From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 22,400 courses taught by industry experts or purchase this course individually.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat

Start my 1-month free trial

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

- Another practice that I've seen increasing is the use of personal protective equipment or PPE to help cool people down. I see everyone from professional athletes to construction workers using the cool bands that have gel beads inside that soak up and react to water to get cold and stay cool for an extended period of time. When you wrap these around the neck correctly, so when you place them against the main arteries on your neck, this can really help the body reduce heat through conduction. Now, additional examples of PPE include sunscreen, hats and protective clothing that's loose and lightweight to shade the skin without trapping in the heat. Heavy personal protective clothing can really trap that heat in. So look for loose cotton clothing and reduce the number of layers when you can, by doing things like, for example wearing a high vis cotton shirt instead of a safety vest over your shirt when that's…

Contents