Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is essential to the safety of our core trade workers. Designed to minimize hazards that may lead to serious workplace illnesses or injuries, PPE generally includes hard hats, earplugs, high-visibility clothing, coveralls, eye protection, gloves, harnesses, footwear and respirators.
Even though employers are increasing the use of PPE on jobsites, preventable workplace incidents continue to occur. More than 5,000 fatal work injuries are reported in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with an injury-related death occurring roughly every three minutes, according to the National Safety Council.
Guidelines set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) help protect workers from hazardous substances, situations and environments. For the second consecutive year, OSHA listed PPE as one of its Top 10 Most Cited Violations, previously unseen on the list for more than 10 years.
When selecting the right PPE for a job, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. The equipment must provide maximum protection and be customized for the work performed. In many instances, it needs to be certified to protect against the hazard.According to OSHA, a hard hat must be worn “when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects.” Hard hats that are considered to be “OSHA approved” meet the minimum criteria established by the American National Standards (ANSI) in accordance with the most current standards.
Protective helmets must comply with ANSI Z89.1 [29 CFR 1915.155(b)(1) and (b)(2)] to provide protection from fall-ing objects and must be worn when working below other workers who are using tools and materials that could fall. Workers must wear a protective helmet designed to reduce electrical shock hazards where there is poten-tial for electric shock or burns [ANSI Z89.1-1986]. Class G helmets provide electrical protection from low-voltage conductors (less than 2,200 volts). Class E helmets provide electrical protection from high-voltage conduc-tors (less than 20,000 volts). Class C helmets that only provide impact and penetration protection, which are usu-ally made of aluminum that conducts electricity, should not be used around electrical hazards.
Employers can be fined a maximum of $13,494 for not meeting OSHA's PPE requirements. Failure to abate can result in a maximum fine of $13,494 per day beyond the abatement date. The maximum fine for willful or repeated violations is $134,937 per violation.
Klein Tools has a long history of innovation in the PPE market—since 1890—for electricians, lineman and other trade professionals. "When you participate in this market, you have to pay close attention to more than just the functional performance of any personal protective equipment," said Shantanu Deshpande, senior product manager for PPE, Klein Tools. "We also focus equally on ergonomics, especially for long-term use, which is an integral part of performance."
Klein Tools spends countless hours understanding when, where and how PPE is used to address pain points and unmet needs that create such distrac-tions. "We develop practical, robust and innovative PPE solutions that help minimize distractions to stay focused, productive and confident-leading to an overall safer environment," Deshpande said.
Zachary Richman, product manager, Milwaukee Tool Corp., said Milwaukee has taken the time to understand users' needs and develop PPE from the ground up, delivering hard hats that allow users to adapt to each job, safety glasses that can be worn all day with lasting fog-free lenses, high-visibility vests, respirators and lanyards for tool drop prevention.
"In New Jersey, someone dropped a tape measure off a building and killed someone," Richman said. "Dropped objects account for 5% of workplace fatalities, with one injury from a dropped object occurring every 11 minutes."
Milwaukee focuses on creating innovative PPE solutions that won't slow users down, helping them stay safe and productive on the jobsite. "We have solutions for the core trades—HVAC, electrical, power utility, mechanical, plumbing and remodeling—as well as transport and maintenance," Richman said. "We also have apprentices using our PPE on a daily basis."
Do-it-yourselfers who want industrial performance also use PPE products.
"One thing we noticed was people modifying hard hats for more functionality," Richman said. "They were zip-tying headlamps to their hard hats to not fall off."
In response to end users "beating up their safety products" to receive the protection they need to survive various jobsite conditions, Milwaukee created a hard hat with six accessory slots. "Workers can be more productive and more efficient instead of having to alter their hard hats with zip ties or duct tape or stapling for better functionality," Richman said.
Klein Tools' hard hat integrated accessory mounts are another such solution. They allow users to quickly and easily attach or detach headlamps securely with one hand while wearing the hard hat.
Sean O'Flaherty, vice president, product management, Klein Tools, said PPE is a very dynamic market that is evolving to better protect all areas of the body. "This is not a stagnant market," he said. "It is fast-paced and distributors should pay attention to the changes and the interesting developments in this space."
Distributors who want to sell PPE products should stay abreast of PPE standards, applications, best practices, functionality, comfort and performance. "They should really research and understand what's available out there and make the best decision based on their research," Richman said.
Not only are workers demanding more PPE, the market is growing significantly because it is now required on all major jobsites. The IMARC Group, a leading market research company that provides market and business research intelligence across the globe, recently reported the PPE market to reach a value of $68.1 billion by 2024.