Body protection

Hands
Head
Hearing
Eyes
Back

This section gives general advice (with examples) about hand, head and hearing protection, and how to protect eyes and the back.

It is your responsibility to comply with the full range of health and safety legislation appropriate to your work activity. Risk assessments for work activities will be required. In addition, you should be able to demonstrate best practice as specified in appropriate Approved Codes of Practice available from Hsebooks.

Hands

These may be cut, trapped in moving machinery, exposed to chemicals etc.
Wear protective gloves when handling chemicals
Use change mail gauntlets when de-boning
Do not wear jewellery
Use tongs or equipment provided

Head

Falling debris, low head room and unmarked fixtures in confined spaces may result in head injuries. Hair may become caught in moving machinery. The face may be burned by steam or splashed chemicals.

Wear a protective helmet in confined spaces
"Low Headroom" signs are vital
Fit padding to overhead obstructions
Protect hair from entanglement
Protect from chemical splash

Hearing

Work related noise induced hearing loss is on the increase because employees do not wear ear defenders. Noisy occupations include printing, using a pneumatic drill or electric saw, hammering, DJ, etc. Impaired or lost hearing cannot be replaced, so:

Carry out a risk assessment
Provide/wear ear muffs in noisy environments
Don't stick fingers or objects in ears

Eyes

Splinters of wood, metal fillings, hidden or badly lit objects, splashes from chemicals, rubbing eyes with dirty cloths or hands could result in eye infections or loss of sight, so it is important to:

Provide suitable and sufficient lighting
Avoid shadows and glare
Have adequate breaks from VDUs
Replace flickering lights
Wear goggles and safety glasses as necessary
Avoid rubbing eyes
Test eyes regularly
Carry out risk assessments

Back

Injuries and absence from work due to improper manual handling and sitting posture are two of the most common reasons for this type of reportable accident. Try to follow the basic rules:

Seek proper training on manual handling
Don't attempt to lift heavy objects - find out the weight first
Get help from colleagues
Keep a straight back and bend legs - not your back
Stand up slowly
Make more journeys as necessary
Consider using mechanical lifting equipment
Maintain a good posture when sitting. Avoid slouching.