America’s workers and laborers do a lot in a day. While most of us are walking maybe 10,000 steps in one day, someone working a construction or laboring job can easily work 30,000. Working these types of jobs can be risky, as well, which is why companies are required to outfit everyone in safety workwear from a safety uniform supplier and follow important safety regulations and codes mandated by OSHA and other government agencies. Here are just some of the risks that American workers face every day that necessitate these trips to a safety uniform supplier:
Risks to the Senses
The sense that is at greatest risk for most workers is that of hearing. A person can suffer permanent hearing loss if they’re exposed to sounds over 85 dB. Because of the nature of construction and labor and the many loud machines necessary for these jobs, it is not uncommon for those in the sort of manual labor job to experience deafness. One of the most important types of safety gear is properly fitting earplugs, which are capable of reducing noise levels by 15 to 30 dB, depending on the type and the fit.
Another important consideration for construction and laborers is sight. Visit a safety uniform supplier and you will see an array of goggles and eye protection of different types. This is because every year there are 300,000 workplace eye injuries that send people to the emergency room. Investigation into these incidents reveals that 90% could have been prevented if the workers had been wearing the appropriate eye protection. Eye injuries are the cause of 45% of all injuries to the head that end up causing a worker to miss workdays.
Risks to the Foot
Every year the Bureau Of Labor Statistics reports on the different types of injuries suffered by America’s workers. At least 60,000 foot injuries take place every year, with the average foot injury costing $9,600. Many injuries to the feet can permanently disable a worker, and that’s why it’s so crucial that construction workers and other laborers have the right footgear. Currently, about $70 a year is spent on foot protection for employees, but if more money was spent at the local safety uniform supplier buying appropriate footwear, there’s no doubt the situation could be improved.
Risks at the Road
In developed countries, one-third of all vehicle crashes involve someone who is working at the time of the incident. The good news is that road construction fatalities have declined by 36% in recent years. This is in large part due to the requirement for roadway workers to wear high visibility pants, high viz. work jackets, and even high visibility fleece jackets and winter gear in the worst weather. These safety clothes do a lot to make roadside workers more visible in the rain, at dusk, and in any situation where drivers are not expecting to see them. This is why you’ll find such an enormous array of high visibility workwear at the safety uniform supplier.
Risks to New Employees
A study done by the Institute for Work and Health in Canada found that employees who are working for their first month have a more than three times greater chance of experiencing an injury that will cause them to lose time off of work. In 2013, a third of all injuries in the workplace that did not result in death happened to employees who had been on the job for less than 12 months. The American Bureau Of Labor Statistics reports that workers over the age of 65 experience the least number of injuries out of any age group, and in 2014 workers between the ages of 16 and 19 missed an average of four days every year due to a work injury.
There is no doubt that America’s construction workers, highway workers, and other laborers have a dangerous job. They also have a useful job. It’s important, therefore, to uphold the highest standards of safety in the workplace while also making sure that every worker is properly and safely outfitted at the safety uniform supplier