The 7 most common excuses for not using PPE

When we transfer the need to wear personal protective equipment to the workers there are always those who justify not using it or doing it incorrectly. These are the 7 most common excuses for not using PPE correctly:

1. "If an employee does not want to use protective equipment, what can I do?"

If a company decides that a job requires the use of PPE, this is not an option for the worker. Management has every right to demand and insist on its use. Both parties may be seriously harmed otherwise. It is even possible to punish anyone who ignores the indications regarding work safety.

2. "I'm already wearing some protection, I do not need another one".

It is not enough to wear some of the assigned protective equipment, you must wear properly all recommended equipment for each job. Wearing one of them, does not exempt from the use of the rest. In addition, we could add that it is as dangerous to be less protected than we should be as being too much. When we use not recommended PPE  for a job we are demanding our body a greater effort. Choosing the right protective equipment increases not only safety but also productivity. The goal is to find PPE that offer the best protection and comfort for the user.

3. "I do not wear gloves because objects slip out of my hands"

This excuse would perhaps be valid in the last century. Today there are gloves that, thanks to their ergonomics and coating, offer a spectacular grip of pieces of any size and even in adverse situations (dirt, oils ...) A good example of this is our new Feel & Grip H257.

4. "This task will only take me a couple of minutes, it takes longer to put on the PPE"

Maybe it can take a few seconds more, but there is no other option, a work accident can happen at any time with tragic consequences. A single second without protection is enough to suffer a serious accident.

5. "I do not wear gloves because I'm allergic to latex"

Health professionals or the food industry who need to wear this type of gloves do not have to worry if they suffer from latex allergy, since there are gloves of this type and for this same use made of other materials such as nitrile, neoprene ou vynil.

6. "Wearing leather gloves is enough in order not to cut myself"

Leather gloves are a great choice for many jobs but their cut resistance is not the best. In our gloves catalog we have a great variety of cut-protective gloves, among which are those made of Dyneema fiber.

7. "Cleaning PPE is not necessary"

After each working day, employees must perform adequate maintenance of their personal protective equipment. They can only fulfill their purpose if they are in perfect conditions.