PPE & Safety Tools

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, includes all the items workers wear to reduce exposure to hazardous conditions and materials in the workplace. Hardhats, earplugs, and full-body hazmat suits all qualify as PPE. So do BHS Personal Protective Kits, which include a full set of chemical-resistant, acid-protective overclothes for safer work with corrosive materials.

The spread of pathogenic illness in the workplace represents another serious threat to on-the-job safety. Avoiding contact with shared surfaces can help to reduce risk during viral or bacterial outbreaks. Keychain Touch Tools from BHS allow users to open doors, press buttons, and manipulate common objects without direct skin-to-surface contact.

Click on the PPE and safety products below to learn more about specific hazards, and how these safety solutions can help protect workers across multiple industries. Call the BHS Sales Team at 1.800.BHS.9500 to locate your nearest dealer.

PPE for Chemicals, Acids, and Hazardous Materials

The BHS Personal Protective Kit was designed to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations that govern forklift battery handling. Specifically, OSHA standard 1926.441(a)(5), which concerns industrial batteries in the construction industry, states that “face shields, aprons, and rubber gloves shall be provided for workers handling acids or batteries.”

The BHS Personal Protective Kit surpasses these standards by providing not just acid-resistant face shields, aprons, and neoprene gloves, but also chemical-splash goggles, hazmat boots, and a storage bag for easy access. Since its debut in the forklift battery room, this head-to-toe collection of chemical-resistant PPE has found countless applications beyond its original purpose. Anywhere employees work with chemicals and caustic agents, the BHS Personal Protective Kit provides an important final layer of defense against injury.

In fact, the PK-1200 helps employers in many fields comply with OSHA standards on PPE for general industry. These standards include:

• 1910.132, Personal Protective Equipment, General Requirements
• 1910.133, Eye and Face Protection
• 1910.138, Hand Protection

Remember that OSHA’s General Duty Clause, employers must provide “employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to … employees.” Even in conditions not outlined by existing OSHA standards, then, where PPE can protect workers from injury, employers should provide these items.

Safety Equipment to Reduce the Spread of Illness

Even without a viral pandemic shutting down economies the world over, a bad flu season could cost U.S. businesses more than $20 billion in lost productivity. When employees can’t rely on strict isolation at home, employers should slow viral transmission at work by maintaining safe distances between employees and limiting contact with shared surfaces.

Simple safety products can contribute to the solution. The Keychain Touch Tool* is a small, lightweight, sturdy hook that allows users to open doors, press buttons, and move objects without direct contact. A smooth grasping ring slips over the forefinger, providing leverage and protecting hands from contact with objects at once.

The KTT is pre-drilled for keyrings and no longer than a typical car key; this convenience makes it a daily pocket essential during viral outbreaks. By providing contact-limiting tools like the KTT to their staff, employers can reduce the spread of illness, creating measurable benefits in worker safety and overall productivity.

Protect Employees with PPE and Safety Solutions from BHS

Unique workplace practices produce unique safety needs. BHS, Inc., can provide custom PPE and safety equipment using our decades of combined experience in engineering, manufacturing, and workplace safety at our own facilities. Call the BHS Sales Team at 1.800.BHS.9500 to discuss specifications and requirements, or browse the products listed above for more information on the current line of PPE from BHS, Inc.