Question of Attitude... 'introducing' PPE to the workplace

[Timothy A. Samuelson]

I think you misunderstood my statement. PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is always necessary. Be it steel toes, safety glasses, gloves, hard hat/bump cap, harness, etc. The type of PPE is determined by the risk involved. You've zeroed in on Fall Arrest which is just one type. I'd rather teach my students that safety is ALWAYS necessary and show them what protections are available to them and when the appropriate times are to use them than, "this class is a harness. You'll never see me use one, but if you're ever on a job and they say to use it, you should." In reflection to Bill's statement. Focusing our primarily S4 rig requires an immense amount of leaning over the edge, and from some positions requires climbing off the catwalk and standing on the top plate of the wall below. I'd always rather explain why we have to buy a new lanyard because somebody slipped while leaning over the edge than why we have to deal with insurance and find a new technician.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

It would be nice to see a picture de27. so I and perhaps others can understand but this is typical arrangement for me, and lower rails are 21" clear.

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[de27192]

I think you misunderstood my statement. PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is always necessary. Be it steel toes, safety glasses, gloves, hard hat/bump cap, harness, etc. The type of PPE is determined by the risk involved.

Those 2 statements, if not contradictory, only suggest that you believe that risk which cannot be mitigated any other way is constantly present in your place of work. And that, in my eyes, means that you are not doing enough to protect the people in your theatre. It should be perfectly possible to perform some jobs there with no PPE whatsoever. If this is not the case, the issue which you need to focus on is far higher up the ladder than just getting people to use PPE.

A lot of the time at work, I wear no PPE at all. Nothing. Just my normal work clothes. No safety boots. No gloves. No helmet. Because the risks involved are not things which could be prevented by them anyway. So I may as well be comfortable in my work. Does this mean I'm doing it wrong? Is it illogical to not wear PPE when the risks that would require it are not present?

You've zeroed in on Fall Arrest which is just one type. I'd rather teach my students that safety is ALWAYS necessary and show them what protections are available to them and when the appropriate times are to use them than, "this class is a harness. You'll never see me use one, but if you're ever on a job and they say to use it, you should." In reflection to Bill's statement. Focusing our primarily S4 rig requires an immense amount of leaning over the edge, and from some positions requires climbing off the catwalk and standing on the top plate of the wall below. I'd always rather explain why we have to buy a new lanyard because somebody slipped while leaning over the edge than why we have to deal with insurance and find a new technician.

I don't believe that I did zero in on fall arrest. Fall arrest would not be the correct type of PPE when leaning over the edges of catwalks. If you are employing fall arrest in an educational environment, out of interest what is your rescue plan? Surely having so many untrained people would make it hard to effect a rescue from a fall arrest system?

Personally I would go for a work restraint system whereby my harness prevented me from being able to go further over the catwalk side than was safe.