A safe workplace does not happen by accident
Back in the day, people had a slightly more relaxed approach to safety. The children played around in the back seat without seat belts, and the motorcyclists mainly wore helmets to warm their heads. A helmet on the ice hockey rink was for wimps. Today we know better. But not always, and not in all industries, for instance, in waterjetting. “It will only take a few minutes”, “I have worked with this for 10 years without an accident”, “I never slip”. There are still lots of excuses in our business for not wearing protective clothing.
– Waterjetting can be dangerous even if you do everything right. You never plan for an accident, but hoses burst, and couplings break. Even the most experienced worker may slip. Therefore, you should always use protective clothing when working with waterjetting. You always wear a seat belt in a car. Obviously, you don’t plan to crash, says Peder Lindström, Market & Sales Director at TST Sweden.
Some excuses are completely understandable like, the PPE is too heavy, too warm, or too immobile. Here, we are constantly working to develop even better products. For instance, our new product series EliteOperator offers a completely different level of mobility.
– By increasing mobility, you not only get greater comfort but also increased safety as you are not limited by the clothing. Additionally, and this is actually the most important: You choose to wear them. To achieve this, we developed a completely new philosophy and technique named Athletic Design. The new philosophy includes everything from new design innovations in protective areas, to pre-bent knees, fabrics, layers, and seams, says Peder Lindström.
“IN ADDITION TO DEVELOPING AND SELLING PPE, WE ALSO EDUCATE OUR CUSTOMERS AND USERS ON PROTECTION.”
Did you know that your eyes are at risk of damage already at a pressure of 7 bar/100 psi? And that skin penetration may occur from 80 bar/1 160 psi? Our 10/28 range withstands up to 2 800 bar/40 000 psi and the EliteOperator range up to 3 000 bar/43 500 psi. We offer protection for every part of the body, from head to toe.
– A safe workplace does not happen by accident. Employers have obligations concerning the provision and use of PPE at work. In addition to developing and selling PPE, we also educate our customers and users on protection. By using our products, you will contribute to a safer workplace where the worker’s safety and welfare are highly valued. Make sure that your employees get to go home to their loved ones, every day – and are fit for work again the next day, says Peder Lindström.
For those who think PPE could be too hot to wear, we offer ventilated protective clothing, an option available in our Trousers and Overalls. The solution allows compressed air to flow through the clothing, cooling you during the entire work shift. If compressed air is not an option for you, then our Cooling Vest is a good alternative. The vest absorbs heat from the body and provides effective, but gentle cooling.
– If you are within an area of about 25 meters radius from high water pressure activities – regardless of whether it is being performed by a colleague, a robot, or an automated solution – we highly recommend that you use PPE. We have seen what effects waterjetting on workers without protection cause. It’s not a pretty sight. That is why our motto is “Saving Lives”, says Peder Lindström.
TST Sweden article published in WJTA Jet News, reprinted with permission.