No one wants to think about safety. Hate it or love it, the rules and regulations are here to stay. Everyone has safety rules to follow even if those rules aren’t exactly apparent and clear cut. The pest management industry is no exception. There are safety protocols for personal protective equipment (PPE). Information about how to wear PPE, how often to replace PPE, and cleaning and care of PPE is found in many company policy manuals. For example, hardhats, bump caps, ball caps, and hairnets are all worn on your head and protect against something. Some are more durable than others. Depending on the type of protection needed is what we choose.
Hairnets are what you would think them to be: worn over your hair, and they should fit well enough to cover your ears. These fabric or mesh head covers protect our food from the hair on your head. Some might jest that other body hair needs a cover too. Beard nets are in this same criterion. Hair on a human head is continually growing and shedding, while hair on other body parts is less likely to do so. Either way, hair in food is a contaminant, and does not belong on a cheeseburger. Your school lunch lady was doing the right thing.
That old baseball cap you think is great won’t protect your top knot from becoming severely injured. Depending on the style, you might avoid some minor scratches, but not much more. The thin cloth and cardboard material that bears a favorite sports team or your company logo is great for advertising, not so great for safety. Wear them proudly to keep the sun out of your eyes, just not when dangerous conditions exist in the workplace.
When looking for head protection that is more durable, bump caps could be used. It should be noted that bump caps do not meet ANSI standards and are not OSHA compliant. An employer may allow for their use, but this type of head protection isn’t impact resistant. It may save the wearer from minor cuts and abrasions but aren’t great when there is risk of falling objects, electrical hazards, or striking stationary objects such as pipes or beams.
More commonly, workers, including pest management workers, are using hard hats. It can be noted that pest control companies are making this a requirement of employees to meet the criteria of their clients’ facilities. Due to the amount of product being stored on pallet racking systems, the chance a worker contacting, striking, or being hit by an object remains a high probability. There is a risk of injury when ducking under beams, supports, or products. Falling objects are a major cause of injury.
Thinking about protecting your head barely takes any thought at all. We do it all the time. How many times did you touch your head, face, mouth, ears, play with a ponytail while reading this information? It’s a common, involuntary action we all make. As children, we were taught to protect our head and face if we fell. We can still do the same thing as adults by choosing the correct hard hat, bump cap, ball cap, hair net, or winter stocking hat. Know your task. Know your employer policies. Wear personal protective equipment correctly. Replace when needed. Think Safe. Stay Safe.
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