In the safety world, we follow what is known as the "Hierarchy of Control" to attempt to mitigate hazards and injury. The Hierarchy of Control is depicted as an inverted triangle with five sections, as shown below.
Ideally, the elimination of the hazard is the most desirable. Next in line is to substitute with a less hazardous product or process. The third best option is to implement engineering controls. This generally involves things like hard guards and barriers, light curtains or area scanners, sound insulating barriers, dust collection systems, etc. Administrative controls, while necessary, are a less affective control as they rely on the individual to follow them. Administrative controls can include policies and procedures, standard operating procedures, etc.
And then there's good old Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE. PPE is the LEAST affective control method as is it does not remove the person from the line of fire. It only provides a barrier between you and the hazard.....a barrier that is at best minimal. Thats why it is crucial to incorporate as many control measures as possible to mitigate the risk.
That's not to say that PPE is not important or necessary. Sometimes, there is simply no other option...and that is where we need to have our i's dotted and t's crossed.
Take a good look at the picture of the Arborist above.
This was a picture I took of three 40 foot trees being dropped on my property. The work was done by TimberJack Tree Service if your are curious, and their work is impeccable and safety is an obvious priority to them. (believe me....I was watching).
Now, ideally, it would be best to bring in one of those huge tree "fellers" that grabs the tree, cuts it off at the bottom and lays it down all in one action (pretty much). However, that kind of equipment will not fit into my back yard and it's kind of on the expensive side of things. So what are we left with? We are left with Admin Controls and PPE.
The Arborist above has obviously received training for what he is doing, he is on the proper side of the tree trunk, he was trained on using an aerial work platform and he was tied off using a fall arrest harness and lanyard. WAIT.....isn't being tied off an engineering control?, you may be thinking. NO...because it relies on the individual to properly use the equipment, therefore, it is an Admin Control.
What thoroughly impressed me was the PPE these guys were wearing, and wearing properly I might add. They were fully decked out right down to hearing protection. If I were auditing these guys, I'd be hard pressed to find a deficiency.
When doing a job like this, yes training and admin controls are extremely important, but the proper PPE worn the proper way is going to make or break going home the same way you left home.
Bottom line.....while PPE is the least desirable control, there are often circumstances where there is simply no other option. Choose you PPE wisely and wear it according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Brain Wray
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Great article highlighting the importance of propper PPE use when hazards cannot be eliminated. The attention to detail in this blog stands out for me. Norfolk Safety Solutions demonstrates that you can't be too thorough when it comes to safety and training.