Sole Education Fall 2019: Personal Protective Equipment

We can't stress it enough, so we made a second post about it! Safety needs to remain at the forefront of any trades-related job. So, this week, we asked our students to describe in more detail what Personal Protective Equipment they can't go without.

Michael: I'd feel lost without my safety shoes and glasses!

We often work on new construction or remodeling job sites. As the plumbing sub-contractor, we are not only required to adhere to the safety protocols put in place by our company, but the protocols sanctioned by the General Contractor for that particular job site as well. Most of the time, our safety protocols overlap. With this in mind, the two pieces of personal protective equipment I wear every day are my safety glasses and safety shoes. Honestly, I would feel lost without them as they have become part of my daily work uniform.When choosing these items, you quickly realize there are many choices available for purchase. How they look and feel are essential variables as you are wearing them daily for many hours. The most important factor is, will they protect you!When choosing my safety shoes, I always seek out a composite or alloy toed shoe that meets ASTM safety toe and electrical hazard standards. The ASTM formerly stood for the American Society for Testing Materials. This group develops and publishes voluntary consensus standards for a wide range of products and is known as ASTM International.When choosing my safety glasses, I always look for lenses that meet ANSI standards. The American National Standards Institute is a private, non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for safety products. Purchasing safety products meeting standards by either of these organizations is ensuring their seal of approval.

Riley: Wear gloves to prevent refrigerant burn.

Safety is something that should always be taken seriously. Always make sure you are following safety protocols. Whenever working out in the field, you need to make sure you are wearing your safety glasses and a pair of gloves when required. You also need to wear work shoes or boots that will protect your feet from falling objects. Something that I don't use very frequently but should use more often is earplugs whenever working around loud machinery and equipment.When working with refrigerants, you want to make sure to protect your fingers and hand from getting a refrigerant burn, which can cause severe pain and blistering. When I choose my PPE, it just depends on what task I am working with at the time and try to keep myself as safe as possible with the safety equipment that I have with me at the time.Follow along with our students' progress here. Learn more about the Generation T movement here.

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