Head, Eye, and Face Personal Protective Equipment

New Trends, Practice and Applications

Katarzyna Majchrzycka, Katarzyna Majchrzycka

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000163964
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Technologie et ingénierie
• Subtopic: Santé et sécurité au travail

Head, Eye, and Face Personal Protective Equipment: New Trends, Practice, and Applications presents protective equipment in the context of the latest design trends, materials, and technologies. It informs the reader using basic safety principles to avoid issues with commonly used personal protective equipment (PPE), such as helmets and eye and face protectors. It provides the latest design trends in eye and face protectors to avoid optical hazards and for use in variable lighting conditions.

Features:

• Fills the gap on current solutions of PPE and occupational safety

• Educates in reducing risk connected with using industrial safety gear

• Helpful to optometrists in the selection of eye protection for people with visual impairments

• Instructs the reader on choosing smart materials and safety products

• Provides best practices for checking the technical condition of the equipment

This book is essential for the safety professional and medical experts in the field. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to personal protective equipment using new technologies in the field.

"The monograph Head, Eye, and Face Personal Protective Equipment - New Trends, Practice and Applications is a complementary and thoughtful but selected compilation of the most relevant information concerning protective helmets as well as eye and face protection. The compilation of these two protection types is the result of the common use of both protective helmets and eye and face protectors. This requires their full compatibility, both in terms of ensuring optimum safety and comfort of use.

The authors have chosen the material according to the needs of people directly responsible for safety at work and users of those protectors. The main aim of the work is to popularise knowledge in the field of construction, research methods, selection and use of protective helmets and eye and face protectors. In terms of use, the authors emphasise the necessity of independent control, i.e. checking the technical condition of the equipment used by the end users.

The presented monograph includes the current state of knowledge in this scope, extended by the results and summaries of the authors' own research. All requirements and research methods are given based on European (EN), international (ISO) standards and standards operating in different geographical areas.

The monograph also encompasses new trends in the design of protective helmets and eye and face protectors.

All this allows me to emphasize the uniqueness of this monograph in relation to previous publications in this field, both in terms of the scope and selection of information concerning protective helmets and eye and face protectors."
— Ryszard Korycki, ?ód? University of Technology

1	Introduction Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute

The working environment as well as everyday living conditions makes it increasingly common to require personal protective equipment to protect the upper part of the head, eyes, and face. There are many reasons for the widespread use of this type of protection. It includes the growing awareness of the threats to the head, eyes, and face. No one is surprised anymore to see a cyclist with a helmet and safety glasses. Technological progress in the construction of helmets, glasses, goggles, as well as other types of head, eye and face protection has made their protective properties increasingly high, while maintaining comfort.

A new trend in the design of head protection is the integration of this type of protection with electronic modules in order to extend their functionality. An example is a helmet with a mounted GPS (global position system) module and sensors monitoring basic environmental parameters (e.g., temperature, radiation intensity, etc.). An additional element extending the functionality of traditional eye and face protection equipment are AR (augmented reality) modules. Thanks to this type of eye and face protection solutions; they are also used to provide information about the working environment, monitored hazards, etc.

Head, eye, and face protection is most often used in the working environment. Head protection is mainly used in the heavy industry sector (e.g., metallurgy) and in construction and logistics (e.g., warehouses). Eye and face protection equipment is used in virtually all industrial sectors, in medicine and wherever eyes can be exposed to harmful environmental influences.

Due to the wide variety of risks to the eyes and face (harmful optical radiation, mechanical, chemical and biological risks), products to protect against them are also very diverse. There are many types of eye and face protection equipment that are designed for specific applications. Eye and face protection is very often used along with head protection. When wearing protective helmets and eye and face protection at the same time, make sure that it is compatible.

The head is a very sensitive part of the body and due to its location – on the top of the upright silhouette of a man – in the working environment, it is particularly exposed to various risks. The most important of these are

• impacts by dangerous, falling objects,

• impacts on hard, sharp objects in the work area,

• impacts on structural components when arresting a fall from a height,

• transverse compression forces,

• hot factors such as molten metal splashes, open flame, infrared radiation,

• electric shock, and

• the effects of hazardous chemicals in the form of liquids, dust, etc.

The riskiest of the listed factors are mechanical factors, which are clearly confirmed by the data on accident occurrences related to the human head in the working environment in various countries around the world. The scale of the problem can be demonstrated by the following examples of accident data.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) [Industrial Safety & Hygiene News 2017] of 2016, from 2003 to 2010, 2200 construction workers were killed in the United States as a result of accidents related to head injuries. This number represents 25% of all deaths in the construction sector. According to the analysis Tiesman [2011] carried out in the United States between 2003 and 2008 in industrial conditions, about 7300 people died from head injuries, of which 18% were a result of impact with dangerous objects and equipment. The data of the Central Statistical Office [GUS 2018] show that in 2017 in Poland, 5258 incidents related to workers being hit by falling objects were recorded, of which 18 resulted in the death of the injured person and 52 in serious injuries.

The risk of a moving object hitting a worker’s head is one of the most serious in many industries. Most often, it occurs in such industries as construction, mining, energy, shipbuilding, warehousing, etc. Depending on the kinetic energy of the moving object, such an impact can result in slight damage to the head surface to the most serious injuries, such as skullbone fracture or direct brain injury.

A similar event is a head-on collision with dangerous objects within the workplace. This can happen with little energy, such as on a low-suspended structural element during normal movement, as well as with high energy, for example, when falling over or falling from a height. Such threats can be found in virtually all industries, particularly in the construction, mining, and energy sectors. Among the mechanical factors posing a threat of head injury are the action of lateral compression forces. Such impacts can cause serious head injuries and are found in industries such as mining, storage management, etc., especially when transporting materials and heavy objects.

Analysing the presented accident events from the point of view of the body injury, it can be concluded that the most frequent effects of mechanical factors on a human head are

• superficial injuries mainly affecting skin,

• damage (most often fractures) of skull bones,

• damage to the skull base and cervical vertebrae, and

• brain damage.

The issue of the medical effects of impacts to the head and modelling of phenomena occurring at that time was reflected in many scientific publications, examples of which are: [Hutchinson 1998; Marjoux 2008; Newman 2000; Shojaati 2003; Tiesman 2011].

A specific nature of work in industrial conditions also poses risks to the worker’s head from factors other than mechanical, such as heat. The most important of these include open flame, splashes of molten metal and intense infrared radiation. Such factors can be found in steel mills, foundries, coking plants, during gas and arc welding, etc., and they threaten to cause head burns.

Workstations related to the construction, maintenance and control of electrical installations also pose a risk of electric shock. This risk can also affect a worker’s head in some cases and is particularly dangerous due to the current flow path through the human body. In industrial conditions, other dangerous phenomena may threaten the head of a worker, such as contact with aggressive corrosive chemicals in the form of liquids, dusts, etc. Such contact can be very dangerous, both for the scalp and the whole human body.

To sum up the information provided, it is clear that there are many risks to the employee’s head in the working environment. These threats can lead to serious damage to human health and, in extreme cases, to death. For many occupations, it is possible to organise work so that the worker is not in direct contact with the hazards, or it is possible to apply collective protective equipment. However, there are also many jobs where the only sensible solution is to use protective helmets. The issues surrounding the use of protective helmets in industrial conditions cover a number of scientific and practical considerations. The most important of these are

• categories of helmets by type and purpose,

• helmet designs and their protective properties,

• new trends in construction and materials used for helmets,

• research on the properties of helmets under different conditions of use,

• rules for selecting helmets for hazards and workplace conditions,

• helmet compatibility with eye and face protectors,

• basic laboratory testing methods for helmets to examine their protective parameters,

• methods of self-assessment of the technical condition of helmets, carried out by users.

These issues are presented in the following monograph in the ensuing chapters.

Another very important element of human protection is eye protection. The eye is one of our most sensitive organs, and the injuries it suffers at work are very common. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that every day, 2000 US workers suffer work-related eye injuries requiring treatment [NIOSH 2013]. Care and protection of the eye is important regardless of the nature of the work: physical or mental. Damage to sight, or in extreme cases loss of vision, results in a reduced quality of life. The natural eye protection apparatus (eyelids, tear gland, conjunctiva, eyebrows and eyelashes) is not always able to provide effective protection, which is particularly true for the working environment. Factors for which the natural eye protection is insufficient include harmful radiation and mechanical hazards, as well as chemical and biological agents. Eye risk factors can also be dangerous to the whole face.

Eye and face risk factors in the working environment can be divided into three basic groups: optical, mechanical, and chemical (including biological agents). In many cases, there are several hazards at the same time.

Optical radiation hazards include radiation from a natural source (sunlight), artificial light sources (e.g., laser radiation) or radiation generated by technological processes (e.g., welding). Harmful radiation concerns the ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), and infrared (IR) ranges. Mechanical hazards are mainly chips of solid substances, liquid splashes and dust. Other risks are those arising from chemical and biological agents.

Harmful optical radiation, depending on the wavelength, endangers various parts of the eye. The range of optical radiation that reaches the retina of the eye (and penetrates it directly) is in the range of 380–1400 nm. The radiation range 380–780 nm is visible radiation (VIS), and above 780 nm is infrared radiation (IR). However, a wavelength of up to 400 nm (UV radiation) can be the reason for many adverse changes in the eye, especially as a result of excessive eye exposure.

UV-C radiation (315–400 nm) and UV-B (280–315 nm) can cause inflammatory damage to the cornea; UV-A (180–280 nm) is mainly responsible for cataracts and VIS (400–780 nm) for photochemical and thermal retina damage. Cataracts and corneal burns can be caused by IR-A radiation (780–1400 nm) and corneal haze, cataracts and corneal burns can be caused by IR-B radiation (1400–3000 nm). Far infrared IR-C (from 3000 nm to 1 mm) mainly causes burns to the cornea.

Biological reactions can only be caused by absorbed radiation. There are two types of reactions in biological tissues caused by optical radiation: photochemical and thermal. The effects of exposure to optical radiation depend on the physical parameters of the radiation (wavelength, intensity in relation to individual wavelengths), the amount of the absorbed dose and the optical and biological properties of the exposed tissue: eye, skin, skin phototype, etc. [CIOP-PIB 2003]. Harmful optical radiation can also cause skin burns. This applies both to infrared radiation (thermal exposure) and ultraviolet radiation. The effects of infrared radiation on the skin occur immediately during exposure to this radiation. The effects of ultraviolet radiation, in the form of erythema or burns, occur some time after exposure.

The second group of threats to the eyes and the whole face, after harmful optical radiation, are mechanical factors (chips of solid substances, splashes of liquids or gases under high pressure). Mechanical injuries to eyesight are frequent consequences of accidents at work, resulting from, among other things, non-application of eye and face protection when working with machines or hand tools.

Chemical hazards are also the cause of accidents at work. Injuries caused by chemical agents are due to eye or face contact with the chemical, such as in laboratories, paint shops, on construction sites and during work on chemical or biological waste disposal.

Employers have a particular responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees. Where it is not possible to eliminate, isolate or weaken the effects of eye and face risks, appropriate eye and face protectors should be used. Their choice depends on the circumstances of exposure (nature and extent of hazards), other protective equipment used and the individual requirements of users, taking into account the condition of the eye. The term “eye condition” refers to both health conditions and the temporary state of the eye (fatigue, adaptation conditions, etc.).

Providing adequate eye protection can significantly reduce the severity of accidents. Eye injuries indirectly affect the risk of random events not directly related to sight injuries. An eye injury often means a temporary loss of concentration or balance, with the risk of an unfortunate accident. According to Occupational Health and Safety [OHS 2008], up to 90% of workplace injuries can be eliminated by using appropriate eye and face protection. Providing adequate eye protection can significantly reduce the severity of accidents.

The following monograph presents basic knowledge of the design, testing methods and requirements for protective helmets, as well as eye and face protectors, the principles of their proper selection and examination of their technical condition. Special attention was paid to the characteristics of optical protective filters. The issues concerning eye protection of people suffering from vision dysfunction and the latest trends in the design of protective helmets and eye and face protective equipment are also described.

In addition to the public knowledge, the monograph contains the results of scientific research on protective helmets, and eye, and face protectors....