PPE is an essential requirement for ensuring site safety as well as a legal responsibility of construction managers who are under a duty to ensure their team is fully protected.
A failure to ensure PPE is being worn correctly can result in disciplinary action.
Safety Helmets
Safety helmets can literally be the difference between life and death for your team, so it's essential you make sure they are being worn. It's easy for you and your colleagues to be tempted to take off their safety helmets, especially on hot days. But as the site manager you need to be reminding your team of the importance of why they have to be worn. As well as providing protection from falling objects, a good quality helmet should protect you from heat and electricity, and of course be waterproof.
High-vis Jackets
Sometimes you and your colleagues could be working in the dark or foggy weather, making it difficult to see each other. This poses a risk if you're working with vehicles or heavy equipment, so one of the basic pieces of PPE you'll all need is a high-vis jacket or vest. In the winter if you're working outside or in empty building shells with no heating, you and your team will need good quality work jackets. They will need to be both waterproof and have good insulation to keep the cold out. In the summer you can simply swap these over for high-vis vests so you're still visible.
Safety Footwear
Good quality, safe work boots are a must on any construction site. Not only will they help prevent injury, but they're helpful in a practical sense too. A good pair of safety boots should feature a protective toe cap, be waterproof, and keep your feet warm.
Eye And Ear Safety
When working with heat, electricity, dangerous equipment, or dusty environments, you and your colleagues will need to wear safety goggles to help protect your eyes. Also very often, it is likely your team may have to work with loud equipment, and this can damage to their ears- especially if used over long periods of time. When appropriate, you should ensure the individuals using the equipment or in the vicinity have protective ear plugs or padded headbands.
