site. A poll of 1,000 people found that British males spend an average £760-a-year on ‘essentials’ to keep their skin in tip-top condition. That’s probably far more than a single person would spend on PPE in a year. What’s more it’s estimated that the UK market for men’s face care products is worth over £77 million a year! But anti-wrinkle creams, facial washes, scrubs and face masks will hardly provide proper protection of vital facial features when working in hazardous environments. Sadly, accidents happen all the time, sometimes in the most innocuous situations that we might ordinarily take for granted – like strimming the garden, jet washing the patio, cutting wood or drilling a wall. Perhaps unsurprisingly, industrial and construction-related work has a much higher rate of facial injuries than any other with hazards many and varied. Impact injuries can be caused by flying objects such as stone or brick fragments, particles of dirt and dust, tiny pieces of metal and splinters caused by hammering, chipping, grinding, machining, wood working, sawing, and drilling. Chemicals and extreme heat sources are also dangerous to the face. Splashes, fumes, vapours and irritating mists can scald and burn while welding arcs, UV radiation and intense light can damage your eyes. The consequences of facial injuries are serious, potentially life-threatening. Not just time off work and loss of pay as a result of short or long-term injuries, there’s the potential for something more significant. An injury can cause a lifetime of permanent disfigurement, even loss of sight. Surely that’s a good enough reason for using proper eye and face protection products all the time? That said, some people will always find a reason not to. Cheap face protection products are ‘uncool’, they ‘fog up’ and are often unwearable because pressure, pinching and slipping points are a nightmare for users, and the PPE ends up on top of workers’ heads or in their pockets instead of over their eyes. What to look for in the best safety eyewear Comfort, protection and fit is really important, as are lightweight, durable materials to provide complete protection and flexibility of design for combination with other PPE including ear defenders, safety helmets, and visors. Also, look out for specially developed lens technology for impact-resistance plus anti-scratch and anti-fog coatings on both sides, as well as styles that can be worn over prescription glasses. Around the lens, ergonomic designs should incorporate practical features, like a soft nose bridge and ‘adjustable temples’, which ensure the glasses stay in place and fit safely allowing you to keep a sharp focus all day long. What to look for in the best face protection visors BS EN 166:2002 is the International Standard for eye and face protection covering personal protective eye wear in the form of Visors and Eye Shields, and it’s important to look for this standard when you’re choosing what products to use. Think carefully about hazards in the work environment and look for a product that is designed for a comfortable, tight and ergonomic fit for maximum protection, especially so that no objects get around the edges of the visor. The visor should cover your face from at least the forehead to the base of the chin. The best quality Visors are available in different materials, thickness and size which correspond to specific hazard protection. You can even get Visors that are treated with an anti-fog coating. Don’t assume that a basic product that you might use for strimming or jet washing will provide maximum effective protection on a construction site. Continued on page 70
CLAIM A FREE XGT RADIO WITH SELECTED 40V / 80V MAX XGT PRODUCTS Free MR002GZ01 XGT Bluetooth Radio (compatible with XGT, LXT & CXT batteries) eligible for redemption claim with all D201, D202, D203, D204 & D209 suffixed XGT model purchases. Claims can be registered on-line from 1st <strong>May</strong> to 30th September <strong>2021</strong>. 28 days to claim form purchase. Terms & Conditions apply. makitauk.com/redemption
Change language