There are some things that no one who works with wood, metal, fiberglass or any other stock material should live without.  Safety equipment should be on the top of that list; with that in mind, we've culled some of the most common and uncommon safety gear out there and passed it along to you.  Keep safe and your future as a worker is nearly guaranteed.  So click over to the right to move into some essential safety equipment.

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#1: Gloves

 First up on the list is that almost ubiquitous piece of safety equipment - gloves.  Whether avoiding splinters, cuts or gouges in your hands, it's almost always necessary to cover up.   Gloves come in a variety of materials, and depending on your needs, you may need more than one type. 

The gloves to the left, the Liberty fleece-lined cowhide gloves are great for colder climates.  Leather is always a good choice for nearly every kind of work.  They're excellent for metal work, as they protect your hands from the heat associated with welding, torching and cutting.  But they're great for woodworking too as the biggest splinters will have difficulty penetrating the heavy-duty material.  

Mechanic's gloves, like the pair of Milwaukee ones to the right are excellent for protecting your hands when you need to work in a tight spot or need all the dexterity that larger gloves can't offer.  A good pair of these gloves should fit tightly on your hands - just like, well, a glove!

The last type of glove we'll cover is the standard chore glove like the ones below.  Usually made of fleece, these all-around gloves are great for a lot of different kinds of work.  They're not recommended for metal or woodworking projects, as they don't supply enough protection from heat or splinters.  If you're doing some gardening work or just moving things around, they should be plenty protection however.  A standard at construction sites and homes, they're a great standby for safety and protection.

The most important thing to keep in mind is to find a pair of gloves that fit you well.  Not too large and not too small.  Larger gloves run the risk of getting caught in machinery or tools and tearing.  Smaller gloves can cut off the circulation to your hand. 

And always wear them.  Your fingers will thank you later.

Additional Resources:

• Gloves at ToolKing.com  

 

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#2: Face and Eye Protection

Up next is eye and face protection.  This piece of safety equipment should always be worn, even for the simplest of tasks.  You only get one face and two eyes and it's absolutely imperative that you protect them at all times.  That said, let's look at some of the common types of protection.

First off is eye protection.  A good pair of protective glasses should be made of a polycarbonate and meet or exceed ANSI standards for impact energies.  The Milwaukee pair to the right are a great example of the kind of safety glasses you should look for.  Another feature to look out for in safety glasses is near full eye coverage.  This is usually accomplished by having the plastic lenses wrap to both left and right of the eyes.

 

Even more protection is afforded through the use of full wrapping goggles.  These provide stronger protection than glasses and are much harder to puncture.  They're also somewhat heavier, but this is a small inconvenience considering the greater protection they afford.  Goggles really are a step up from safety glasses, and any time you feel that the smallest piece of debris may enter the sides of glasses, switch to goggles.  They're also great for high dust areas, where tiny invisible bits travel through the air.

 

 

 

 

Last on the list of these items is face protection.  It doesn't get much safer than a full face mask like the Grip face shield below right. These shields are made of the same polycarbonate as the

glasses and goggles above, but provide much more protection than either.  A full face mask is highly recommended when cutting metal, where very tiny fragments can imbed themselves in not only eyes, but skin as well.  They're really great for nearly every kind of work, as it's never a bad idea to be too safe.  For welding, make sure you buy the proper welding gear, as the face shield seen here doesn't protect your eyes from the bright spark of a welding lead.

Additional Resources:

• Face & Eye Protection at ToolKing.com

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#3: Knee Pads

Though considered by some as a minor safety convenience, people who've worked on their knees all day long - like concrete finishers or landscapers - know that knee protection is imperative.  How many people do you know who complain about their bad knees all the time?  That number could probably be reduced if more people used the proper safety gear (football players notwithstanding).  The standard materials for most knee pads are of three different types: plastic, rubber, and leather.  The hard front Grips to the left are an old standby, and are great for kneeling in all sorts of materials, like dirt or  concrete or grass.  They are not as flexible as the other types, but are excellent for all-day affairs, as the hard cap keeps the knee safe (though they sometimes sound like high heels when moving around on concrete).

Get a pair and save your knees from early retirement.

Additional Resources:

• Knee Pads at ToolKing.com  

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#4: Locks

Ok, I know what you're thinking - "hey, locks aren't really safety equipment."  At least they're not what we typically think of when the OSHA inspector is looking around your jobsite.  But in reality, keeping your tools safe from vandals and robbers is paramount to job safety.  After all, your checkbook is the one that will get hurt if someone steals from you.  

A good padlock is a nice start for our locks piece, as they're nearly everywhere and easy to use - unlock and go. Grip makes a nice pair of weatherproof ones shown to the left.  The weatherproof feature is of course very important if you work anywhere that rain, snow, salt or moisture will get into metal items and rust them badly.  If you know of a place that has seasonable weather all year round and few people please contact the author!

Disc locks are another alternative to padlocks.  They aren't quite as easy to break into because the rounded section that holds the lid (or whatever) is very close to the edges of the body of the lock.  As you can imagine, that means that a pair of bolt cutters can't grip the rounded section.  And while there's little a trained locksmith or person with a blow torch can't get into, a disc lock will definitely slow a potential robber down.

Additional Resources:

• Locks at ToolKing.com  

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#5:  Hard Hats

These babies are everywhere, and they won't be going anywhere for a long while.   And for good reason.  Hard hats are required almost everywhere in the USA by OSHA.  They may not be the prettiest things on the planet, but they may save your life.  For a good overview of when hard hats are required, check out the posting by our friends at Lab Safety Supply.

If you're not into the standard plain hard hats, check out the supply over at Custom Hard Hats.  They've got styles for everything from cowboy hard hats to your favorite sporting team. 

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# 6:  Earplugs

Earplugs are almost always necessary when operating any type of machinery; from jackhammers to saws.  Whenever you're going to be working with loud tools, be sure to pop these in your ears and save your hearing for the future.  Some plugs come as separate pieces of foam, just like the ones you can pick up at a retail store, but others like the Milwaukee set on the left have a nice little string attachment that hangs around your neck so you can take them out and reinsert them without losing them.

Additional Resources:

• Earplugs at ToolKing.com