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In this post we will look at a customer who was working with bleach and mold. This customer will need a respirator mask and filters to protect against both. We will look at what combinations do that: I am looking for a respirator and respirator cartridges to protect me while I apply a bleach solution to my entire attic to kill mold. What would be the correct combination of mask and filters for that application? This poses an interesting question. In looking at a mask and filter …

When we think about safety gloves, our minds tend to drift to an image of heavy-duty, drab material that although they do protect your hands, they don’t always allow you to really handle the finer things in life. The idea of having an arm and hand protector made for easily maneuvering your hands and fingers sounds almost too good to be true. Lucky for us, MCR Safety has created just the thing! The Memphis 9378T 18” knit sleeves are made of DuPont Kevlar brand fiber and are the perfect “saf …

There is one area of the fall-arrest procedure that is lacking in many companies. It’s not the part where a worker is saved from a deadly fall; there are many products now that protect workers at heights. It is the part after the fall: The time when you would hope to witness a well-organized rescue plan while a worker hangs suspended, held aloft by a thin nylon strap or steel wire. Even companies who believe they have excellent safety standards often lack cohesive planning for recovery once a …

When working with dangerous chemicals, it is extremely important to have the right safety equipment. Many chemical products are available that have hidden problems. Here is a question I recently got from a customer working with dangerous vapors: What Paint Respirator should I use when spraying Urethane Paint? The information sheet I received about it says to use a NIOSH-approved activated Charcoal cartridge respirator. I would like to use a half mask if possible. You ask a …

When considering work in confined spaces or around dangerous gases, it is important to have gas detectors present so that dangerous levels of gases can be detected. This helps you make informed decisions about whether to start work, and in the event of a problem, providing time for workers to get to safety. With so many choices in gas detection, it may be difficult to choose the right unit for you. Here is a recent question we recently received. "I am interested in purchasing a 4-gas mo …

If you have ordered a harness from DBI-SALA in the past you may recall that they come with a belt that is one size up from the harness, that is to say, if you ordered a medium harness, it would come to you with a large belt. The rationale behind this being, that once you have all of your work clothes on and the padding in the harness, a larger size belt would be needed to get around all of this. The belts are somewhat adjustable and the discrepancy in sizing only rarely seemed to presen …

If you have been following the news recently, you might have noticed an increase in the number of articles about sunscreen. This increase in coverage follows the announcement by the FDA of new rules and regulations placed on sunscreen manufacturer’s labeling requirements. For additional historical information on this topic, I have provided links to our blog and YouTube channel below in case you are interested in learning more. Meanwhile, let’s start with some of the basics. Sunscr …

Fall protection is one of those things you can never be too careful with so I am constantly getting questions about it. Here is an example: I am going to be doing some work on a platform that is only 1.8 meters off of the ground. My self-retracting lifeline (SRL) will therefore be hung about 3.8 meters off the ground.  I know that I am going to need fall protection, but will that be enough clearance to arrest a fall? I don’t want to hit the ground. Is 1.8 meters enough distance for …

The variety of jobs and tasks our customers set out to do continually amazes me. Here is a query from a recent customer about his task: In an upcoming job I will be melting lead and spraying acrylic and lacquer based paints. What mask and filters do you recommend to protect me from the fumes associated with these tasks? How does sizing on the masks work? For the lead fumes I suggest using a P100 (HEPA) filter such as the 3M 2091 Particulate Filter or the 3M 7093 P100 HEPA filte …

Yesterday was an exciting day at PK Safety. A representative for Capital Safety and DBI/SALA came to show us some of their most popular products in action. The most exciting part of the visit, besides brushing up on our wealth of fall protection knowledge, is that their demonstration truck has the capability to do test drops. We were able to look at simulated falls with a restraint lanyard, a shock pack lanyard, a shock wave lanyard and an SRL. It was amazing to see this in person, b …