As an employer in the industrial sector, you have a certain legal and moral obligation to ensure that your employees have all of the necessary safety equipment to perform their roles safely.

Most industrial work has the potential for serious injuries and even fatalities, and protecting your employees from the risk of harm keeps them safe, and keeps your business (and your reputation as an employer) safe from litigation, too.

With this in mind, here are a few items of basic safety equipment that those working within the industrial sector, should be supplied with in order to carry out their work without the risk of injury or death:

Safety glasses

In industries such as construction or manufacturing, for example, safety glasses are often an essential piece of kit for workers, and helps to prevent them from damaging their eyes while carrying out such tasks as welding, or soldering. Dust can sometimes be nothing more than a nuisance when it gets in your eye, but anything that has the potential to be detrimental to a worker’s vision, could cause them to have an accident when at work in an industrial environment. Not only dust, but debris can easily fly up and into a worker’s eye, and in a worst case scenario, could cause them to lose their sight altogether.

Safety hats

With the risk of falling debris hitting workers on the head on a construction site or similar environment, a safety helmet is crucial for protecting them from the risk of serious injury or death. This basic bit of kit should be supplied to all industrial workers, and wearing of it enforced appropriately.

Safety gloves

Designed to keep an industrial worker’s hands protected from chemicals and sensitive materials, sharp items and temperatures that are extreme in nature, the type of glove supplied to workers by their employer or contractor, will largely depend on the type of hazards they may be exposed to, and should fit properly for ease and safety of use.

Safety masks

While the general population are all familiar with face masks now after the recent health pandemic, industrial workers have been wearing them for decades, albeit ones that are more robust and designed for use in industries such as cement and coal, chemicals, automotive, engineering and petrochemicals among others. The N95 respirator mask, for example, has become an essential bit of safety kit for many within the industrial sector, and protects workers from inhaling harmful gases, contagious droplets and other airborne particles known for their potential to cause serious harm.

Safety face shields

While some of the general population and those working within public facing roles wore face shields during the COVID-19 pandemic, industrial workers typically wear face shields that are made of tougher materials, and which protect those who may be struck in the face by flying objects, bodily fluids or chemicals. Metal workers should definitely be kitted out with them.

Safety footwear

Whether safety shoes or boots, steel toe-capped safety footwear is crucial for anyone working in an environment in which something heavy could fall, or be dropped, onto their feet. Some safety footwear is also designed to prevent the wearer from slipping or falling when working on certain surfaces, and can also protect against certain electrical hazards and weather conditions that are extreme in nature.

PPE

Again, many of us are familiar with PPE following on from COVID-19, and items often include a bodysuit, face mask and shield, protection for the head, and feet and hands. For those working in potentially hazardous environments, PPE is a real must.

Fall protection

Usually in the form of harnesses and belts, items designed to keep those working at height safe, and free from the risk of falling, can literally save lives, and should be issued to all workers employed to fulfil tasks at heights from which falling could cause significant injury or death. Fall arrest systems can be just as important in certain environments, and helps to protect workers who may be at risk of free falling.

To ensure your industrial workers are properly kitted out and can remain safe while working for you, start shopping from safety equipment supplier online, today.