Personal Protective Equipment - Case Study Example

Personal Protective Equipment Employers are required by the law, The Occupational safety and Health Law, to give Personal protective Equipment (PPE) to staffs, and ensure effective usage. PPE is worn to reduce or eliminate hazards at the workplace. The PPE category discussed in this paper is the face and eye protection. The main cause of eye problem in the case study is poor selection of PPE. The new supplier of the PPE is either incompetent or was given wrong information regarding the features of eye safety equipments that the company needs (Davies, 2012).

The company is likely to experience poor employee productivity and increased legal suits, if adequate eye protection is not provided. The eye problem is cause by the inappropriate shade #3 lenses given to employees, when cutting the 1.250" thick carbon steel. The most appropriate eye protection is shade #5, which is the most appropriate for cutting steel between 1 and 6 inches. The intense light emitted from welding operations results in serious eye damage if the employees to not have appropriate eye protection.

The high intensity of radiant energy emitted from welding and cutting activities varies in terms of arc current and electrode size, and hence requires adequate eye protection equipments (Davies, 2012). In addition to the lenses, the employees should also appropriately wear related safety equipments that minimize eye hazards; for instance, glasses that have side shields, to prevent slag chips and grinding fragment from contacting the face or eyes of the employees. The company and the supplier should jointly form a safety team that is responsible for reviewing workplace hazards and then recommending the most appropriate protective equipments.

This minimizes the supply of inappropriate eye safety equipments. ReferencesDavies, J. (2012). Modern methods of welding as applied to workshop practice, describing various methods: oxy-acetylene welding, electric seam welding . eye protection in welding operations [etc.] .. New York: D. Van Nostrand Company.