What (and What Not) to Wear: a Guide to PPE

What (and What Not) to Wear: a Guide to PPE
Posted on in Featured, ReStores, Safety Managers

Print This Post Print This Post

Summer’s coming and building for most affiliates is gearing up. A common question your volunteers will have is what they should wear on the job site and to work in the ReStore. Your regular volunteers and paid staff may also want to slack on the dress code requirements in order to be most comfortable when working in warm temperatures. But in order to ensure their safety, it’s important to firmly adhere to a dress code suited to construction sites and warehouse-type work.

what-to-wear What TO wear*:

  • Boots or sturdy athletic shoes
  • Long pants (yes, even in hot weather)
  • Hirt with sleeves, fitted or tucked in (no baggy shirts)
  • Long hair pulled into a ponytail

 

 

 

 

what-not-to-wear

What NOT to wear:

  • shorts
  • tank tops
  • flip flops
  • jewelry of any kind

 

 

 

 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary, depending on the task a worker is engaging in. PPE available on your Habitat jobsites should include:

  1. Head Protection—Hard hats are required to protect the crew from accidental head injury during certain tasks
  2. Respirators—Respirators are necessary when blowing cellulose or fiberglass insulation and when installing fiberglass batt insulation. Dust from insulation is likely the most serious potential health hazard facing crew workers, and using the correct respirator is important whenever handling or installing insulation. Each employee shall be provided with a respirator. The employee will receive training on how to select, maintain, clean, and store their respirator. Any problems or malfunctions should be reported.
  3. Eye Protection— Goggles, plastic shields or safety glasses with side shields, should be worn whenever there is a chance of particles flying into the eyes. Use the proper eye protection when drilling, blowing insulation, cutting glass or Plexiglas, working with fiberglass and sawing. Glasses and sunglasses are not approved eye protection.
  4. Gloves— Each crew member should have good quality work gloves to protect the hands while handling glass, fiberglass, aluminum, wood, and cellulose.
  5. *Shoes—Good quality work boots are recommended, with a heavy, treaded sole that offers support, traction and protection. While tennis or other athletic shoes don’t always give proper protection, they are acceptable on most Habitat job sites.
  6. *Clothing—Long pants offer more protection than short pants. Layers of clothing are recommended so that the worker can adjust to the temperature. While working in winter temperatures, several layers of lighter clothing will keep a worker warmer and afford easier movement than heavy and bulky clothes

 

comments powered by Disqus

Sorry, that passcode is incorrect.

Submit

Online Training Course Instructions

Read this entirely before proceeding to a training course.

Access Code: W8NAEBTG

Recommended Courses

  • You are Exposed: General Affiliate Safety
  • Fall Safety
  • ReStore Safety & Loss Control
  • Volunteering on a Habitat for Humanity Job Site

Take Training Course Now
Instructions
  • After reading these instructions in their entirety, click on Take Training Course Now.
  • In the Employee Access Code box enter: W8NAEBTG and press Submit. This is the code for all Habitat affiliates and volunteers to use.
  • The Safety Courses catalog screen offers a diverse selection of safety courses, including four Habitat-specific courses. Course completion time ranges from 15 to 30 minutes.
  • Click the name of the course you wish to take. The course loads and starts automatically. When the presentation has ended you will be prompted to take a Quiz.
  • Upon completion of the Quiz, you’ll be given your accuracy score, indicating Pass or Fail.
  • If you Fail, you may log in again and re-take the course at a later time
  • If you Pass, you will be directed to a course completion screen. On this screen enter your First Name and Last Name in the appropriate fields. In the Location field enter the Habitat affiliate name you are working with.
  • Course completion information is provided to HFHI, the program administrator and program underwriter.