Metal Worker PPE for Hands and Eyes Metal workers drill, press, punch, cut, bend, shape, and fasten pieces of sheet metal to make construction and consumer products.  The most common injuries to metal workers are hand lacerations and eye injuries from metal pieces.  Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) can prevent these. Choose appropriate work gloves for the job task.  They should be well-fitted so they don’t get caught by moving or rotating machine parts.  The gloves should be flexible enough to allow your hands to move freely while holding stock materials and using tools.  They should be sturdy enough to...

Why Take A Chance? Are you willing to risk losing your ability to see? Thousands of people take that chance every day by not wearing needed eye protection. In fact, 3 out of 5 workers who have experienced an eye injury were not wearing their eye protection. A survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that nearly 70% of the injuries were the result of flying or falling objects. Most of the material striking the eye was reportedly moving at speeds faster than something being thrown by hand. What can you do so you are not added to these statistics? Easy...

Eye Protection Seeing is Believing In just the blink of an eye, an incident can injure or even blind a worker who is not wearing proper eye protection. The type of eye protection-safety glasses, goggles, face shields, or helmets must meet the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). In hazardous workplaces, street wear eyeglasses should only be worn in conjunction with ANSI-approved additional cover protection. Eye safety requirement signs should be posted for anyone entering a work area that requires industrial-quality eye protection. Warning signs should be placed near machines, equipment, or process...

Personal Protective Equipment One way to prevent injury at work is to wear proper personal protective equipment. Some protective equipment is necessary for specific jobs, while other items are necessary for any work. Employers should know the hazards their workers face on the job, then provide the proper equipment to protect against those hazards. It’s important that workers be trained on how to use and care for the equipment so it will provide maximum protection. Hard hats should be worn by all workers where there is a danger of flying, falling, and moving objects. Hard hats can mean the difference between life...