If you are an employer, one of your responsibilities is to provide a safe work site and personal protective equipment for your employees. A task that can also be challenging is to ensure that your employees are wearing the safety apparel when needed, like hard hats and hi-vis safety clothing. Here are tips on choosing the right safety apparel for your workers.

Workplace Assessment

The first task of an employer or safety manager is to conduct an assessment of the workplace to spot potential hazards. This may include areas with there are sources of electricity, sharp objects, machinery that is mobile, or where falls may occur. After the assessment is made, then the proper gear can be chosen.

Select the Right Safety Apparel

Personal protective equipment for the workplace needs to meet OSHA and ANSI standards. If you are not sure, the manufactures can help you determine the right safety gear. Instead of choosing the minimum level for safety, go a little above that to ensure complete protection.

Training and Retraining

Employees need to be instructed on what PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is required for the job they are doing. They need to know how to put it on, take it off, and adjust it for the right fit. Training will also let them know how to care for the gear and maintain it. Employees also need to know approximately how long the gear will last and how to dispose of it properly.

Retraining is necessary for several reasons. When an employee begins a new job, he or she will need to know which safety gear is needed. Another reason is the fact that people forget things over time, especially if they are not performing the same work every day.

Also, if the company replaces some gear with a different type of gear, then a quick overview would be needed. Lastly, an employee that is not wearing or using PPE properly needs to be retrained.