Responses indicated that between 2001 and 2004:
• Nine of 10 types of personal protective equipment (PPE) (hard hats, safety shoes/boots, protective eyewear, gloves, fall protection, hearing protection, respirators, protective coveralls, and face shields) showed increases in the percentages of workers in heavy construction who are wearing them when needed.
• The safety vest was the only type of PPE that declined in use over that three-year period.
• Hard hats, safety vests, and safety shoes or boots are still the most commonly used types of PPE, with more than two-thirds of construction workers wearing them when needed
• Face shields, protective coveralls, and respirators are regularly worn when needed by only about 45 percent each, but all three types showed significant increases from the earlier studies.
For the third year in a row, the main reason cited why construction workers do not use PPE more regularly is because "employers do not require or enforce use;" in 2004 it was the number one or number two reason given for eight of the 10 PPE types. "Equipment not available or not provided" was the number one reason for three of the PPE types studied. "Laborers aren't informed on its importance," "lacks style/comfort," and "hampers job performance" all came out ahead of "expense of equipment to employees," as in past years.
For more information, go to http://www.safetyequipment.org.
