Your Equipment, Your Life: Personal Protective Equipment

Farming is a way of life for many Canadian families, it can be rewarding and an invaluable industry, however it can also be dangerous. Each year there are at least 1,500 farm related incidents that result in hospitalization and over 100 fatalities. Most of these are caused by the unsafe use of equipment or unsafe materials handling practices.

Having a safety program in place on your farm not only protects your workers but also your family from unnecessary harm. The foundation of any good safety program is always PPE: Personal Protective Equipment.

Whether it is gloves, hard hats, respirators, safety glasses, steel toed boots, ear plugs or vests, PPE is designed to protect you from serious injuries. PPE also provides protection against potentially life threatening injuries or illnesses.

However, PPE is only one element of a holistic safety program. It is a worker's last line of defense against injuries and should address the hazards of each unique work environment or job.

To learn more about the importance of PPE check out these online training courses offered by Leavitt Training.
Head, Eye and Face Protection - PPE Workplace Safety
Safe at Work - Personal Protective Equipment

The information in this article was taken from My Equipment, My Life: Personal Protective Equipment Published on CanadianSafetyCouncil.org March 2009. Click here to read the original article.