Safety Clothes Checklist

Safety clothes checklists guide workers in selecting and caring for garments that protect them in their jobs. Standard garments include coveralls, reflective vests, head gear and gloves. Lists ensure that employees are trained to recognize the specific dangers within their trades. For instance, welders wear fireproof gloves to safeguard against burns, while animal laboratory workers cover their hands to prevent the spread of contaminants.

Assessment

• Checklists often are starting points to assess workplace dangers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Employers inspect facilities and identify every potential occupational hazard. They look for opportunities for chemical spills, falling objects, toxic dust or high intensity lighting. This evaluation requires written certification of each possible risk, the identity of the person certifying that these dangers exist and dates of the evaluations. The next step in this assessment process is to identify which safety gear offers the best defense against each of these risks.

Training

• A typical checklist for employee training ensures that important safety information is relayed to the workforce, says the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Safety training includes an overall discussion of why safety devices are required and demonstrations on how to use them. Employees might not understand why head coverings are essential unless they are told that loose hair gets caught and tugged on by machinery. A standard checklist used by trainers recommends that each participant be required to show that he knows how to use safety clothing.

Users

• Workers who wear safety clothing often follow a standard self-inspection checklist as an added safety measure. They assess their protective garments daily before and after wearing them, knowing that any tears, punctures or cracks might lessen the clothing's effectiveness. Employees follow instructions on caring for their protective gear and notify their supervisors of any problems or replacement needs. They also adhere to guidelines on how to dispose of single-use safety items that are applied once and then thrown away.

Precautions

• Some safety clothes require maintenance that is more extensive than just wiping away dust. Checklists direct supervisors and staff to take special precautions in how they care for contaminated safety wear. For example, lead battery handlers are prohibited from removing and then shaking their clothing after working because the dust particles pollute the air, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These workers operate under specific checklists to ensure that others avoid contact with lead impurities, such as the laundry service employees who wash these garments.