The Importance of Personal Protective Equipment in Demolitions

FERMA Corporation knows there are many ways to get injured on a demolition site. Given the risky nature of demolition projects, we make safety our primary objective so each person goes home safely at the end of the day. One critical line of defense against injury is personal protective equipment (PPE).

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines PPE as:

“Equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. These injuries and illnesses may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards. Personal protective equipment may include items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests, and full-body suits.”

Nearly every industry has some level of risk of injury, and each will have its own standard for PPEs. These standards are developed to minimize the varying risks associated with the nature of the work. For FERMA Corporation, our minimum standard for PPEs includes hard hats, safety glasses, earplugs, gloves, boots, and high visibility shirts.

By embracing PPE, we keep crews safe from the common risks associated with any demolition project. However, some risk factors aren’t common and require specialized PPE. OSHA requires personal fall arrest systems (PFAS) be used when a crew member is working on an elevation of more than 6 feet. A surprising number of injuries and fatalities come as a result of a fall, so these harnesses are incredibly important.

Dealing with asbestos and other hazardous chemicals is another example of unique risk factors. When a structure requires asbestos abatement, crew members will likely need to add a respiratory protection system to their PPE arsenal to avoid breathing in dangerous toxins.

Safety is a vital part of a demolition and PPE is a vital part of safety. At FERMA Corporation, safety permeates all that we do. Safety is not an option. It is the most critical factor in commercial, industrial, and residential demolition. We want everyone to go home safely each night.

Contact us for more information on how we can safely and efficiently complete your demolition project.