Home MaintenanceMaintenance Resource
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT: Always wear proper safety equipment to minimize exposure to hazards associated with completing maintenance tasks. The necessary personal protective equipment will vary depending on the task and the equipment and tools you use. Generally, the following are items that may be recommended: safety glasses or goggles, gloves, respiratory masks, ear protection, closed-toe or steel-toe shoes or boots, and possibly a hardhat. It is wise to select comfortable work clothes that do not have many pockets or features that a power tool or other object could snag and cause injury to you. What are the top 6 PPE needed around the home? Let’s see…
Top 6 PPE Needed Around the Home!
Eye Protection
Your eyes are essential, and you need to protect them. If an accident happens, you’ll be happy you did. Eye protection is the most important protective gear you can wear. If you’re not wearing safety glasses or goggles on the job, you run the risk of causing damage to your eyes that could cause permanent vision problems or even blindness.
Even if you are not using a tool and are just a bystander, you should have eye protection. Helping to hold something or handing something to a person on a ladder can create a situation where you can get something in your eyes. Particles, debris, or insulation arising from impact can irritate or cause eye damage. Wind or fans also can blow debris into your eyes.
What type of PPE is needed and available for eyes?
There are two types of safety eye protection available, depending on the type of hazards in your work area. If you are working in an area with particles, flying objects, or dust, you must at least wear safety glasses with side protection (side shields). Goggles provide protection from impact, dust, and chemical splash. Particularly when working with chemicals, you should wear goggles. Like safety glasses, safety goggles are highly impact resistant. In addition, goggles provide a secure shield around the entire eye and protect against hazards coming from any direction. Most goggles can be worn over prescription glasses and contact lenses.
Other points to remember about eye protection:
- Eye and face protection should always fit snug and be comfortable.
- Keep eyewear and lenses clean so as not to distort or block your vision.
- Clean safety glasses and goggles with mild soap and water and a clean cloth.
Gloves
What type of task you are doing will determine whether or not you need to wear gloves. Regular gloves will cover just your hands, whereas long gloves will protect both your hands and arms. Regardless of which type, gloves need to fit properly for both safety and comfort. Selecting the appropriate material also is important. Plain cloth gloves protect the wearer from getting blisters; heavy cloth or leather provide protection from sharp and prickly items; rubber gloves are needed to protect from harsh chemicals.
* Remember when working in flower or vegetable gardens that the plants will have many chemicals to kill bugs (pesticides) or fertilize, along with different types of manures that can carry diseases. Ensure you clean gloves off when finished, and wash your hands with mild soap after you take gloves off.
Tip: Between uses, some folks put gloves in a recyclable plastic grocery bag and tie it shut so that bugs and spiders don’t build nests in the fingers and bite you. The gloves also will be ready whenever you next need them. Some cleaning tasks will recommend you disinfect surfaces. Read and follow any precautions listed on the disinfectant product label, which may include wearing gloves (reusable or disposable) and having good clean air ventilation. Open a window or turn on a fan to get fresh air into the room.
Respiratory Masks
It is always a good idea to keep a supply of masks around to protect you and/or your helper. When cleaning, masks will protect you from airborne particles like dust, dander, rodent feces particles, mold, and many other harmful respiratory contaminants. A mask also will protect you from harmful chemicals. It is also good to wear a mask when working in a crawl space or attic to protect from insulation fibers. Anytime you are in contact with insulation, it is highly recommended that you wear a mask.
Another good reason to keep masks around is to have them available if a pandemic should hit, you will be prepared and have a mask.
Ear Protection
Ear protection devices can protect you from damaging your hearing or sustaining permanent hearing loss. They are essential when working in a noisy environment, including the use of certain power tools. Options vary from using a simple earplug that costs very little to noise-canceling headphones that will be more expensive but highly effective. You can protect your ears by rolling tissue or toilet paper to insert into your ear canal in an emergency situation.
Shoe Protection
This is an easy piece of personal protective equipment to have. When doing various maintenance tasks, you need to determine what type of shoes you should wear. If there is a danger of heavy falling objects, steel toes are needed to protect your toes. Shoes with heavy soles provide protection from nails or screws that could puncture your foot if stepped upon. Make sure your soles provide good traction if the surface you will be walking on might be slippery. If you are dealing with water or chemicals, you want to make sure your shoes are waterproof.
Hard Hats
A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly is used in workplace environments, such as industrial or construction sites, to protect the head from injury caused by falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, and electric shock. This piece of protective gear will seldom be required for typical maintenance tasks but could prove useful in special circumstances.
There you have it! Those are the top 6 PPE needed around the home.
One last tip is to keep all the PPE needed within your home in one convenient location. When it’s time to use, you won’t have to search around!
It goes without saying that it’s imperative to protect yourself and anyone working with or around you. We urge you to take these simple precautions and preventive measures. Always be safe!
Now that you have your PPE, check out where to find a maintenance to-do list for your home!
By Mike
