Civil protection organizations are required to manage different types of emergencies, from earthquakes, which are rather frequent in many countries, to forest fires, landslides and floods, on a daily basis. For this reason, personal protective equipment provided to civil protection workers needs to be appropriate for the various types of emergencies encountered.
Personal protective equipment for civil protection workers
Personal protective equipment for civil protection depends on the type of risk to be addressed. Current legislation specifies that, in addition to being ergonomic and appropriate for the hazards which workers will be facing, all devices need to be CE marked, be equipped with instructions for proper use and maintenance and bear a product expiry date. Civil protection workers and volunteers who have been provided with PPE are, themselves, responsible for checking and ensuring that the given devices are fully functional and not faulty in any way. Furthermore, the PPE provided should always include a helmet because, whether it is dealing with fire, earthquakes or floods, there is always a risk of heavy objects falling from above. Protective shoes should also be provided, as well as hearing protectors if civil protection workers are required to work in areas where loud noises are generated.
Protective clothing worn by civil protection workers, in addition to bearing the symbols of the team/squad to which they belong (which identifies them as a point of reference), must be marked with reflective stripes to make them detectable under all working conditions.
Wildland firefighter PPE for civil protection workers
A very common work situation in which civil protection workers find themselves concerns forest fires which are frequent particularly during the summer months. In this case, appropriate procedures are to be followed to avoid workers running health and safety risks. The protective clothing worn by workers to fight wildland fires must be flameproof, in order to offer protection at all times.Protective clothing, however, is not sufficient protection in the case of wildland fires where high temperatures develop and the visibility is poor owing to fire smoke which actually also poses health hazards to the respiratory system because, whatever the origin of the fire, smoke poisoning may take place.
To face this situation in the best possible way, civil protection workers are to be equipped with PPE suitable for wildland fires. Among these, respiratory protective devices are relevant. When there is a wildland fire the impervious terrain should also be taken into account so, apart from protecting the airways, the devices should be as lightweight as possible.
The respiratory protective devices for wildland fire fighting need to provide workers with clean, filtered air but also be compact. The field of vision should be as natural as possible and not limit the view as this could cause possible hazards to be misperceived.
The devices should also be equipped with visor demisting systems and with valves through which exhaled and any excess air is expelled to avoid an excessive build-up of pressure inside the face pieces which would lead to a less efficient performance
Jun 20 2018
Personal Protective Equipment for civil protection workers – which to use?
Personal protective equipment for civil protection workers
Personal protective equipment for civil protection depends on the type of risk to be addressed. Current legislation specifies that, in addition to being ergonomic and appropriate for the hazards which workers will be facing, all devices need to be CE marked, be equipped with instructions for proper use and maintenance and bear a product expiry date. Civil protection workers and volunteers who have been provided with PPE are, themselves, responsible for checking and ensuring that the given devices are fully functional and not faulty in any way. Furthermore, the PPE provided should always include a helmet because, whether it is dealing with fire, earthquakes or floods, there is always a risk of heavy objects falling from above. Protective shoes should also be provided, as well as hearing protectors if civil protection workers are required to work in areas where loud noises are generated.
Protective clothing worn by civil protection workers, in addition to bearing the symbols of the team/squad to which they belong (which identifies them as a point of reference), must be marked with reflective stripes to make them detectable under all working conditions.
Wildland firefighter PPE for civil protection workers
A very common work situation in which civil protection workers find themselves concerns forest fires which are frequent particularly during the summer months. In this case, appropriate procedures are to be followed to avoid workers running health and safety risks. The protective clothing worn by workers to fight wildland fires must be flameproof, in order to offer protection at all times.Protective clothing, however, is not sufficient protection in the case of wildland fires where high temperatures develop and the visibility is poor owing to fire smoke which actually also poses health hazards to the respiratory system because, whatever the origin of the fire, smoke poisoning may take place.
To face this situation in the best possible way, civil protection workers are to be equipped with PPE suitable for wildland fires. Among these, respiratory protective devices are relevant. When there is a wildland fire the impervious terrain should also be taken into account so, apart from protecting the airways, the devices should be as lightweight as possible.
The respiratory protective devices for wildland fire fighting need to provide workers with clean, filtered air but also be compact. The field of vision should be as natural as possible and not limit the view as this could cause possible hazards to be misperceived.
The devices should also be equipped with visor demisting systems and with valves through which exhaled and any excess air is expelled to avoid an excessive build-up of pressure inside the face pieces which would lead to a less efficient performance
By Kasco Srl • Blog •