Safety Gear

In Australia, the importance of personal protective equipment cannot be overstated. Also known as PPE or safety gear, this description covers everything which is worn or used by people to reduce the risk of working on a construction site. It covers a range of different elements, from boots and high visibility clothing to earplugs and dust masks. Protective equipment needs to be worn in the construction industry, and bosses must provide safety gear to workers at the site unless it has already been provided. It is also against the law to charge the worker for the use of PPE equipment or to take wages deductions to cover items such as safety gear.

Requirements of personal protective equipment

The use of safety gear in the construction industry is determined by the occupational safety and health act of 1984, specifically section 19 which lays out the employer’s obligation to protect workers from potential hazards. Personal protective clothing and equipment codes of practice from 2002 offer guidance for the best selection, application and provision of safety gear according to specific hazards in the work environment. While PPE is often considered the least effective way of combating hazards, it is still one precaution which is necessary for the full protection of the workers.

Standards of safety gear

As the main purpose of PPE is to protect workers and reduce the risk to employees health or safety, then it is essential that any safety gear used by the company should be of high quality. The gear must be suitable for the purpose that it will be used for, and it should also be comfortable and reliable. All safety gear should comply with relevant Australian standards, or with building code requirements. Choosing the perfect safety equipment for the role can only be really done after health and safety risk assessments are conducted so that users can understand the connection between the work that they are doing and the protective equipment that they need. Talking to a supplier such as SBS Direct can also be the best way to ensure that companies find safety gear that meets their needs.

Choosing the necessary safety gear

Finding the right safety gear can be the first step to ensuring that workers have complete protection on construction sites. At SBS Direct, we are able to provide our customers with a range of different PPE options, including hardhats and visibility vests, designed to help protect people when they are working or moving around the site. It is important to make sure that you get a range of different vests and hardhats in order to provide protection for workers of any size. For more specific jobs, such as woodworking, it will be necessary to provide dust masks and safety goggles, aka safety glasses, which are designed to prevent the eyes from coming into contact with specs and irritants. SBS Direct can also offer protection, from full-size earmuffs to earplugs.

To find out more about our safety gear, contact us today.