Staying safe on site is paramount while doing a job. You might feel confident and skilled enough to take it on, but without the proper safety equipment you will be opening yourself up to a range of unnecessary risks. With dangerous machinery and falling debris both being relatively common on building sites, you could easily get injured without it.
Every builder should have the key pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to cover the vulnerable parts of the body to prevent accidents from being more severe. Here’s what you should have when taking on building work in order to keep yourself safe.
Eyes and face protection
When working with saws, drills, welders, and similar equipment, debris can go flying at unexpected angles. If practically any form of debris gets into your eyes, it can cause severe damage and require immediate medical attention.
Make sure to wear the appropriate face and eye protection for whatever task you’re carrying out, whether that’s safety goggles, full face shields, or otherwise.
Head protection
Hard hats are the most common form of PPE to have on a construction site. Head injuries, even minor ones, can have serious consequences. Where building sites carry high levels of risk, having protection for your head is essential.
Follow the rules and regulations correctly on site when it comes to PPE and head protection, otherwise you may find yourself in trouble quite quickly.
Safety boots
Steel toe-caps are essential for protecting your toes from falling objects and hazardous machinery. The bones and tendons in your feel are delicate, with damage to these potentially taking you off a job for months in order to recover.
Rubber soles are also needed to prevent electric shocks from carrying a higher risk of fatality, as you’ll be insulated from the ground properly, and can prevent treading on sharp materials from causing injury.
Earplugs/ear defenders
Building sites are full of loud noises which will exceed the safe parameters for noise exposure. Considering you will likely be around these sounds for extended periods of time, you’ll need some form of PPE to protect your hearing.
Earplugs can be sufficient if you’ll be posted relatively far away from the sources of this noise, but if you’re in close proximity for even short periods of time you’ll want something more robust. Ear defenders will provide proper noise insulation and protect your hearing from excessive decibels.
Respirators
Dust particles can be particularly damaging to your respiratory system, harming your lungs and leading to breathing problems later down the line.
Using a respirator with a filter fitted will help you to breath clean air while undertaking tasks where your environment may affect your lungs.
These five pieces of equipment are crucial on a building site, but there may be further PPE which you are required to have for specific jobs. You’ll likely want to invest in a good pair of hard-wearing gloves to protect your hands, as well as appropriate clothing for day-to-day wear.
