Senseless price cutting and price wars are a regular and unwelcome feature of the highly competitive flatwork rental and garment rental markets.
Most companies are quick to complain but few have successfully tackled and built on the opportunities offered by the emerging market in personal protective equipment (PPE) which has been created by the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.
There has been understandable caution because personal protective equipment (PPE) forms an integral part of an employer’s safety system, so it is important to ensure that all legal implications are covered. Nevertheless, it is a performance led market which offers sensible returns for good marketing and is there to exploited by every rental company.
What is PPE? PPE refers to garments, helmets, boots, face visors, gloves, aprons and so on which are designed to protect the wearer against a specific hazard.
The law requires employers to conduct risk assessments for all their operations and to provide PPE where necessary as part of an integrated set of controls to reduce risks to an acceptable level.
How can the rental operator assist? Most employers have plenty of regulations to adhere to, but even with the present bureaucratic overload they must still identify proper PPE and ensure that it is issued and used correctly.
First of all the employer is responsible for conducting the risk assessment and if there are more than five staff then this must be documented. The best advice that can be given is for the employer to obtain a copy of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) leaflet on risk assessment which sets out a simple five part procedure and explains how to follow it.
PPE must be regarded as a last resort when all other techniques for minimising risk have been exhausted. The employer is obliged to involve the employee in PPE selection and the rental sales team are ideally placed to discuss different garment designs and fabric options taking account of working conditions.
It is useful to note that PPE must always be issued free of charge—the employee should not be expected to make any contribution, even to the cost of safety shoes.
The PPE must offer protection which is appropriate to the risk. A welder’s overall, only performs a proper PPE function if worn with a leather apron, because Proban-treated cotton fabric is only effective against occasional stray weld splash—it cannot match the protection of a proper welder’s apron in the vulnerable groin area.
PPE must be manufactured to approved safety standards and CE marked accordingly. The standards for marking PPE also require the level and type of protection to be specified on the garment label.
The PPE provided must be a good fit from day one. Where a garment is likely to shrink for the first three washes then sleeves and trouser legs should be turned under until the size has stabilised. It is vital that the rental operator uses a good sizing set when fitting out a workforce, especially where fit is critical to exposure to hazard.
The employer has a duty to ensure that PPE is kept clean and in a condition fit for wear which most rental operators are in a perfect position to assist with. Wearers must also have adequate storage for their PPE which will prevent contamination with dusts or liquids.
PPE should always be available when required so each wearer will need a sufficient number of garments to ensure a spare in the event of accident. The best rental operators will have systems for detecting when one garment has gone missing so that it can be replaced and the employer invoiced. Cleansing alone may not be sufficient—garments must be maintained and this would extend to lubricating sticking zips, replacing missing studs and so on.
PPE must also be examined on a regular basis, with priority given to inspection after the tunnel finisher so that holes and tears are noted and repaired. A garment which can no longer fulfil its PPE function can then be replaced.
The employer must give the wearer information regarding the risks which the PPE is designed to reduce and explain what the consequences of these risks might be so that the wearer can understand the importance of the PPE. The rental operator, often with superior knowledge of the precise standards to which the PPE has been made, is often in a better position to provide this information.
The employer must also issue specific instructions as to how the PPE is to be used. This should explain who must wear it, where and when it should be worn, how it should be stored, cleaning and maintenance arrangements, system for reporting of faults and method for requesting repairs.
Finally the employer is required to provide appropriate training in the correct use of PPE and, via its representative, the operator is in a good position to offer this.
