Personal Protective Equipment - PPE Learning Lite

PPE…..The last defense! Why is personal protective equipment (PPE) important? We all know the answer, right? All together now: “Because it protects workers from injury!” But why do we have to wear it? We need to wear it when not all risk can be removed from our working environment So…simply put…It’s our last defense

Why Workers Resist Wearing PPE PPE is a component in at least two of the top-ten violations according to HSE figures: fall protection and respiratory protection In 2006 Kimberly-Clark Professional conducted a survey among attendees of a US National Safety Council Congress, asking if respondents had ever observed workers failing to wear PPE when they should have. Eighty-seven percent said that they had

Why Workers Resist Wearing PPE The reasons? PPE was uncomfortable (according to 62% of respondents) PPE was not necessary for the task PPE was too hot PPE was unattractive looking

Do we all do it… all of the time? We hear comments like these on site… “Wear your PPE because it says so in the safety rule book” “Do as you are told” “It costs a lot of money” “You were trained to do it, so do it” These comments don’t work and don’t help We need to look at why people do the things they do…. what drives people’s behaviour

What If… We were to tell you that you can now decide whether or not to wear your PPE Wearing your PPE was entirely your own decision The impacts of not wearing your PPE were entirely your own risk There would not be any support for any injury that would have been avoided by wearing PPE

That question answered… We know that when a choice is presented we tend to choose the right thing to do Most people would elect to wear there PPE if given the choice So….

…why don’t people wear it then? Accidents won’t happen to me It’s never been an issue before I’ve always done it this way It’s never been an issue before I forgot it It’s dirty Waiting for the delivery It’s in the site cabin – don’t have time to get it It’s only a 5 minute job Personal Perception of Risk and Time vs Risk

What can you do?...Lead by example Walk the Talk SHOW your peers and co-workers that you are not above the rules and regulations by using PPE in your workplace wherever it is required SHOW your workers where to obtain the appropriate PPE and take the time to SHOW them how to don and use it correctly EXPLAIN to them that their contribution and hard work is valued and that remaining injury free is everyone’s priority Recognise people for doing the right thing

What can you do?...Why we work safe… Try setting up a “Why I Work Safe” board somewhere on site This is a board that the workforce can pin up pictures of their loved ones to SHOW as a reminder - every time they walk by - to work safe and go home safe It serves as a visual reminder and reinforces the message. It can be a picture of their car, cat, child, husband, wife or anything …. Really!

We are all wearing it… now what? Make sure you SHOW each worker how to; Properly maintain and store their PPE Inspect PPE for wear, tear, and malfunctions Get it replaced Let them know that PPE won’t work if it’s broken, in disrepair, or not cared for properly

What did we learn? Until now, you might have thought that telling your workers to wear PPE was the best or only way We must form partnerships with individuals in order to foster the efficient and safe work environment One critical element in the context of that environment is an effective PPE program Understanding why people do the things they do, helps us to work with them to understand what needs to change and ultimately to change it While the art of verbal persuasion can be a valuable tool SHOWING your workers by setting an example and conducting effective training can go a long way in achieving success Visible reminders of why we want and need to worksafe and what’s important to us will help