The Farmers Mart Jun-Jul 2018 - Issue 57 | Page 56

56 FARM BUILDINGS
JUN/JUL 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk
Personal Protective Equipment: How to
care for your agricultural workforce
WITH agriculture being reported as one
of the riskiest industry sectors to work in,
there are many precautions that should
be taken to reduce the likelihood of injury
or death in the workplace. Kelly Friel is the
Digital Product Manager at Zoro, experts in
personal protective equipment (PPE). Here,
she advises owners and managers on how
to choose the correct PPE for their agricul-
tural business.
For many industries working with ma-
chinery and chemicals, PPE is particularly
important in helping to prevent injury and
fatalities of workers, as well as damage to
machinery and raised insurance premiums.
Plus, by fully educating your staff on the
protective equipment that’s available to
them, they are more likely to be an all-
round much safer, happier and productive
workforce — so prioritise it!
What PPE is available?
Each organisation will have specific PPE
needs, uniquely tailored to them depending
on what hazards can be found in each indi-
vidual workplace. While it doesn’t prevent
accidents from happening, PPE does help
to reduce risk of injury or death. This can
range from hearing protection to suitable
footwear while on-site, so it’s necessary to
evaluate which things your staff need. Com-
mon types of agricultural PPE can include:
Eye and face protection
Injury to the eyes is the leading cause
of blindness in farmers, according to The
National Education Centre for Agricultur-
al Safety, so it’s vital to wear these in an
agricultural environment. Not only does it
prevent injury from bright lights like lasers,
but the likelihood of chemicals and par-
ticles going into your eyes will be greatly
minimised too.
With variations from the simplest
sunglasses to full face shields that offer
all-round protection, there’s something
suitable for all job roles.
Hearing protection
Working alongside loud machinery
including farm vehicles and operating
machinery is bound to heighten the risk of
hearing issues and damage to the ears. You
must make hearing protection available if
the average volume is at 80 decibels daily
or weekly. If this exceeds 85 decibels,
you’re required to take preventative meas-
ures to lower this, while no one can work in
environments above 87 decibels (with PPE
taken into account). Exposing yourself and
your staff to any volume higher than this,
even for a couple of minutes per day, can
put you at risk of going permanently deaf.
Formable and pre-moulded earplugs
are the most basic types offering varying
protection against minimal noises, whereas
cap-mount earmuffs will protect the head,
face and hearing due to its attached safety
helmet and shield. Considering how long
the workers will be exposed to the noise
and at what volume will be key in deciding
which type of hearing protection you need
to invest in.
Respiratory protection
Working in the outdoors and with harmful
chemicals can pose a large risk for allergic
reactions. Using respiratory protectors like
air-purifying masks will ensure no toxic
substances are inhaled.
But, if your organisation deals with more
harmful chemicals, you’ll need to invest
in chemical cartridge respirators or gas
masks with a cartridge to help control the
air movement, again ensuring nobody is
inhaling any nasty chemicals. These types
of masks usually have disposable cartridges
for hygiene purposes, so ensure you’re well
equipped with a supply of spares for your
staff.
As the equipment works directly with
breathing, it requires a lot of oxygen to be
present in the environment when using
them. For this reason, thorough tests will
need to be carried out to ensure they’re a
proper fit for everybody.
Hand protection
As agriculture is a very manual job, it’s
impossible for your hands not to encounter
danger at some point, but there are meas-
ures you can take to prevent long-term
injury to them. For example, chemical-re-
sistant gloves must always be worn when
dealing with pesticides and other chem-
icals, to ensure no burning or corrosion
occurs to the skin.
Whether the staff are working with heat
or toxic chemicals, investing in a range of
gloves to suit all aspects of the job role will
prevent injuries of any kind. Vinyl, nitrile
protective gloves and barrier laminate