Protective Apparel

Wearing a Hard Hat is Only Half the Job

By Michael Lloyd · March 2007

MILLIONS of hard hats are worn every day. In fact, the hard hat is one of the most recognizable pieces of safety equipment in the industrial workplace. It's also one of the most important pieces of safety equipment because it protects the brain. Unfortunately, this ubiquitous piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) is rarely part of an inspection, maintenance, or replacement program.

Sometimes a Shoe is Just a Shoe? Not in the Workplace

By Benjamin W. Mangan · October 2006

SIGMUND Freud, the father of psychoanalysis and one of the most authoritative thinkers of all time, is often quoted as having said, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." By that he meant, sometimes a person just wants to smoke a good cigar, so people shouldn't try to read any special significance into it. It's not something a person should overthink.

ISEA vs. ISO: Apparel Standards Examined

By Charlie Roberson · August 2006

FOR many industrial protective apparel end users, determining the proper protective garment to ensure worker safety is problematic. 29 CFR 1910.132, the personal protective equipment section of the OSHA General Industry Regulations, requires that employers "assess the workplace to determine if hazards are present, or are likely to be present, which necessitate the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)."

Misinformation and the ANSI Standard

By Greg Hayward · August 2006

ON June 1 way back in 1999, a new standard for high-visibility safety apparel was established by ANSI/ISEA. This methodically researched and carefully written standard provides a concise, consistent, and authoritative guide for the design, performance, and use of high-visibility garments in the workplace. (More than 65 percent of all high-visibility garments are used in the road construction segment.)

Puncture-Resistant Footwear: Arch Nemesis of the Rusty Nail

By Wayne Elsey · July 2006

PUNCTURE resistance has become the latest darling in safety footwear features for many manufacturers. Is it really a necessary component, or is it just an extra feature that offers little to no real value?

Looking at Total System Cost

By Marcel E.J. Willems · June 2006

TODAY, businesses that require workers to wear cut-resistant gloves are faced with a dilemma. Greater safety awareness together with regulatory requirements, higher worker's compensation premiums, and other factors are prompting companies to mandate higher levels of protection.

A Recycling Option

By Jerry Laws · April 2006

Editor's note: Some ideas are so smart that you wish you'd thought of them yourself. Reused protective footwear, for example. If you haven't considered the possibility until now, Wayne Elsey, president of Kodiak-Terra USA, Inc. (www.kodiakterra.com) of Portland, Tenn., may make you a believer.

Dexterity in Work Gloves--a Touchy Subject

By Eric Jaeger · April 2006

Safety professionals realize that high-dexterity gloves result in increased safety and job performance. Corporate managers know that increased safety reduces costs while increased performance enhances productivity, both of which boost the bottom line.

A Better Guide to High-Vis Apparel

By Jerry Laws · February 2006

BUYING and wearing appropriate high-visibility apparel--appropriate in the sense that the wearer is conspicuous and highly visible given the task he or she is engaged in--became much easier last fall with the update of the first American National Standard for high-visibility safety apparel, ANSI/ISEA 107-1999. Sept. 15, 2005, was the date the American National Standards Institute approved ANSI/ISEA 107-2004, which was devised by the ISEA High Visibility Products Group with help from employers, material suppliers, testing labs, safety professionals, and others.

Our Magnificent Workplace Obsession

By Linda F. Johnson, MS, CSP · May 2005

UNLIKE the days of long ago, in our modern workplaces the armor of Personal Protective Apparel (PPA) awaits almost any situation from the extreme to the daily grind.

Occupational Health & Safety

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