02-04-2011, 09:57 AM
Submitted by
Karthik .S.N
Personal Protection
INTRODUCTION
Although the primary approaches in any safety effort is the correction of the physical environment so that unwanted events cannot occur. It is sometimes necessary for economic or other expeditious reasons to safeguard personnel by equipping them individually with specialized personal protective equipment.
For example, in machine shop it would be desirable to remove all sources of cause of flying particles so that possibility of eye injuries would be reduced to zero or, at worst, to a very insignificant degree. However in many machine shop situations it is either too expensive or otherwise not immediately practical to accomplish this objective satisfactorily. It may be necessary therefore, to protect the eye protection equipment. In other instances, it is practically impossible to devise a safe working procedure that can assure there will be no chance of avoidable injury. For example, in construction work there is the possibility of a hand tool, rivet or similarly relatively heavy object's falling from an elevated level and striking the head of a person working below. It is necessary, therefore, that construction workers wear protective headgear.
EYE PROTECTION
Specific equipment for protection against the possibility of the eyes being struck by hard, small objects exposed to irritant vapors; splashed by liquid irritants ; and irritated from exposure to radiant energy, such as the ultraviolet rays produced by the striking of an electrical arc in electrical welding operations, is available.
In general, protective eye equipment should fit comfortably and offer a maximum amount of protection to the eye. For example, protection against flying particle would require that the eye equipment fit closely around the eye socket, but ventilation holes are provided in appropriate places to keep the goggles will vary; in one case a wire mesh covering is used in place of glass lens because of its increased capacity for ventilation. However, if the exposure were to irritating vapors, it would be necessary for the protective device not only to fit snugly around the eye socket but to be so completely enclosed that the vapors in the air could not make contact with the eye.
Materials used in construction of a protective eye equipment should be non corrosive, easily cleaned, in many cases nonflammable, and the transparent portion should give the widest; possible field of vision without any appreciable distortion or prism effect.