CM/Spotlight: Safety By: Aaron Baunee, managing editor Feasibility Over Fashion P Personal protective equipment (PPE) is rarely tout-ed for its cosmopolitan qualities. Not necessarily intended to be fashionable, PPE is an end user’s first defense against infectious pathogens and potentially toxic substances. Moreover, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that PPE be worn any time cleaning and maintenance tasks are being performed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the vast majority of those who sustained on-the-job injuries were not wearing proper PPE. Personal protective equipment is a broad term for any protective layer or device used to create a barrier between a custodial professional and the environments and surfaces they are cleaning or otherwise maintaining. PPE includes, but is not limited to: ■ Gloves ■ Full-face masks ■ Respirators ■ Glasses/goggles ■ Ear plugs ■ Helmets ■ Aprons. Protecting personal safety is more important than looking cool. professionals is paramount. Failing to don the proper PPE can result in skin irritations, respiratory ailments and, most unenvi-able, death. Interestingly, according to a recent report by Kimberly-Clark Professional, 89 percent of safety professionals said they observed workers not wearing safety equipment when they should have been; nearly 30 percent said the instances were numerous. “This high rate of noncompliance with PPE pro-tocols presents a serious threat to worker health and safety,” says Gina Tsiropoulos, manufacturing segment marketing manager for Kimberly-Clark Professional. “While the reasons for noncompli-ance are varied, the threat to workers is clear-cut: Without the proper use of PPE, they are at risk of serious injury or even death.” Custodial professionals work with some of the most caustic chemicals on the market — although greener alternatives exist for many formulations today — making the availability of and training in the proper use of PPE crucial. However, to use an old adage, you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force it to drink. Regardless of the role played by the safety coor-dinator or supervisor, it is the responsibility of each and every worker to make sure they are protected. Aaron Baunee is the managing editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine. He can be reached at ABaunee@NTPMedia. com. In his years with the publica-tion, Baunee has amassed numerous articles, columns and commentaries pertaining to commercial cleaning and maintenance. Baunee encourag-es readers to communicate editorial ideas to him and welcomes discus-sions on pertinent industry happen-ings. Connect through social media: LinkedIn.com/in/AaronBaunee, Facebook.com/CMMOnline and Twitter.com/CMeNewsDaily. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Safety . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: PPE . Consequences Of Noncompliance There are numerous consequences of not adher-ing to proper PPE protocols, the least of which is monetary in nature. Sure, violations can be noted and subsequent fines levied, but the health and safety of custodial Increasing Buy-in Because protecting personal safety while on the job is so important, creative and fun ways to 16 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2011
CMM – Archives Nov 2011: 16
