The most crucial part of any job is ensuring personal safety. Whether you are an experienced electrician, an apprentice, a new electrician, or just someone doing a DIY electrical job, protecting yourself with the proper fire and electrical-resistant attire is vital to prevent any incident from getting out of hand and turning into something even more serious. Electrical laborers are required to wear protective gear every time they have to work– it doesn’t matter how big the task is, whether it be working on fire valve cabinets or loose wires from electrical posts.
Now you may be wondering: What should electricians wear? Are there specific pants and shirts for electrical jobs that you can buy?
The key is knowing what protective clothes and equipment you should have. To help you be prepared, read this article to know the most electrical workwear from head to toe that you must acquire.
Head Protection
When it comes to head protection, wear hard hats especially in places where there is a potential for objects falling from above, fixed objects where bumps to the head are possible, or of accidental head contact with electrical hazards. It is also advisable to routinely inspect them for dents, cracks, or deterioration. In case of a heavy blow or electrical shock, it is necessary that you replace it.
Eye and Face Protection
When you are working on electrical hazards, safety glasses or face shields must be worn in order to avoid foreign objects from getting into the eye. For instance, when you are welding, grinding, nailing, cutting, or when working with concrete and/or harmful chemicals, or when flying particles may get into your eyes, nose, or mouth. For eye and face protection, you can wear safety glasses, face shields, and chemical splash goggles.
Hearing Protection
When it comes to high noise work areas where chainsaws or heavy equipment are used, use earplugs or earmuffs to protect your hearing from getting damaged. It is also necessary that you clean the earplugs regularly or replace when necessary.
Hand Protection
Electrical workers should wear the right gloves for any job– heavy-duty rubber gloves when concrete is involved, welding gloves for welding, and more importantly, insulated and puncture-resistant gloves and sleeves when working on electrical hazards.
Body and Back Protection
When working, especially during nighttime, it is important to implement worker visibility. It is generally advisable to wear brightly colored and/or reflective jackets, vests, or other upper-body clothing. This is crucial, especially when working along active roadways, in low lighting, and for nighttime and dusk work. It is also vital to protect an electrician’s full legs, full arms, and torso against cuts, scrapes, burns, and other injuries, by using flexible work and pants and shirts that are insulated and puncture-resistant. Body protection also includes support belts to protect against muscle strains that can come from lifting heavy objects.
Foot Protection
All workers and not only electricians should wear work shoes or boots with slip-resistant and puncture-resistant soles. Safety-toed or steel-toed boots must also be worn to protect against shocks from working with electrical wires or from crushing the feet when dealing with heavy equipment or falling objects.
Conclusion
Now that you know the protective electrical workwear that you must have, it is also important to know that whatever you do, make sure that you don’t sacrifice quality. When buying your protective gear, don’t compromise quality by going for a cheaper brand. Remember that it is your protection that matters most and saving a couple of dollars can be risky in the long run since a cheap deal may not provide the protection that you need. Good work clothes for electricians must come from reputable suppliers who ensure that their products comply with safety standards.
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