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Articles In Our Current Issue
Acceptance of Safety Footwear
Insufficient acceptance of safety shoes in the workplace challenges optimization of this footwear category (18). Prejudices against safety footwear are inadequate comfort, little cushioning abilities or high weight. Moreover, overuse injury is directly related to poor quality or function of safety shoes (1, 10, 14, 24).
Author | Dr Heiner Baur
Fall Protection PPE
With the introduction of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 in the UK (followed by the amended work at height regulations 2007), the old guidance based on the ‘2 metre rule’ has been swept away, replaced by the definition of work at height as any place a ‘person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury’.
Author | Nathan Wright
From Bullet Proof to Flame Resistant - Quality testing and certification of protective clothing
Protective clothing offers the wearer reliable protection against health risks and environmental effects related to their job which cannot be avoided in their line of work. In Germany, for example, protective clothing amounts to about 40% of the total market for personal protection equipment (PPE), thus being the biggest individual business segment for PPE, followed by hand protection (22%) and protective footgear (14%).1 Depending on the field of application, textile PPE protects against outside influences such as intense heat and flames, cold and wet, all types of mechanical and physical stresses, from cuts to spray from molten metal and sparks through to electricity and electrostatic charges, chemical substances and gases and poor weather.
Author | Mariana Schubert and Barbara Schrobsdorff, Hohenstein Institute
Hearing Protectors - Real-world attenuation and new rules for selection and use in Germany
The sound attenuation of hearing protectors in the field is often significantly smaller than determined from laboratory testing. Reasons for this are e.g. incorrect fitting or wearout due to long usage. A field study by BGIA that has been recommended by the “PPE technical committee” German Social Accident Insurance has confirmed these observations. Based on these results, the “PPE technical committee” has derived derating values that have to be considered for the selection and use of suitable hearing protectors. Against the background of reduced real-world attenuation of hearing protectors the instruction of the users in the companies has gained in importance. For custom moulded ear-plugs that are manufactured individually taking imprints of the user’s ear canal a functional check is strongly recommended to ensure a correct fit and thus a sufficient sound attenuation. Article: Some years ago the EC Noise at Work Directive (2003/10/EC) came into force. In Germany it was transposed in 2007 into German law by the Noise and Vibration OSH Ordinance. The relevance of this new law to the use of hearing protection is twofold. Firstly, it reduces the exposure action values, at and above which hearing protection must be provided resp. worn, by 5 dB.
Author | Sandra Dantscher
Sensing the Way Ahead
Only rarely in business do we witness a ‘quantum leap forward’ in the application of new technologies (think Dyson, i-Pod, Wii), but when we do it invariably alters the landscape of a particular industry, and of the way in which we attain a desired outcome.
Author | Mark Rowland, COGDEM
Thin Nitrile Gloves
It seems that car manufacturers are all racing to produce new increasingly efficient engines in an effort to improve their vehicles economy. Now they are developing electric, hybrid and even hydrogen powered cars. It is claimed by 2015 we will all be benefiting from a cleaner healthier environment as the traditional petrol and diesel give way to the new technology.
Author | Brian Smith
