The Effects of PPE in Different Environments, Essay Example

Don’t Guess at Comfort (Child, 2012)

This article explores the need to find an acceptable balance between flame resistant garments and thermal comfort. Garment comfort is typically determined by wear trials, but this method has limitations. Professionals recommend instead measuring characteristics of fabric properties to determine whether they will be comfortable and protective. The primary factors that should be considered in this analysis are heat loss and moisture management. Specifically, heat loss can be used to define thermal comfort because it will reduce the amount of heat that is trapped inside of the garment. In addition, moisture must be able to reach the surface of the garment so it can evaporate and allow for cooling. For example, flannel or denim would not be ideal because for this material, the sweat rate exceeds the evaporation rate. A simple test to use to determine this for other garments is the calculation of the percent evaporation. To do so, it is necessary to determine the ratio of the amount of moisture evaporated to the amount of moisture absorbed over 1000 seconds.

Safe and Warm in Electrical PPE (Reith, 2008)

This article discusses the garment need of employees who work in cold weather. Three hazards that personal protective equipment typically needs to address in the workforce includes protection against shock, flash, and blast, which are always risks when working near electricity. To protect against shock, proper voltage-rated gloves are required when working with 50 volts or greater. Leather glove protectors supplement this protection and could also be used in severe weather to keep hands warm. It is preferable for the worker to wear a jacket that covers the end of the glove to ensure proper insulation of body heat. Electrical workers also need to be protected against flash of light. In both regular and extreme weather, an insulated jacket and bib overall or insulated coverall in a flame-resistant fabric is recommended. Face and head protection is also required depending on the job. It is essential to remember that although protective gear should strive for comfort in cold weather, safety is the first priority.

Efficiency of personal protective equipment used in agriculture (Meirelles et al., 2012)

A major concern in the field of agriculture is the safety of workers and it is believed that PPE is a reasonable solution. This study examines the use and availability of PPE in general and for agricultural purposes in Brazil. One of the primary concerns that the author has with the use of PPE in this country concerns the balance between state of the art and the state of prevailing practices in the design of PPEs. For PPE to be truly effective, it is necessary to ensure that the development of new equipment is regularly performed and that its efficacy is reviewed. Furthermore, it is essential to understand when PPE should be replaced with new equipment when it is no longer able to perform adequately. A literature review found that in some cases, it is the employee rather than the employer that pays for the PPE. This is true in both Brazil and the United States. Furthermore, there is a disparity between PPE developed for industrial use and PPE developed for agricultural use since most PPE is developed for the industry but is being used for agriculture. Therefore, more research must be done to improve the current PPE in the field of agriculture to ensure that it could protect the health and safety of workers.

The use of pesticides in French viticulture: a badly controlled technology transfer! (Alain et al., 2012)

Although the use of pesticides is a common practice in modern agriculture, they have been shown to have a negative impact on worker health. A major issue with the use of pesticides is that particular chemicals that were made for one unique situation have been applied to others, demonstrating a transfer of technology between different countries and different contexts. This study combined different data sources in an attempt to show that the use of pesticides in France is a consequence of a badly controlled technology transfer. Conditions that would control the exposure of farm workers to harmful chemicals include the controlling the limitation of the pesticide marketing authorization process, controlling the limitations in the effectiveness of filtering cabs, discussion of the effectiveness of PPE, and implementation of effective training programs. The authors also developed several perspectives that would assist in the development of safe practices for farm workers. These include modeling real life situations of toxicological models, taking into account the safety of the machinery used in agriculture, and developing training processes that will allow farm workers to understand how to remain safe.

Release the Heat (Clagg, 2012)

This article explains that PPE could pose a problem in high temperatures, such as in extreme summer weather and fire. Risks include dangerously high heart rates and body temperatures. It is essential to take certain precautions to protect against heat-related illness. Heat exhaustion is typically due to dehydration, so it is essential for workers to regularly consume water to compensate for the amounts that are released. In addition, workers should follow well-balanced diets, become acclimated to the heat before performing intense jobs, and monitoring health status. In some cases, it may necessary to take breaks away from the heat to ensure proper health. While some careers may allow for altered PPE that decreases retained heat, this is often not possible because safety is the first priority. Therefore, the worker must take the aforementioned steps to ensure his or her health.

References

Alain G, Baldi I, Marçalc J. (2012). The use of pesticides in French viticulture: a badly controlled technology transfer! Work, 41: 19-25.

Child, A. (2012). Don’t Guess at Comfort. PPE, 74-75.

Clagg, B. (2012). Release the Heat. ISHN.

Meirellesa LA, Veigab MM, Duartea JCM. (2012). Efficiency of personal protective equipment used in agriculture. Work, 41: 14-18.

Reith, B. (2008). Safe and Warm in Electrical PPE. ISHN.