Why Safety Workwear Is Essential For Construction – Construction sites, with falling debris and dangerous equipment, are known for being hazardous environments, so protecting workers’ health and safety is vital. Being accident-prone areas, construction sites must be well equipped with the necessary safety workwear to prevent avoidable accidents.
But if you have doubts whether investing in safety workwear is really necessary, look no further. Here’s an in-depth guide on why safety workwear is essential for construction. Read to the end of the article to learn valuable insights on safety & workwear.
Why Safety Workwear Is Essential For Construction
- Body Protection
On a construction site, workers are often surrounded by hazardous chemicals, flames, loud noises, and heavy objects, making safety a priority. No safety gear is as essential as protective clothing. In addition to being the most common workwear on a construction site, overalls enhance workers’ safety. Like other employees with dress codes, construction workers have overalls, making it easy to perform construction-related work.
Overalls safeguard construction workers against hazardous elements such as chemicals, flames, or fire. This type of protective clothing is made from fire-resistant materials that protect workers against hot liquid spillage.
Additionally, overalls are equipped with pockets for carrying vital tools such as screwdrivers, pliers, and spanners. This makes it easy for workers to carry tools around and protect themselves against injuries while working.
- Foot Protection
Just like clothing, footwear is equally important on a construction site. These items are essential in protecting workers’ feet on the job. Boots are the standard footwear on a construction site, and their importance can’t be understated. They are ideal for protecting construction workers against chemical burns, slips, fractures, and even electrocution.
With the proper footwear, you can protect your feet and legs against puncture wounds and falling debris. With a boot, you can significantly reduce the severity of a foot or leg injury in case of an accident. A pair of boots can mean the difference between a broken leg and a bruised one.
Boots are equipped with incredible grip to prevent slipping. Furthermore, the soles are chemical-resistant, protecting you not only from slips but also from chemical burns.
- Hearing Protection
Working on a construction site exposes one to loud noises more often. Therefore, you should always ensure your ears are protected. Any environment that exposes you to 85dB of noise daily or weekly is risky, and it is required by law to protect your ears when noise pollution reaches these levels. Failure to do so can result in hearing damage.
Most power tools reach a noise level of 100dB; this can cause hearing damage if you are exposed to it for at least 15 minutes. It would be best to look for an ear defender that could cover your ears since earplugs are not designed to offer the same level of protection. Furthermore, earplugs tend to fall more often and can be uncomfortable. As a construction worker who needs hearing protection more often, you should use a helmet equipped with an ear defender.
- Visibility
Visibility is critical on a construction site since workers work near heavy machinery along with other potential hazards. Hi-vis vests are ideal for enhancing visibility and offering protection against possible injuries. This workwear is vital, especially when working in a shady area or at night. Furthermore, hi-vis vests come in different bright colors, with orange being the standard version. Orange is commonly used on construction sites due to its reflective ability, making it easy for a construction worker to be spotted.
Having a hi-vis vest on makes you visible to the operator of any big machine on a construction site, preventing any avoidable accident. In addition to visibility, these vests offer protection against injuries. Hi-vis vests are designed from highly visible fabric that can absorb or deflect impact in case of an accident.
An outfit that reflects light is critical when working in hazardous environments such as construction sites, making it something to watch out for when looking for construction workwear.
- Head Protection
The last thing you want to happen while working is to have a traumatic brain injury resulting from a heavy object falling on your head. This is why having a helmet on a construction site is vital. Safety helmets protect the head against falling debris. Therefore, wearing a helmet on-site is mandatory and not optional.
Helmets are designed to absorb shock, protecting the head against impacts from falling heavy debris. Furthermore, a helmet will protect your head when you bump into an object or slip and fall to the ground. This makes a helmet one of the must-have workwear on a construction site.
- Hand Protection
Protecting your hands while on a construction site is vital; nothing does that better than gloves. Gloves are designed to offer maximum protection for your hands while working on-site. With different designs available on the market, you can always choose one that suits the type of work that you do, such as cut-resistant gloves, rubber gloves, heat-resistant gloves, and chainsaw gloves.
What Are The Things To Consider When Choosing Workwear For Construction?
With different brands and types available on the market, choosing workwear for construction that best suits your needs can be relatively challenging especially as a newbie. However, with these tips in mind, you’ll be able to select the best workwear for construction with ease.
- Safety
The primary function of your workwear is to ensure safety; if it fails to do so, that product isn’t worth your hard-earned money. You should expect to come across hazardous materials while working on a construction site. Therefore, you should invest in workwear that will protect you from these dangerous materials.
- Quality
Quality should be your top priority when purchasing anything, and construction wear is no different. Before buying any construction gear, from helmets to overalls and footwear, you should assess its quality and ensure it meets the standards. For instance, ensure your overalls are made from high-quality, fire-resistant fabric to keep yourself safe while at work.
- Durability
In addition to the quality, you’d want to purchase a long-lasting product. This is vital since the longevity of a product relies on its quality. For footwear, ensure you invest in boots made from high-quality leather with incredible grip. These will provide excellent durability and protect you for a long time.
Takeaway
Working on a construction site is both dangerous and challenging. And as a construction worker, you might find yourself working hundreds of feet above the ground and exposed to various dangers. As a result, safety should be your top priority, with safety workwear at the forefront. If you had any reservations, this article has outlined reasons to convince you otherwise.
