Individual Fire Protection
Personal Protective Equipment, a definition often superseded by the acronym PPE, refers to any equipment intended to be worn and held by the worker for the purpose of protecting him or her against one or more hazards likely to threaten his or her safety or health while at work, as well as any complement or accessory intended for that purpose (Art. 74, paragraph 1 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of April 9, 2008).
PPE is divided into three categories, depending on the type of risk:
- I category - slight risk: self-certified by the manufacturer;
- II category - significant risk such as eyes, hands, arms, face: prototype certified by an authorized and notified inspection body;
- Category III - includes all PPE that protects the respiratory tract from aggressive chemical agents: prototype certified by an authorized and notified inspection body, and production control.
Fall Arresters
Fall protection PPE all falls under Category III, given the high risks from falling, and is subject to special CE certification procedures.
They are divided into:
- Harness: standards of conformity EN361;
- Harness belt: standards of conformity EN358;
- Lanyard attachment: standards of conformity EN355.
These devices, as per Presidential Decree 547/55 art.386, are mandatory not only for work at height or with danger of falling from height, but also for work inside wells, tanks and the like. In fact, in case of worker injury, he must be able to be extracted as quickly as possible from the well/tank or similar.
The effectiveness of a fall protection system depends crucially on the anchorage point, which falls under the jurisdiction of the user.
Gloves
Devices for the protection of the upper limbs concern in particular the hands, which are most exposed to risks, which can be of various kinds.
The EN420 standard defines the general and basic requirements that all types of gloves intended to protect against work hazards must have.
Appropriate protection is established based on the following types of risks:
- Mechanical and electrostatic risks - EN388 compliance standards;
- Electrical/flash hazards - EN60903 compliance standards;
- Chemical and microbiological risks - EN374 compliance standards;
- Cold hazards - EN511 compliance standards;
- Risks from heat and fire - EN407 compliance standards;
- Vibration hazards - EN420 compliance standards.
Safety handpieces;
- Handguards and oversleeves
In addition, gloves can be made of different materials. They are mainly made of plastic, rubber, leather, or dielectric material, which allows electrical insulation.
In particular, electrically insulating gloves must be one piece without seams, made of special material, and with a unique and consistent thickness. They must be strictly accompanied by a sleeve covering the forearm.
Airways
Respiratory protection PPE, also called APVR, is used to protect against potentially harmful airborne substances (gases, dusts, vapors) and to allow normal breathing when the oxygen level is below the limit value of 17%.
They are classified as follows:
1. Filter:
- Disposable dust masks (filtering facepiece) - EN149 compliance standards,
- Semi-masks - standards of conformity EN140,
- Full-face masks - EN136 standards of compliance.
2. Self-contained insulators (self-contained breathing apparatus) - conformity standards EN137:
- Open-circuit:
- Positive-pressure,
- Negative-pressure.
- Closed-circuit:
- Oxygen-producing,
- At compressed oxygen.
3. Non-self-contained (breathing air circuit) insulators - EN139 compliance standards:
- With external air intake:
- Non-assisted,
- Manually assisted,
- Motor-assisted.
- By compressed air:
- Continuous-flow,
- Demand-driven dispensing with positive pressure,
- Demand-driven dispensing with negative pressure.
Filters are then classified with an abbreviation according to type, with a number ranging from 1 to 3 according to filtering power, and with a color according to the substance they filter. They are subdivided as follows:
- Anti-gas FFA(1÷3) - EN 141 compliance standards:
- Absorption,
- By chemical reaction,
- By catalysis.
- Dustproof FFP(1÷3) - conformity standards EN 143;
- Combined FFA(1÷3)P(1÷3).
The duration of an air cylinder is calculated empirically by multiplying the volume in liters by the pressure in bars, all divided by 30 (average consumption of liters per minute). This gives the approximate number of minutes of autonomy.
Eyes
The eyes are subject to several hazards: shrapnel, radiation, and hot, caustic or corrosive materials. These can lead to three types of injury: mechanical, optical and thermal.
The following PPE is used to protect these delicate organs:
- Goggles - EN166 compliance standards;
- Masks - standards of conformity EN166;
- Visors - standards of conformity EN166;
- Screens - standards of conformity EN166.
Possibly these can be combined with:
- Welding filters - EN169 compliance standards;
- Filters for ultraviolet rays - standards of conformity EN170;
- Filters for infrared rays - EN171 compliance standards;
- Sun protection filters for industrial use - EN172 compliance standards.
Radiation damage, on the other hand, differs according to the type of light emitted. If blue light is emitted, the damage is related to penetration of the retina; if it is infrared light, the damage will be related to deformation of the cornea; while le is ultraviolet light, the damage regarding reddening of the eyes.
To remedy these problems, self-darkening masks for welders are increasingly being used, with opto-electronic filters that black out within 0.2 thousandths of a second of the arc striking.
Hearing
Hearing damage is serious in that it cannot heal: hearing cells, in fact, if damaged can no longer regenerate.
PPE to protect hearing is mandatory when noise cannot be reduced by technical measures and when it exceeds 90 instantaneous decibels or 85 average decibels per day.
They are:
- Earphones - compliance standards EN 352-1, combined with a helmet (EN 352-3), with built-in radio (EN 352-4);
- Earplugs - standards of compliance EN 352-2, inserts (filters) with chain Headbands EN 352-2.
Hearing protection PPE bears an abbreviation according to the frequency it attenuates:
- L from 65Hz to 250Hz;
- M from 250Hz to 2000Hz;
- H from 2000Hz to 8000Hz.
Head Protection
The protective device for the head is only one: the hard hat, which follows EN397 compliance standards.
It consists of three parts: the protective shell, the harness and the sweatband.
And it must meet the following requirements:
- Sufficient puncture resistance;
- Adequate degree of shock absorption;
- Good ventilation.
The helmet or hardhat must be compatible with the use of other PPE (e.g., headphones or visor), and the harness must be adjustable in height and width.
On a construction site, near scaffolding, it is necessary to raise the helmet over the harness to increase the degree of absorption of any material falling from above.
Lower limb protection
Foot protection is important both for their safety and to ensure good stability of the worker. In general, several PPEs are provided for the lower limbs.
First of all, shoes, which follow EN345 compliance standards, but knee pads, gaiters, removable soles and removable instep protection devices are also important.
Footwear provided on a construction site must necessarily have the following requirements:
- Good stability;
- Easy unfastening;
- Impact-resistant toe cap;
- Anti-puncture insole;
- Non-slip sole;
- Adequate hot/cold protection;
- Protective heel cap;
- Ball-saving padding;
- Protection against mycosis;
- Protection against electrostatic charges;
- Anti-corrosive metal parts.
Safety shoes are identified by the letter S followed by the letter B (base) or a number from 1 to 5:
- SB shoe with toe cap resistant to forces up to 1500 - N (newtons) and shocks up to 200 J (joules);
- S1 shoe with toecap as above and cap in heel area, with antistatic properties;
- S2 shoe with toe cap as above, shell in heel area, with antistatic properties and dynamic waterproofing;
- S3 shoe with toecap as above, shell in heel area, with antistatic properties, dynamic waterproofing and anti-puncture insole;
- S4 boot with toe cap as above and shell in heel area, with antistatic properties;
- S5 boot with toe cap as above and shell in heel area, with antistatic properties and anti-puncture insole.