The Importance of PPE in the Forestry Industry
Working in the forestry industry can be one most satisfying job roles you’ll ever experience but alongside this comes a high level of risk. For instance, you could be high off the ground without the right level of personal protective equipment (PPE) and fall, which could lead to serious injury or even worse, death.
To truly exist within this industry, it’s important that your business strongly considers personal protection equipment for all of your employees as you could in fact be breaking the law by neglecting the health and safety of your staff.
There are numerous risks that can occur during day to day forestry tasks, with this blog post we’ll discuss the gear that you will need to not only protect your team but to abide to PPE regulations.
Helmets
Whilst working at height it is highly recommended that you consider the risk of falling items such as branches and equipment, which may be a danger to those below. Ensuring that your team have effective climbing helmets will also protect them.
At PSM we have a great range of helmets from a variety of brands including Stein, Husqvarna and Petzl.
Ear Defenders
Working in the forestry industry you will be exposed to loud, sharp noises which may, over time, damage your hearing, a sense which is vital for such an industry. Making sure you select a pair of ear defenders which are not only comfortable for a long day of work but are well fitted to prevent them falling from your ears.
At PSM we are passionate about the importance of hearing protection, that’s why we supply a wide variety of ear defenders with built in FM radios and visors.
Eye Protection
Similar to hearing, sight is an extremely important sense needed for the industry. As you may already know, working with chainsaws and other equipment, there is often a backlash from trees and branches which can fly into the eye or surrounding area, in some cases this could lead to serious injury.
It is essential that you have some form of eye protection while working; with PSM we offer different varieties of protection including standard protective glasses and visors with ear defenders.
Boots
You often hear that personnel have suffered injury because of their lack of safety footwear. A good pair of boots should be 100% waterproof to ensure that your feet are not only warm but comfortable too. The boots should also be light in weight to give the user ease of movement. Alongside both of these requirements boots should be extremely protective and should have toe caps to prevent the toes from getting injured as a result of falling objects or equipment.
Waterproof Clothing
Boots are not the only item that needs to be waterproof, it’s vital that you supply waterproof clothing to your team. Imagine working at a desk job while outside in treacherous conditions, now imagine being up in a tree cutting branches, your judgement may slip if you are distracted by wet clothes and this could lead to fatal injury. A good rain jacket and pair of rain trousers will add a level of comfort alongside weather protection.
Gloves
The ability to have a strong grip on either climbing or forestry equipment is essential for a safer environment, you should have gloves which not only have a good grip but allow for full hand movement. In the forestry industry the difference in glove performance is huge, with chainsaw gloves you should have well fitted gloves which also are well protective for the user, and alternatively climbing gloves should have a bigger range of movement to climb with ease.
Chainsaw Clothing
At PSM we also supply a wide range of specialist chainsaw clothing, for everyone who has ever used or seen a chainsaw in action because we know how much power is contained in this piece of kit which if incorrectly used could cause a serious amount of damage to the user or anyone in close vicinity. That is one of the main reasons why we supply a wide range of boots, gloves, trousers, bibs and overalls which are built to protect effectively from the possible risks that can occur from a chainsaw.
For all of your forestry personal protective equipment contact the PSM team today, we will be able to discuss your requirements and what your PPE needs might be for a variety of tasks involved in the forestry industry.