Safety Clothing in the Workshop
Whenever you are busy working in the workshop it makes sense to have safety in mind at all times. If you are undertaking any kind of job that will involve the use of power tools, corrosive materials, naked flames or burners, electricity or other dangerous items, you should always wear protective safety clothing.
That clothing needs to be of the right kind to keep you safe from accidents that might occur when handling such items. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the kinds of safety clothes that you should have to hand in your work shed that you can change into before carrying out anything dangerous
Power Tools
Most power tools that cut, drill, abrade or otherwise case friction, heat and sparks or flying debris to be thrown off should be treated with care. You should also ensure you are wearing the right kind of clothing to protect those parts of your body that are exposed to the dangers.
In the case of tools that create debris to be thrown off, safety goggles should always be worn to protect your eyes from anything that can be projected into them and cause irritation, damage and even blindness. Tools that are used for cutting and especially angle grinders and circular saws can cut deep into flesh if they slip or catch and rip out of the operator's grasp.
Safety gloves are designed to protect your hands. Protective overalls are designed to provide protection against power saw cuts. Special reinforced leg protectors can literally save a leg from being sawn off, which can happen in a split second if a large bladed circular saw gets loose.
Corrosive Substances
Many workshops contain certain corrosive materials for cleaning, etching, burning or dissolving. There are often substances around such as strong acids, lye, paint thinners and brush cleaning solvents, grease solvents, bleaching compounds etc.
The danger is that these substances can also cause serious skin burns or blindness if they splash, spit or somehow get into the eyes. Wearing protective safety clothing in the form of overalls or safety coveralls, along with safety goggles to protect the eyes is common sense.
In particular, this simple yet dependable eyewear can potentially save your sight. Wearing chemical resistant apparel in these instances can literally save you from paying an unwanted visit to the hospital emergency room
Naked Flames and Heat
Often, oxyacetylene fired welding or cutting equipment is found in the workshop and the flame from the burner is extremely hot and can cause serious burns if it hits exposed skin or eyes. For this reason, you should have to hand the appropriate flame resistant clothing or flame retardant clothing along with the correct safety headgear such as a welding mask or similar.
Likewise, sparks flying from any welding or cutting work can cause serious burns or blindness if they get into the eyes. So wearing the right kind of protective welding mask to provide adequate eye protection safety is a rule that must be observed.
Electricity
When working with electrical wiring and especially with mains electricity, the high voltage cables can cause shock and in some cases death if not handled correctly. Specialist electricians' protective clothing and coveralls are available to be worn when undertaking this kind of work.
This type of protection should be worn along with rubber soled safety shoes to prevent the operator completing a circuit to earth with un-insulated shoes and clothing.
Safety Hard Hats
Safety hard hats should be worn whenever there is a risk of debris falling from above. In the workshop this is not often a danger, although some larger workshops can have tools and materials hanging on high racks or beams of wood or iron girders stacked on high brackets for storage that is out of the way and doesn't take up valuable floor space.
In these instances, it is sensible to provide protection for your head and construction safety equipment such as safety hard hats. They are a sensible and sometimes necessary addition to your stock of appropriate safety clothes and equipment.
In all, work wear that is designed to give protection in the relevant area depending upon the nature of the work related danger should always be worn. It is therefore a sensible and necessary thing to have the right clothing to hand in your workshop for every possible eventuality that might occur when working on such jobs where possible dangers may be. More on protective clothing can be found here: www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/protclothing/.