Safely Managing
Compliance strategies and solutions for supervisory personnel
Make an effort to close PPE gender gap
Despite the increasing presence of women in male-dominated industries requiring personal protective equipment (PPE), many still wear items that are ill-fitting, uncomfortable and possibly dangerous.
Even in industries that aren’t maledominated, female employees are consistently made to wear PPE that wasn’t designed for their bodies.
The phrase PPE gender gap describes the lack of workplace PPE that properly fits female bodies. Often, this comes from a lack of understanding of how male and female body shapes and proportions can affect how well PPE fits. Much of the PPE for women is simply a scaled-down version of what’s provided to men. In some cases, female workers might be given the same ‘unisex’ helmets, gloves, boots and uniforms as male workers, with no consideration for how ill-fitting these items could be.
The problem with these types of items is that they’re rarely designed, modelled or tested on feminine body shapes. The male body is taken as the default – ignoring the fact that male and female body shapes, sizes and proportions are totally different,
especially when you account for women’s breasts and wider hips. The result is that women end up wearing workwear and PPE that can be too tight and too baggy in different areas, may not stay in place properly, or can impede movement.
Several years ago, in a study by the Canadian Standards Association of nearly 3,000 women who use PPE in their daily job function, 58 percent reported using PPE that is the wrong
size, 38 percent said they modify their PPE to make it fit better, and 28 percent didn’t wear all the required PPE because of issues with fit.
These issues lower worker productivity and increase exposure to hazards. There is a lack of research on how poorly-designed PPE contributes to sex and gender differences in rates of injury in the workplace, but women employed in sectors such as
n Hands are valuable - and vulnerable
n Working safely on uneven ground
n Make the right call before digging
n Safety snippets Safety Meeting: Women often lack proper PPE
construction, transportation, natural resources, utilities and emergency services are reportedly at higher risk of serious injuries than men.
Female employees in these industries had the highest levels of dissatisfaction and frustration with their PPE in CSA’s survey.
The survey also reported that almost 40 percent of women reported experiencing an injury or incident that they perceived to be related to their PPE.
Is poor-fitting PPE really a big deal?
Yes, says the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
“While PPE should be the last resort and alternative controls should be prioritized, employers often rely on PPE as a simple and cost-effective method to control exposure or provide additional protection. Therefore, it is crucial that PPE fits properly, offers maximum protection, and instills trust in workers that it will prevent injuries and exposures.”
CCOHS points out that constantly making adjustments to ill-fitting equipment can affect whether the PPE complies with the standard for which it was designed.
However, without any adjustments or modifications, CCOHS adds, “the PPE could lead to other hazards, including decreased protection.
“Examples include long sleeves on coveralls that could get caught in machinery, a respirator that is too big to fit comfortably on the face, which could result in air leaks, or earplugs
that do not fit snugly in the ear canal which may allow for noise to cause harm.”
Wearing PPE inappropriate for the user can also increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders from heavy or bulky items.
The CSA study made a series of recommendations aimed at stakeholders, including regulators, standard-setting bodies, manufacturers, suppliers and employers, that set out actions to address PPE gender gaps:
• Gather Canadian-specific anatomical data for women.
• Develop standards that explicitly recognize sex and gender differences instead of the current “gender-blind” approach.
• Develop women-specific PPE that’s widely available in a range of sizes.
• Develop and enforce tighter, more consistent regulations around PPE fit and risks to women.
• Gather information about sex and gender differences in occupational illness/injury incidence.It should be noted that anyone, regardless of body size, shape and gender, can have difficulties wearing PPE if they fall outside of the typical anatomical measurements used to design it.
Legislation is starting to incorporate the requirement for the proper fit of PPE for all workers. For example, British Columbia has included in its Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines the importance of proper fit in a section addressing the standard
Constantly making adjustments to ill-fitting equipment can affect whether the PPE complies with the standard for which it was designed.
male PPE proportions and how a smaller size may not provide a proper fit for women, or for individuals whose bodies do not conform to the standard.
Meanwhile, what can employers do to help close the gap? Here are some suggestions:
• Identify workplace hazards by looking at the workplace, the work, and the worker, and determine the types of PPE that will be required.
• Provide PPE to employees, whether by purchasing equipment for them, providing the equipment for the employee to purchase, or by helping employees locate and order the required equipment. Check your provincial regulations about providing PPE in the workplace to ensure you are in compliance.
• Consider the ergonomics of PPE during the selection process – is it unnecessarily heavy or uncomfortable? Does wearing multiple pieces of PPE impact their comfort or function? Does the PPE allow for full range of motion?
• Ensure PPE is suitable to the worker and fits properly.
• Ensure workers are trained in PPE so that equipment is consistently worn and used appropriately.
• Listen to women’s concerns about fit, comfort, and safety issues. Make alternate arrangements if their PPE is not adequately protecting the worker or creates a hazard.
• Immediately repair or replace defective PPE.
Hands are valuable — and vulnerable
It’s easy to take our hands for granted. We use them almost constantly — at times with little or no regard for their safety.
Hands are exposed to many hazards, and while minor injuries are common, serious harm can happen unless proper precautions are taken. Nerve damage, amputation, a skin burn or other soft tissue injury can interfere with your work and productivity. Worse, it could end your career and damage your quality of life.
Common causes of injury range from improper use of tools and lifting or applying force incorrectly, to distraction and lack of focus due to complacency.
Human hands and wrists are a complex system of bones, muscles and tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and nerves. The skin provides a barrier against chemicals, heat and cold. Skin on the back of the hand is thin and elastic and, on the palm, it is thick to provide traction, cushioning and insulation.
Hands are valuable but also vulnerable, and even a small cut can make it difficult and painful to function effectively.
As with many activities, it’s best to work smarter, rather than faster, when using your hands and fingers.
Do not count on your reflexes to save them, and do not take short cuts.
Another often-neglected precaution is to keep your hands in a position where you can see them. Avoid putting them out of your line of sight.
Here are some more hand safety tips:
• Check tools and equipment to make sure they are in proper working order before beginning a task.
• Always use machine guards where provided — never remove or alter them without authorization.
• Use appropriate gloves when
handling rough materials and when hands are directly involved with lifting or moving objects. Make sure work gloves offer the right combination of dexterity and protection needed for the task.
• Wear gloves to pick up broken glass, nails or other sharp objects, including when sweeping up. Never attempt to handle these things with your bare hands.
• Take time to remove nails, splinters and sharp edges on materials before you begin working with them.
• When moving objects with a hand cart or truck, make sure that you have sufficient room to get through doorways and small spaces with enough clearance for the cart and hands.
• Keep hands free of grease and oil; slippery hands can get you in trouble.
• Use tools and equipment designed for the work being performed
and use them as instructed by the manufacturer.
• Make sure machinery, equipment and power tools are completely off before you try replacing, cleaning or repairing parts – follow lock-out/tagout procedures.
• Keep hands and fingers away from sharp edges (blades, protruding nails, etc.). Never cut toward the palm of your hand.
• Select hand tools that are ergonomic for your hand (the right size, lowest weight, and have features such as grips, anti-vibration handles, handles angles that allow you to work without your wrist bent.)
• Know how to handle the tools and equipment you work with, and use the proper tool for the job — wrenches are not hammers.
• If you are taking medication, make sure it will not prevent you from thinking clearly and slow your reflexes.
ManagementTips
Working safely on uneven ground
Slips, trips and falls account for many thousands of workplace injuries and deaths each year. There are numerous causes, from slippery surfaces to clutter, and one that is often overlooked — uneven ground conditions.
These conditions take many forms, such as cracks in pavement, parking lot potholes and crumbling sidewalks or steps.
Workers most at risk due to uneven ground surfaces include those who are often around excavated or otherwise disturbed ground, such as construction, highway maintenance and landscaping, but there are many others as well.
Indoors, potentially uneven and hazardous surfaces include door thresholds, stairs, sloped flooring, bowed or warped wooden flooring and cracked or otherwise damaged flooring.
Outdoors, be wary of such surfaces as uneven sidewalk stones, walkway level changes, rocky terrain, holes in the ground or grass, snow or ice piles, fallen trees and other environmental debris.
Very little variation in a walking surface can be enough to cause a
trip and fall. And while it’s not always an easy issue to correct, there are a few key things that can mitigate the safety risk posed.
First off, whether indoors or outdoors, it’s important to assess the ground conditions of your worksite. Identify any and all places where there is an uneven walking surface – even if it’s only a few centimetres — and decide whether they are fixable.
Here are some more precautions: Slow down. Most trips and falls are preventable by simply slowing down and keeping an eye on the ground conditions in front of you. Tread carefully, and bring any concerns about the ground condition to the attention of a supervisor immediately. Keep work areas lit well. Trip and fall risks are amplified when visibility is limited. Indoors, this means changing burned-out lightbulbs as soon as you notice them and using lamps in areas where overhead lighting is
insufficient. Outdoors, early morning and evening work often requires additional lighting, since the sun isn’t up. There are many different options when it comes to portable work lights. Some require electricity and others run on rechargeable batteries, so it’s important to prepare properly for the environment you’ll be in.
Wear appropriate footwear. Sturdy, slip-resistant boots or shoes with good ankle support help prevent slips, trips, and falls on uneven surfaces. Secure tools and equipment. Prevent them from rolling or sliding on uneven surfaces. Utilize stabilizers for ladders or outriggers for heavy machinery. Use proper support. When available, handrails, ropes or other devices assist with balance and stability. Take remedial action. Use ground protection mats over muddy, slippery, or uneven areas. Cover or guard all holes that are trip hazards for workers or tip-over hazards for equipment. Cut steps into sloping areas to make them more manageable. Repair the steps over time as they begin to deteriorate with use.
Delay work when necessary. If you spot uneven (and unsafe) terrain and there is no fix available, it’s perfectly acceptable to delay work. Mud, ice, and snow in particular are difficult to address on the spot and it’s not always possible to work around them in a safe manner.
The best course of action with an uneven ground surface is to address it as best you can. Don’t leave it for someone else to deal with – or for someone else to get injured.
SuperCompliance Make the right call before digging
Damage to underground infrastructure such as gas and electricity lines during excavation work continues to be a major problem.
It’s crucial to prioritize safety by determining what utilities could be encountered before starting work. Hand-digging is required within a certain distance of marked lines.
It’s advisable to utilize the One Call system that coordinates the location of buried utilities before digging. Each province or region has its own designated One Call centre, but it’s important to know that some utilities might not have given their information to the appropriate centre.
The excavator is responsible for determining what utilities are present at a particular site and contacting each utility as necessary to arrange for locates.
Failure to do so can result in significant penalties.
An Ontario company was fined $15,000 plus a 25 percent victim surcharge after an incident in which six homes were evacuated and 20 homes lost service. The company was undertaking a water rehabilitation project when a subcontractor struck a twoinch polyethylene pipeline with a mechanical excavator, causing gas to escape.
While valid locates were obtained and locate marks were made on site, the pipeline was not located by hand digging prior to the use of mechanical equipment. In addition, the subcontractor was excavating within the one-metre boundary of the pipeline.
In B.C., a fine totalling $98,695 was levied against a firm doing electrical work when its excavator struck and damaged an underground gas line, resulting in a gas leak. WorkSafeBC determined the
firm had not reviewed the BC
1 Call documentation and had not completed hand-digging to determine the location of the underground utility. The firm failed to accurately determine the location of all underground utilities before excavating with powered equipment. This was a repeated and high-risk violation.
Following are some tips for digging safely within the designated “tolerance zone:”
• Use a shovel with a rounded or blunt edge.
• Be aware of the depth of the utility lines and adjust your digging accordingly.
• Position the shovel blade so that it’s parallel to the line made by the paint and flags.
• Dig with your shovel at an angle and not straight down. This angle lowers the chance of damaging the cable if you accidentally make contact.
• Dig slowly and with care. The more carefully you dig, the less risk of damaging the cable.
• Use a prying motion to loosen hard dirt near the utility line. Don’t use your full body weight. Never strike or jump on the shovel.
• Dig until you locate the actual line, not just the tracer wire or warning tape.
• Be careful not to damage the utility line with your shovel as it can put you at risk of injury or death. It could also cause a service outage that is costly to repair.
• If any damage to a utility line occurs, immediately report it to the utility company and follow their instructions.
Plans from utility or service providers can help to establish if there are underground lines within the work area, and give you an indication of the locations. Those plans should be available on-site, but remember they might not be 100 percent accurate.
Even when markers, plans and records show the location of underground services, there can be inaccuracies.
Maybe services have been moved during repair works, or maybe the ground has moved. Perhaps some services were shown on different plans or missing, or the plans were incorrect in the first place.
Cable and pipe locating devices should be used to develop plans you know are accurate and to mark services on-site.
Avoiding injury with sharp tools
Are your workers required to use sharp tools such as knives, scissors, box cutters or razor blades?
If so, make sure they’re handling them correctly to prevent cuts.
To start, the “most reliable option is to eliminate the use of the blade,” says the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. “Assess if there is another way to cut the item, open the package, automate the process or use a different tool.”
If other options aren’t available, follow these steps from CCOHS to help prevent cuts:
• Make sure the blade is sharp. Dull blades require more force, which increases your risk of injury.
• Work in a well-lit space so you can see what you’re cutting.
• Cut on a stable surface, using a
cutting board or slip-resistant matting to prevent the material being cut from slipping.
• Hold the tool with your stronger hand.
• Wear cut-resistant or mesh gloves. • Cut away from your body.
• Retract a blade immediately after use, or close scissors when not in use.CCOHS also warns to never try to catch a sharp tool that’s falling. Instead, “Quickly move out of the way, let it fall and then pick it up.”
Exoskeletons explained
Exoskeletons are wearable devices that can enhance, augment, or assist the user’s posture, motion, or physical activity. They can reduce muscular stress in frequently affected body regions, such as the lower back or shoulders, and ease operator discomfort and fatigue.
More precisely, exoskeletons work together with the user’s physical abilities to reduce:
• Biomechanical load on the user’s joints, muscles and soft tissues –lowering the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
• The user’s metabolic exertion –avoiding fatigue and the risk of overexertion.
Exoskeleton systems can be divided
into two categories, active and passive.
Active exoskeletons use force and torque-generating elements such as electric motors, pneumatics, or hydraulics to provide additional strength to the user.
Passive exoskeletons use levers, springs, counterbalance forces, and other non-electrical means to support the user’s posture or movement. Passive exoskeletons redistribute forces to protect specific body regions. The change in user performance results not from additional physical strength, but from the ability to maintain positions over a longer period (e.g., overhead work).
Recognizing impairment
Worker impairment, regardless of the cause, can create a health and safety hazard. Impairment can be unique for every situation and for each individual. Many causes cannot be identified by testing.
Supervisors should be educated, trained and understand how to recognize impairment.
Workers should be aware of impairment risks in the workplace and disclose known hazards to themselves and others.
Common indicators of impairment include:
Physical – changes in health, altered demeanor, slurred speech or lack of hygiene.
Psychosocial – changes in an ability to focus on tasks, forgetfulness, inappropriate behaviours or changes in mood.
Workplace – increased absence, errors in judgement, change or decrease in performance or other significant changes in quality of work.
When not to clean up spills
Good housekeeping is a mainstay of safe work practices, and among those practices is prompt response to chemical spills.
However, it’s not advisable for workers to attempt clean-up under these circumstances:
• They don’t know what the spilled material is.
• They don’t have the necessary protection or the right equipment to do the job. Spills that are large in volume, involve multiple chemicals, or are difficult to contain should be handled by trained personnel.
• The spill is too large.
• The spill is highly toxic. If there’s a risk of fire, explosion, or immediate danger to life or health, evacuate the area and contact emergency services.
• They feel symptoms of exposure.
SafetyMeeting
Women often lack proper PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is considered to be the last line of defence for workers against injuries.
However, in many cases women often lack options when it comes to finding PPE that fits properly.
Women are not a “scaled-down” version of men. Not having PPE designed for them can pose potential employment issues and result in productivity losses or failures. Women can face safety risks because gear is often designed for the average-sized man.
The lack of a wider range of PPE sizes and types at the retail, wholesale and distributor levels – as well as employers’ limited knowledge of PPE designed for women – are some of the reasons for the difficulty women encounter. Smaller-than-average men can also have problems.
The fact is, PPE cannot protect a worker from hazards if it does not fit.
Here are some important points to consider when looking for personal protective equipment that fits.
Hand Protection
Gloves should be snug – too tight and they will become uncomfortable; too large, and they will be clumsy. Gloves should allow for a firm grip so tools do not fall out of the hand. Select gloves made of material appropriate for the task, such as resistance to chemicals used. Finger length, width and palm circumference of the gloves should match those of the hands.
Hearing Protection
Disposable, foam earplugs are more likely to fit women, who typically have smaller ear canals.
Head Protection
Adding a chin strap can help hard hats
or caps fit better and not fall off.
Eye Protection
Beware of safety goggles that state “one size fits all.” Some might be too large for a woman’s face and could allow objects, fluids or other hazardous materials to enter through gaps in the seals.
Protective Clothing
Taking a man’s safety clothing and modifying it to fit a woman, such as rolling up sleeves or pant legs, can be dangerous because the excess material can become caught in machinery. Try on the garment before purchasing to check that the torso length is sufficientwhen stretching, reaching, sitting, and bending over, and that there is proper fit at the chest, waist and hips. Make sure you can move freely and comfortably in your selected apparel.
Foot Protection
A typical woman’s foot is both shorter and narrower than a typical man’s, so a smaller boot may be the right length
but not the right width. Aside from choosing safety footwear appropriate to the hazards of your job, try them on with the number and type of socks you would wear on the job. Boots or shoes should fit comfortably but snugly around the heel and ankle areas, as well as the ball of the foot. Check the distance between your toe and the toe of the boot and allow at least 3/8-inch (1 centimetre) space. Allow room for swelling, especially if you stand or walk all day.
Fall Protection
An improperly-sized fall protection harness can hinder a worker’s movements and affect the ability to work safely. It also can increase the risk of suspension trauma after a fall, a potentially fatal condition in which blood pools in the legs and reduces the amount in circulation. Experts recommend employers invest in gender-specific harnesses with three sizes for each sex, rather than continue using four to seven typical unisex models.
Women often lack proper PPE...
The Quiz
These questions are meant to help you remember what was discussed today — not to test your patience or challenge your intelligence. The answers are at the bottom of the page. Cover them up, and complete the quiz as quickly as you can.
Hold These Thoughts !
Whether you’re female or male, there is one item of personal protective equipment for which proper fit can be essential — a respirator.
2
3
True False
Do women often have to wear PPE that is designed for an average-sized man?
Yes No
Lack of a wider range of PPE sizes and types occurs at which of these levels?
A. Retail.
B. Wholesale.
C. Distributors.
D. All of the above.
Smaller-than-average men can also have problems finding PPE that fits properly. 4
True False
5
Safety shoes or boots should:
A. Be made of leather.
B. Fit snugly around the heel, ankle and ball of the foot.
C. Be tried on with the number and type of sock to be worn at work.
D. Allow room for swelling.
Are there women in your workplace who have difficulty finding PPE that first properly? 6
Yes No
Don’t Know
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Certain respirators must form a tight seal with the face and/or neck. If it doesn’t fit properly, contaminated air can leak into the facepiece.
Before a tight-fitting respirator is worn at work, employers must be sure it fits. This is done by performing a fit test on the worker while he or she wears the same make, model, and size of respirator to be used on the job. A test of the seal between the respirator’s facepiece and the wearer’s face is performed at least annually.
A fit test should not be confused with a user seal check. A user seal check is performed each time the respirator is put on. It determines if the respirator is properly sealed or needs to be adjusted.
There are two types of fit tests, qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative fit testing uses the sense of taste or smell, or reaction to an irritant in order to detect leakage into the facepiece. Qualitative fit testing is normally used for half-mask respirators (those that just cover the mouth and nose). Half-mask respirators can be filtering facepiece respirators — often called N95s — as well as elastomeric respirators.
Quantitative fit testing uses a machine to measure the actual amount of leakage into the facepiece and does not rely upon the senses or irritation to detect leakage. Respirators used during this type of fit testing will have a probe attached to the facepiece that will be connected to the machine by a hose.