Heads Protection

www.safetygoodwe.com

Topic : Personal Protective Gears 

HEADS AND FEET

By wearing the correct head and footwear you can help prevent much discomfort, many injuries and even DEATH.

SAFETY HELMETS

Every year in the construction industry 140-head injuries are reported to the Factory Inspectorate. These are only the most serious cases, 50% are fractures of the head, many more are never reported, yet still cause much pain and suffering.

The Construction Regulations are in force; therefore it is a LEGAL requirement that you wear your safety helmet on site if risk assessments require it. You should report to your Employer, IMMEDIATELY, the loss of your helmet or any obvious defect in it. Most head injuries can be prevented by wearing a safety helmet.

• Falling objects and materials can result in serious injury – wearing a safety helmet reduces the risk of such injury.
• Check your helmet for cracks and damage - IF IT’S DAMAGED REPLACE IT!
• Ensure helmet harness is adjusted to provide a comfortable and secure fit.
• DO NOT PAINT YOUR HELMET – IT WILL WEAKEN IT.
• Helmets last 2 to 3 years with average use. They are date-stamped to show the year of manufacture – replace as required. 

Safety helmets are designed to an International Standard to be strong enough to prevent most falling materials that may damage your brain. If your brain is damaged it is unlikely that you will be able to work as well you know.

Helmets can also prevent many of the minor head injuries from bumps and scrapes that occur on a building site. REMEMBER YOUR LIFE MAY DEPEND ON IT

Organization do not want you to be injured any person - BECAUSE WE NEED YOU - so it is a condition of your working here that you were a helmet.

Certain areas MAY allow some relaxation but unless you are told otherwise you MUST always wear your helmet whilst on site.

HEAD INJURIES - AFTER THE FALL 

You can work for years and hardly get a scratch, then one day a fall can turn your life around. Fall injuries may cause abrasions, fractures and dislocations. However, the one of the most serious result of a fall, other than death, can be a head injury. How this will affect you depends upon which part of your brain has been injured as a result of a fall or impact. Broken bones usually heal, but head injuries can result in life long serious problems, such as: 

• Changes in personality, such as increased anxiety, depression or anger. 
• Difficulties with eye and hand coordination, and inability to handle tools or play sports well. 
• Defects in vision and visual illusions. 
• Short-term memory loss or interference with long term memory. 
• Increased aggressive behavior. 
• Difficulty in distinguishing left from right. 
• Changes in social behavior 

How You Fall Often Determines Your Specific Injury. 

From the time a worker loses a secure grip, footing or balance, until impact, several factors influence what part of the body will be injured and how severe the damage will be. They are: 

• Distance of the fall - momentum and velocity effect the impact on your body. 
• The angle of the body at impact - we're not like cats landing on all fours. 
• The obstacles the body strikes - what if you fall on railings, steps, or vehicles? 
• The surface eventually landed on - will it be a pile of hay, or broken concrete & re-bar? 

What You Can Do: THINK! 

• Help remind your co-workers to play it safe and avoid taking risks. 
• Report unsafe conditions to the nearest supervisor. 
• Make it a habit to work safely, regardless of time pressures and productivity goals. 
• Practice caution at home - accidents and head injuries from falls happen more often off the job than at work. 
• Know how to use fall protection and fall restraint equipment. Never say, "I don't need to fool around with that stuff-I'll only be up there a minute.

Stay Alert! Head injuries can have devastating consequences that may impact your life forever

IF YOU WANT TO STAY SAFE – WEAR A HARD HAT!