There are certain hazards in the workplace that can only be avoided through the use of Personal Protective Equipment – or PPE as its known for short. Handling certain potentiality dangerous materials can warrant the use of PPE, most commonly gloves. Glass can of course be dangerous for several reasons – it may have sharp edges for one, and secondly, if dropped, it could shatter and cause serious injuries to the hands and arms.
So what are the duties on employers when it comes to handling glass and providing PPE?
The Law
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations specifically set out the duties that employers must abide by in order to protect employees in the workplace through the use of PPE. The general duties mean that, where PPE can be provided, it should be provided. The duty to supply, pay for, and maintain the PPE is solely with your employer. You shouldn’t be expected to provide your own.
In the case of gloves for working with glass, they need to be suitable. So if there are scenarios where you need to handle glass with sharp edges, the gloves should be able to actively protect you. Its no good if the glass can just slice straight through the gloves you are given!
If you need to carry glass where there is of course a risk of it breaking, or if you need to handle broken glass in general, PPE should be supplied and should be adequate. The PPE should be in a state of good repair as well – if the gloves are old and tatty, with holes where skin is exposed, you are still at risk. They need to also be able to fit you properly, and should not restrict you being able to carry out your job either.
The regulations do cover training in the use of PPE as well, so when it comes to gloves, its more about educating and training staff to know that gloves must be warn when handling glass. The potential dangers of failing to wear gloves should be highlighted, and if there are issues such as not enough gloves in the workplace, or gloves that do not fit properly or are poorly maintained, they should raise this with management.
Making a Claim
If you are injured because gloves are not provided, or are perhaps not suitable for the job, or are poorly maintained (as examples), you may be entitled to make a winning claim for personal injury compensation. In most cases we submit a Claim Notification Form either directly to your employer or to their insurers, who then have 30 working days to investigate the claim. Employers must be insured by law, so its normally them who we deal with the claim.
Most employers are quite happy for you to claim nowadays, and many will actually encourage employees to claim. This is because making an employers claim is all normally dealt with by the insurers, who are there for the purpose of making a claim from. Its nothing personal in making a claim – you’re just recovering compensation owed to you when health and safety isn’t properly adhered to.
For help and advice, call our free claims helpline on 0800 634 75 75 today.
Regulations: http://www.legislation.gov.uk