PERSONAL AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Working in the mining industry is inherently dangerous, with a high risk of accidental injuries or longterm health and safety complications.
This is especially crucial given that mining accounts for the third highest rate of fatalities of all Australian industries.
Respiratory illnesses and hand injuries are common risks site managers and employers need to protect their workers from. Selecting the right personal protective equipment (PPE) is therefore a critical to element to the hierarchy of control for managing risks in the workplace.
Blackwood, Australia’s largest supplier of fit-for-function quality personal protective equipment and safety products, is the exclusive distributor of a new range of disposable respirators and cut resistant gloves designed to protect workers from common hazards in the mining industry.
The new PROSAFE trifold respirators, which are available both with and without valves, are designed to comply with P2 respiratory filter rating ¬– meaning they can effectively protect users against dust, mist and fumes.
Blackwoods Technical Safety Specialist Jon Martin said the new PROSAFE respirators are designed with maximum user safety and comfort in mind.
“These respirators are designed to comply with AS/NZS 1716:2012. This is the manufacturing standard that helps ensure the masks can effectively prevent users against entry of small particles from the atmosphere,” Jon said.
“Additionally, PROSAFE respirators have also been put through a fit testing process, with very positive results. This test actually measures the percentage of particles that can get through the mask after it’s been fitted on the face. “While everyone has different facial features, we still want to ensure that we have a good rate of fit testing when we introduce a new product to the market.”
A challenge for any PPE manufacturer is to make a product that’s comfortable enough and takes away barriers that stop people from wearing them.
Mr Martin said the new trifold respirators do just that.
“The valved PROSAFE trifold respirators are fitted with one-way filters that allow hot air to escape, so they can be used in hot environments with maximum comfort,” he said.
“The trifold design itself is perceived by workers to be a more comfortable option compared to conical and flat-fold masks. So that also helps minimise the likelihood of people not wearing their masks.”
The new PROSAFE P2 trifold respirators are equipped with a class of filter recommended for common threats on mine sites including rock, coal and silica dust.
Keeping the hands protected
Hands are crucial to the performance of everyday tasks. An injury causing loss of function, grip, motion or even amputation, can be extremely debilitating to workers.
With wearing appropriate safety gloves reported as reducing the incidence of hand injury by around 60-70%, it is no wonder that Australian legislation takes hand protection seriously.
Employers are required to provide application-specific PPE at no cost to employees – as well as assessing all other WHS options found in the hierarchy of control.
Blackwood’s National Category Manager for Hand Protection, Shane Wood, said the PROSAFE Kyorene cut protection gloves with graphene fibre are the ideal protective gloves where hand injuries are a potential hazard.
“The Kyrene range of gloves uses graphene in the fibre to aid with its comfort and cut resistant properties for the end user,” he said.
“This gives workers in the mining industry a product that’s comfortable to wear for extended period of time so that they don’t need to take the gloves off to do their job.”
PROSAFE Kyorene gloves are rated for their cut resistant capabilities based on EN388:2016 standard.
The standard sets a cut rating from A to F, with an A rating representing the lowest level of protection and an F level representing maximum cut and impact protection.
Mr Wood said it’s important that gloves with optimum level of cut protection are selected for each application.
“You don’t want to use gloves with higher cut ratings than necessary, because while protection is important, people should also have the dexterity to their job well,” he said.
“A Kyorene glove with cutting rate of B or C is probably sufficient for most general applications. An F cutting rate is ideal for people at extreme cut hazards such as sheet metal and glass cutters.”
Further, Mr Wood says the PROSAFE Kyorene gloves offer a fair balance when it comes to their price.
Equipped with knowledge around the latest PPE available in the market, he believes employers and site managers will be in a better position to protect workers.
“Most people are oblivious to the latest technology in hand protection, as well as other critical PPE,” he said.
“Our job at Blackwoods is to make sure that we understand the customers’ requirements properly, so that we can supply them with the right product for the right application.”