The Need for Accessibility:
People with mobility impairments face unique challenges during emergencies. In situations where elevators are out of service or when stairways become unsafe, individuals who cannot navigate stairs independently may find themselves in life-threatening situations. Accessible evacuation solutions like the Evac+Chair sleds and Evac+Chair chairs provide a means for safely and swiftly evacuating such individuals, ensuring that they are not left behind during emergency scenarios.
Key Features of Evac+Chair:
Evac+Chair evacuation chairs, sleds, and stairclimbers are designed with several key features that make them indispensable during evacuation procedures:
1. Robust Construction: These chairs are engineered to be sturdy and durable, capable of safely supporting individuals of varying weights.
2. Compact and Portable: Evac+Chair models are designed to be lightweight and foldable, making them easy to store in designated areas throughout a building. This ensures accessibility during emergencies without cluttering up space during non-emergency times.
3. Ease of Use: Evac-Chairs are intuitively designed, with straightforward instructions for operation. Trained personnel can quickly deploy them to assist individuals in need of evacuation.
4. Versatility: Evac+Chair models are suitable for use in various building configurations, including narrow stairwells and tight spaces, ensuring that individuals can be evacuated from virtually any location within a building.
5. Safety Features: These chairs come equipped with safety belts and braking systems, providing stability and control during descent, thereby minimizing the risk of accidents or injuries.
How to Use Evac+Chair:
Utilizing Evac+Chair evacuation chairs effectively involves several key steps:
1. Training: It is essential to ensure that designated personnel receive adequate training in the proper use of Evac+Chair. Training should cover chair deployment, securing the individual being evacuated, and safe navigation down staircases or other evacuation routes.
2. Accessibility: Evac+Chair units should be strategically positioned throughout a building in easily accessible locations. This ensures that they can be promptly retrieved and deployed during emergencies.
3. Emergency Preparedness: Regular drills and exercises should be conducted to familiarize occupants and staff with evacuation procedures involving Evac+Chair. This practice enhances efficiency and reduces panic during real emergencies.
4. Maintenance: Regular maintenance checks should be conducted on Evac+Chair units to ensure that they are in optimal working condition at all times. This includes inspecting moving parts, battery checks on powered units, checking for signs of wear and tear, and verifying the functionality of safety features.
Evac+Chair evacuation chairs are indispensable tools for ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals with mobility impairments during emergencies. Their robust construction, ease of use, and versatility make them an essential component of any comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. By investing in stairway evacuation chairs and providing adequate training to personnel, building owners and managers can significantly enhance the evacuation process, ultimately saving lives and minimizing the risk of injuries during emergencies.
]]>1. Anti-Ligature Design:
One of the primary safety considerations in behavioral healthcare furniture is the prevention of ligature points, and by extension, the prevention of patient suicide attempts. Anti-ligature design involves eliminating or minimizing attachment points that could be used for self-harm. A ligature point is anything that could be used to attach a rope or other material (such as a cord, towel, rolled or torn sheet) for the purpose of strangulation. Therapeutic furniture with rounded edges, smooth surfaces, and concealed or tamper-resistant hardware can significantly reduce the risk of ligature incidents. This is critical when there is a risk of patient suicide.
2. Sturdy Construction:
Behavioral healthcare settings often experience high levels of activity and potential abuse of institutional furniture. Therefore, it is crucial that the furniture is constructed with durable and sturdy materials. Robust materials and construction methods can prevent breakage and ensure that the furniture remains intact under challenging conditions and intensive use.
3. Tamper-Resistant Fasteners:
Tamper-resistant fasteners and hardware are essential components of safe behavioral healthcare furniture. These features prevent individuals from disassembling or modifying the furniture in ways that could pose a risk to themselves or others. Using specialized fasteners that require specific tools for removal adds an extra layer of security.
4. Weighted and Fixed Furniture:
Furniture that is heavy or securely fixed to the floor can reduce the risk of harm by preventing individuals from moving it, tipping it over, or attempting to throw it. Weighted or anchored furniture, such as cabinets and wardrobes, adds stability and minimizes the potential for the furniture to be used as a tool for self-harm. Some tables and chairs can be weighted down with sand fill.
5. Soft and Impact-Resistant Materials:
Choosing materials that are soft, impact-resistant, and free from sharp edges is crucial in preventing injuries. Soft, anti-bacterial upholstery and foam padding can be applied to furniture surfaces to reduce the severity of injuries in case of accidental collisions or falls.
6.Clear Lines of Sight:
Ensuring clear lines of sight is essential for staff to monitor patients and respond quickly in case of emergencies. Furniture should be arranged to provide unobstructed views, and designs should avoid creating hidden spaces that could compromise supervision.
7. Therapeutic Design Elements:
Integrating therapeutic design elements into furniture can contribute to a calming and supportive environment. For example, rounded corners and warm, non-institutional colors can enhance the overall atmosphere while maintaining a focus on safety. Many facilities choose to design a normative environment rather than an unnecessarily cold institutional setting.
8. Collapsible Features:
In certain situations, it may be necessary for furniture to have collapsible features that can be activated in emergencies. Collapsible seating or beds can be designed to minimize the risk of entrapment and facilitate quick response by healthcare providers.
9. Electronic Monitoring Systems:
Technology can play a role in enhancing safety features. Electronic monitoring systems, such as sensors and alarms embedded in furniture, can alert staff to any irregular or potentially dangerous behavior, allowing for swift intervention.
Incorporating some or all of these safety features into behavioral healthcare furniture is vital for creating spaces that prioritize the well-being of patients and staff. By combining anti-ligature design, sturdy construction, tamper-resistant fasteners, weighted and fixed features, proper materials, clear lines of sight, therapeutic design elements, and in some cases collapsible features and electronic monitoring systems, designers can contribute to the creation of environments that promote healing and safety within behavioral healthcare facilities. Striking a balance between safety and therapeutic design is crucial to achieving the overarching goal of supporting individuals on their path to recovery in a secure and nurturing setting in any behavioral health care facility, psychiatric hospital, residential treatment center or related type of facility.
]]>Such incidents can also have an incalculable effect on the electrical worker’s family. Some Arc Flash victims require constant medical care. The financial impact can exceed $1,000,000 in doctor’s bills.
Arc Flash personal protective equipment is crucial in helping to protect against the hazards of Arc Flashes. Our supplier partner National Safety Apparel provides everything needed to be compliant with NFPA 70E for PPE Category Levels 2-4 as defined by NFPA 70E-2018. They include: ArcGuard gloves, kits, hoods, coats/jackets, faceshields, bib overalls, balaclavas, blankets and Arc Flash Kits. Arc Flash clothing and gear is often sold as kits, making it easy to buy everything you may need, and easy to store in a bag that can be stowed in your truck or at your workplace, always accessible for when you may need it.
Another one of our partners, Chicago Protective Apparel offers a range of Arc Flash PPE to protect vulnerable workers. Their PPE1 kits (Minimum Arc Rating of 4 cal/cm2) and PPE2 kits (Minimum Arc Rating of 8cal/cm2) include the clothing needed to protect against Arc Flash injuries: arc-rated long-sleeve shirt and pants or arc-rated coveralls, arc-rated flash suit hood or arc-rated face shield and arc-rated balaclava, arc-rated jacket, parka, rainwear, or hard hat liner (AN). The kits also include the following protective equipment: E-rated hard hat, safety glasses or safety goggles (SR), hearing protection (ear canal inserts), heavy duty leather gloves, arcrated gloves, or rubber insulating gloves with leather protectors (AR) and leather or dielectric footwear, or footwear tested to demonstrate no ignition, melting, dripping at the estimated incident energy exposure.
Chicago Protective Apparel’s PPE3 (Minimum Arc Rating of 25 cal/cm2) and PPE4 (Minimum Arc Rating of 40 cal/cm2) Arc Flash Kits contain the following to protect against the additional hazards: arc-rated long-sleeve shirt (AR), arc-rated pants (AR), arc-rated coverall (AR), arc-rated arc flash suit jacket (AR), arc-rated arc flash suit pants (AR), arc-rated arc flash suit hood, and arc-rated jacket, parka, rainwear, or hard hat liner (AN). The protective equipment in these kits includes: E-rated hard hat, safety glasses or safety goggles (SR), hearing protection (ear canal inserts), heavy duty leather gloves, arc-rated gloves, or rubber insulating gloves with leather protectors (AR) and leather or dielectric footwear, or footwear tested to demonstrate no ignition, melting, dripping at the estimated incident energy exposure.
Anchortex is proud to partner with organizations that provide the tools to protect against Arc Flash injuries. The range of the protective apparel and equipment we offer can defend workers when these life-altering occurrences happen.
Click shop our selection of Arc Flash Protection kits and arc flash protective equipment by ArcGuard by National Safety Apparel, Chicago Protective Apparel, and Steele Grip. Contact us for custom kits and items not shown. We also sell a wide selection of flame resistant and arc-rated protective clothing by these and other top PPE brands.
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I am posting this article to share with our customers a report that our glove supplier Ammex shared with us. This report, updated for August 2020, provides insight into the current supply and demand imbalance in the disposable glove market as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It covers the economic turmoil, the surge in demand for disposable gloves, the manufacturing constraints that the industry faces, and the outlook for achieving a balance between supply and demand. In short, this report outlines what to expect in the glove marketplace in the next 12 to 18 months.
LIMITED SUPPLY The disposable glove industry is in the midst of dealing with the impacts of the pandemic. The need for gloves, along with other forms of personal protective equipment, is intense. This has caused disposable glove prices to rapidly rise, and in the coming months they are likely to continue to move higher. Glove manufacturers have faced and will continue to face challenges in trying to increase production. Constrained supply and high demand will take a long time to reconcile. Disposable glove markets have historically been relatively stable. Where in the past glove makers may have planned orders and production 3 to 4 months in advance, they are now planning 18 months out and have changed their terms, such as demanding payment upfront. Ninety percent of disposable gloves are produced in Thailand and Malaysia. Neither of those countries has the ability to scale production quickly to meet the demand that exceeds their planned capacity by several times. Major increases in production are costly, require lengthy ramp-up periods, and are just plain risky. When it comes to production challenges, the main factor distinguishing gloves from other PPE such as face masks and gowns is that disposable gloves are much more difficult to produce at scale. Unlike masks, it is not possible to produce gloves in small batches, repurpose factories quickly, or try to make them yourself in your shop or garage. One does not simply flip a switch and increase output; there are many factors involved. First is ensuring a sufficient supply of raw materials. Shortages and inconsistent supply of both natural rubber latex and nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) have contributed to this year’s deficiency of gloves. Just as nobody planned to produce four to five times as many gloves, nobody planned to produce four to five times as much NBR. Many other chemicals involved in production have been in short supply as well. Second, export and transportation restrictions by some producing countries have caused shipping containers to be stuck in various ports due to quarantines. Disputes over alleged labor abuses have also prevented some gloves from entering the U.S. Third, this spring, movement control orders (MCOs) forced suppliers to shut down temporarily. Malaysia implemented its first MCO in March, which severely restricted the movement and availability of the labor force, and although it has since entered into a conditional MCO that allowed most businesses to reopen, production still lags. Similar to the U.S., Malaysia and Thailand are also monitoring local surges in COVID19 cases and MCOs may resume. Limits on what manufacturers can produce generated a shutdown that led manufacturers to warn that the global glove shortage would only get worse unless they were allowed to operate as needed. Those restrictions have eased somewhat, but the industry lost several months of production time. The limited workforce also brought about shortages of paper and packaging. Further, labor limits caused capacity reductions by as much as 50% at some glove factories. Major manufacturers in Malaysia are implementing a push to increase automation so they can reduce their dependence on human workers, but like any new initiative, it will take time and cost millions.
UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND AND CHALLENGES The reality is that the world needs hundreds of billions of additional gloves. Global consumption was projected to jump by more than 330 billion this year, but it ultimately will be substantially higher than that; demand at that level will carry over well into 2021. The lead time for deliveries of nitrile gloves is now stretched in many cases to 420 days. To spin up production to a scale that will meet those needs is not realistic due to the unique nature of glove manufacturing. To use an example, the demand is also driven by unprecedented awareness given to gloves in this pandemic. Every picture or video from coverage of the pandemic shows multiple images of gloves. Besides the first responders, the images show average citizens wearing gloves—everywhere. Like never before, the mainstream public is more aware of hand hygiene anywhere they go. Most disposable gloves today are made from NBR, a synthetic form of rubber more commonly known as nitrile. As a resource it is challenging to scale quickly, and the glove industry was not prepared for 2020’s sudden surge in demand. The industry is simply not designed to scale quickly: It is extremely fragmented, with thousands of small manufacturers. The biggest glove maker in the world has less than 10% market share. The investment would run into the tens of millions of dollars to increase production by even a small percentage. In attempts to scale production and mitigate supply shortages, there is some hope in hybrid gloves, which blend vinyl and nitrile to create a more affordable synthetic. Some manufacturers are already experimenting with such gloves, although expecting these products to make a big difference in the supply of gloves before 2021 would be unrealistic. The current situation is so unprecedented and volatile that glove experts with 30 to 40 years of experience in the industry have struggled to reconcile the incredible demand. Everyone has been forced to play catch-up since early 2020, when the pandemic first spread outside of Southeast Asia.
Even under normal market conditions, manufacturing capacity across the industry can increase by only 10% to 15% per year. The easiest way to do that is to add production lines. A modern disposable glove line can produce up to 300 million gloves annually, which may sound like a lot. But adding even 1,000 lines would increase the overall yearly capacity by only 20% to 25% and cost multiple billions in infrastructure investment. The shortest lead time to add capacity is 6 to 12 months. Even though the industry has experience with previous epidemics such as SARS, MERS, and Ebola, all came and waned in relatively short order, causing only a sporadic surge in demand. That does not appear to be the case with COVID-19. Even if a manufacturer was to infinitely increase its capabilities today, it could be well into 2021 before glove sellers would have additional inventory to sell once the construction time, shortages of raw materials, challenges in labor, length of the supply chain, and other delays are factored in. It is important to note that manufacturers will likely increase output by producing thinner gloves, say 3 mil instead of 6 mil. Focusing on thinner gloves streamlines operations, but would have only a limited impact on the overall volume. Pivoting toward thinner gloves would also create a scarcity of heavier gloves over the next 12-18 months. There are limited places that have skilled personnel with the expertise to support a major increase in production. Malaysia and Thailand are forced to import a good deal of their workforces before training them extensively. Migration restrictions caused by COVID-19 further complicate matters. While restrictions have been eased as the number of cases has dropped, the Malaysian government recently announced it was suspending the intake of new foreign workers till the end of the year while encouraging companies to hire more Malaysians. But leading glove makers have said that expecting only locals to fill the vacancies was unrealistic, and would reduce Malaysia’s competitiveness. Expecting glove factories to spring up anywhere outside of Southeast Asia is impractical at best. In the U.S., production costs and environmental regulations make production nearly impossible. Even with the relaxed rules of the current Environmental Protection Agency, it is unlikely that permits for such facilities would be approved anywhere near population centers. Critically, gloves are much more regulated compared with face masks and other forms of PPE. Factories require ISO certifications and extensive testing protocols, all of which are expensive and time consuming. Due to added expenses from construction to labor, under average conditions it is safe to assume that most plans to produce gloves in the U.S. at scale would cost 5 to 10 times more and take 3 to 4 times longer than a comparable plan in Asia. Naturally, this makes it a very unattractive investment. To produce gloves at scale, it would require an effort similar to what the U.S. did with nitrile butadiene rubber production during World War II. After the American rubber industry became the largest and most technologically advanced in the world in the 1930s, the loss of access to latex caused by Japanese aggression in Southeast Asia forced the establishment of a synthetic rubber program unmatched before or since. In today’s splintered economy, such a coming together of government, industry, and academe would be highly unlikely, especially considering the uncertainties of the COVID19 pandemic.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS With all of the volatility described above, the balancing of supply and demand will take time to play out. The market has to absorb the new realities at every step—from manufacturers and the supply chain to the smallest end user. We can’t predict the timing of when demand and supply will come into balance, but we do expect disposable glove prices to keep rising as long as demand remains high. With COVID-19 cases only accelerating, that demand is unlikely to drop anytime soon, at least not in the next 12 to 18 months. Even beyond COVID-19, it is likely that the new awareness of personal hygiene and safety has forever altered demand for gloves and set a new trajectory for worldwide glove consumption. We expect that long-term projections for glove usage across all applications will be revised higher. As a disposable glove company, AMMEX will continue to buy and sell gloves and do everything to accommodate our partners’ needs. We have substantial investments tied up in making sure that we maintain our inventory at high levels. With over 30 years in business, we are taking a long-term view of the impacts of this pandemic on the glove industry. We encourage you to do the same and exercise patience. We will get through this together.
A big Thank-You to Ammex for this useful report and for its continued efforts to help us meet our customers' needs for disposable gloves and other covid-19 related PPE.
]]>For many industries, flame-resistant (FR) clothing has been widely adopted as a means of protecting employees from burn injury or even death. However, while the fire service community takes firefighter safety very seriously, it is estimated that only a quarter of fire departments require flame-resistant station wear. Instead, the majority of fire departments wear either cotton or synthetic uniforms underneath their turnout gear. FR station wear should be considered an integral part of every firefighter’s personal protective equipment (PPE) – clothing designed to be worn continuously in designated locations where intermittent exposure to radiant heat and flame is possible.
The proper selection of PPE is very important, and it doesn’t stop at your turnout gear. A systems approach: building your PPE from the inside out, is essential in maximizing fire fighter safety. Stationwear and the material from which it is made has the potential to contribute to fire fighter burn injury. Ultimately, under today’s conditions, firefighters fight fires about 10% of the time. The other 90% of the time they’re called on for nonfire hazards and technical rescue responsibilities, including roadway incidents, vehicle extrication, medical emergencies, hazmat, urban search and rescue, high/low angle rescue, swiftwater rescue and flood rescue. For many of these responses, typical structural PPE is not utilized or may be doffed mid-operation. However, the threat of an accidental thermal incident may still exist, making FR station wear a critical layer of protection for firefighter safety.
Firefighters deserve a uniform that puts forward the same level of dedication as they do. That’s why we are proud to be a full-line distributor of Workrite® Fire Service apparel and uniforms for firefighters. Workrite Fire Service delivers protection without compromise. Workrite station wear garments offer an added layer of NFPA® 1975-compliant flame-resistant (FR) protection with features that go beyond providing comfort to ensuring confidence. Workrite, the recognized leader in FR station wear, is now under the Bulwark® Protection umbrella. Thank-you to Workrite Fire Service for providing this helpful information. Please contact us with any questions or if we can provide technical data, specs, or other information that may help you select the best stationwear for your fire department.
]]>In order to answer this question, we found some great information in a Technical Bulletin issued by 3M, specifically the 3M Personal Safety Division Technical Bulletin dated January 2020, Revision 2. According to 3M: "Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR), which are sometimes called disposable respirators, are subject to various regulatory standards around the world. These standards specify certain required physical properties and performance characteristics in order for respirators to claim compliance with the particular standard. During pandemic or emergency situations, health authorities often reference these standards when making respirator recommendations, stating, for example, that certain populations should use an 'N95, FFP2, or equivalent respirator. This document is only intended to help clarify some key similarities between such references, specifically to the following FFR performance standards:
"As shown in the following summary table, respirators certified as meeting these standards can be expected to function very similarly to one another, based on the performance requirements stated in the standards and confirmed during conformity testing. One notable comparison point is the flow rates specified by these standards for the inhalation and exhalation resistance tests. Inhalation resistance testing flow rates range from 40 to 160L/min. Exhalation resistance testing flow rates range from 30 to 95 L/min. Some countries require testing to be performed at multiple flow rates, others at only the high or low end of those ranges. Although this appears to suggest that the standards’ requirements for breathing resistance (also called “pressure drop”) differ from each other, it’s important to understand that pressure drop across any filter will naturally be higher at higher flow rates and lower at lower flow rates. Given typical pressure curves for respirator filters, the standards’ various pressure drop requirements are actually quite similar. This chart shows a representative filter pressure drop curve. If one filter is tested at a high flow rate, the pressure drop performance will be relatively high. If that same filter is tested at a low flow rate, the pressure drop performance will be relatively low.
3M concluded that "Based on this comparison, it is reasonable to consider China KN95, AS/NZ P2, Korea 1st Class, and Japan DS FFRs as “equivalent” to US NIOSH N95 and European FFP2 respirators, for filtering non-oil-based particles such as those resulting from wildfires, PM 2.5 air pollution, volcanic eruptions, or bioaerosols (e.g. viruses). However, prior to selecting a respirator, users should consult their local respiratory protection regulations and requirements or check with their local public health authorities for selection guidance."
Suggested reading: 3M's Technical Bulletin: Comparison of FFP2, KN95, and N95 and Other Filtering Facepiece Respirator Classes and see the data summary table. To find available PPE masks, filters and other respiratory protection supplies and PPE, take a look at this page ppe-respiratory-protection for reusable face masks, filters and disposable face mask options.
]]>American Work Safety (www.americanworksafety.com) was intended to be a streamlined version of our website, offering only industrial and commercial work safety equipment and workwear. All of those items are still available on www.Anchortex.com, and in fact have been all along.
If you have been redirected here by your search engine or from an older bookmarked link, we apologize for the inconvenience. Rest assured that our goal is to continue to provide the same top quality product selection and the same excellent customer service that we have always done. As always, please contact us at any time whenever we can answer questions or be of service to you.
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]]>Although the new camo pattern for the Army Combat Uniforms has been selected, it is not yet commercially available, so some military uniform manufacturers, notably Propper International, are making the new style ACU in the old OCP camo fabrics. That is, the style and features of the new ACU's meet the new spec, but they are made from the camo fabrics that are being phased out.
The changeover to the new Operational Camoflauge Pattern ACU uniforms is authorized as soon as materials are available, with priority given to outfitting new troops. There will be a transition period, as U.S. soldiers may continue to wear existing Universal Digital Pattern ACU uniforms until the designated wear-out date of September 30th, 2019.
The new OCP print camo pattern was developed based on the original Scorpion pattern used for MultiCam. Until the Operational Camoflauge Pattern fabric is available for use by commercial manufacturers, military uniform suppliers like Propper have issued new-spec ACU coats and new-spec ACU trousers that incorporate the changes to the uniform design while using the Universal Digital Pattern or MultiCam patterns currently in service. These new-spec Army Combat Uniforms are currently available and approved for use.
To familiarize you with the changes, Anchortex Corporation has compiled a brief list of changes to the uniform:
It is important to note that the tan duty boots and sand color T-shirt and belt that are acceptable under the current uniform policy will only be acceptable during the transition period which ends on September 30th, 2019. The new OCP Army Combat Uniform requires use of Tan 499 T-shirts, Tan 499 belts, and coyote brown boots to be worn with the new uniform camoflauge pattern, which will be mandatory starting October 1st, 2019.
]]>To help you pick the right mining boots for you, whether you are mining coal, metals or anything else, we have put together a list of basic must-have or basic criteria for selecting miners boots:
Here are some other important features to look for:
Keep your feet safe with quality mining boots from Anchortex Corporation. We carry the top brands, including Matterhorn, Haix, and Tingley -- and we are always happy to answer any questions you may have.
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]]>First, occupy the right mindset and make safety your goal. Cultivate a belief that your workplace can always be safer, and that there is no excuse for unsafe practices. Making a to-do list is a prudent next step. Before you dive into your spring cleaning safety project, it helps to have a clear picture of your goals and the steps you will take to go about achieving them, as well as a realistic timeframe for completing them. In your interactions with staff, demonstrate that you value worker safety to make sure they know that it is a top priority and that you are not merely doing the minimum required by law to keep them safe. For instance, praise workers for following safety regulations, and follow them yourself without exception.
Even the most seasoned worker may need a reminder about how to perform his or her job with the proper precautions. Whether it’s how to properly insert ear plugs or what to do in case of a fire, reiterating safety tips is especially helpful in the spring when warming weather begins to present new working environments. If the spring season brings new hiring, be sure to hire smart; make sure new hires are competent enough to work safely and have the right attitude toward safe work practices. It may also be helpful to solicit workers’ concerns about safety in the facility and to act on their suggestions. They are the ones at risk, after all.
If you expect employees to work safely, you must make sure they have the appropriate tools. Inspect all workplace equipment and tools to make sure they are functioning properly. Make certain that you are up to date with the latest information about using the devices safely, and to see whether any are due for official inspection or replacement. Also, inspect personal protective equipment and other safety gear to make sure that it complies with OSHA regulations and recommendations, as well as more general safety standards. Replace any PPE that you provide yourself, such as work gloves, that have become worn with frequent use over the previous weeks or months.
Inspect the work facility itself as well. You want to ensure that there are no obvious hazards and that the facility is organized in the most sensible way. For example, make sure that any storage areas are arranged with designated spaces so that items do not form trip hazards, and so that hazardous chemicals are stored safely and properly. Check that boxes and equipment are not stacked in such a way that they may tumble and cause injury. Note whether there is sufficient signage providing workers’ instruction on safe work practices and proper use of equipment.
Maintain records of inspections, and also of any safety mishaps that occur. Where any incident occurs, even if it does not result in serious injury, perform an investigation to discover why it happened and to determine how to prevent it from happening again. Dutifully note all first aid treatments, inspections, incident investigations, and safety training activities in your record books. Make sure that these safety records are well-maintained, organized and easily legible for quick reference or inspection.
With these tips, you should be ready to make your workplace safer this season. Contact us today to review your needs for new PPE solutions to keep your workers safer this year.
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]]>There are a number of factors that impact body armor effectiveness, including the type of body armor, the fit, and conditions.
The number of body armor options available for the modern first responder can be overwhelming; with an array of variables from soft armor inserts to ceramic plates to carriers, which ones are right for your needs? To gain a proper understanding of the information involved in making a decision, you need to know more about the types of armor involved, the definition of threat levels, and the certification processes involved in confirming an armor layout to a particular threat level.
Modern body armor is typically broken into two main types, known as "soft armor" and "hard armor." Soft body armor is commonly used in concealable armor, meant to be worn underneath a uniform shirt. The panels used in soft armor are made out of either tightly woven aramid threads of Kevlar or other similar material, laminates such as Dyneema, or a combination of the multiple types of these fabrics. Soft body armor does not deflect or repel bullets, but the material's weave catches the bullet to help dissipate the kinetic energy of the impact and prevent it from penetrating through to the officer.
Hard armor plating is harder and thicker, commonly made from either steel or ceramic, and usually backed with pressed laminate. While soft armor is designed to catch the bullet, hard armor plating is designed to shatter the round upon impact, thus dispersing the energy and preventing penetration. Many hard armor plates have an extra layer on the outside to reduce the risk of harm from fragmentation of the round. While soft armor is fairly lightweight and suitable for everyday wear, hard armor is heavier, bulkier, and more cumbersome, and is typically reserved for external tactical vests and any application where the wearer will have it on for a relatively short period of time.
The hard plates used in body armor are usually made from one of three basic materials - steel, ceramic, or polyethylene - or combinations of these materials. Each of them is highly effective, with the reasons to choose between them coming down to the question of cost versus weight.
Steel plates are the heaviest type of armor plating available, but is also the least expensive. Unhit areas remain intact after an impact, preventing further rounds from penetrating the vest. However, bullet impacts can send fragments in all directions as the round shatters on impact, threatening the wearer or others in close proximity. This makes it the least popular form of armor plating when other options are available.
Ceramic plates cost slightly more but offer significant advantages by comparison. First and foremost, the weight of ceramic plates is significantly decreased, which means that officers with heavy loadouts will be less impacted by the weight of their armor. Ceramic plates also have excellent initial stopping power and cause less fragmentation upon impact. However, ceramic armor is susceptible to damage both from bullet impacts and from other damage sustained in daily activity if caution is not taken, and damage reduces the ability of the armor to protect against subsequent impacts.
Polyethylene plates are the most expensive common option available, and there are no level IV polyethylene plates currently available on the market. However, the material of the plate is very lightweight, and it greatly reduces the potential for round fragmentation and ricochets by using the bullet's own friction to partially melt the plate before entrapping the round within the material.
Any modern body armor, whether soft or hard, is designed to stop only certain types and calibers of bullets. The standards for ballistic protection are set by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which measures stopping power based on the caliber and velocity of the projectile that can be stopped with the armor, and assigns a "threat level" based on the degree of protection thus provided. Modern threat levels are sorted into five categories: IIA, II, IIIA, III, and IV. Each higher category protects against higher-level threats than the previous one. Concealable soft armor typically rates up to level II or IIIA, and is designed to stop pistol rounds. Hard armor plates can be rated as high as IV, and have been tested to stop certain types of armor-piercing rifle ammunition as well as smaller firearms.
In addition to setting the standards for ballistic armor, the NIJ runs extensive testing and certification programs and encourages manufacturers to submit their soft and hard armor panels for thorough testing. In addition to ballistic tests to help determine threat level, the NIJ performs endurance tests to see how the armor holds up under extensive wear, such as immersion testing to see how the armor withstands a 30 minute immersion in water, and high humidity/high heat testing to see how the fibers hold up under adverse conditions. NIJ testing is extremely thorough and is a long and expensive process, but any armor that passes official NIJ laboratory testing is labeled as "NIJ-certified."
However, manufacturers may also opt to manufacture armor that satisfies the NIJ written standards but are not actually tested by the NIJ in order to reduce the final cost of the armor. This armor is label "NIJ-compliant," and may stop bullets just as well as NIJ-certified ballistic armor, but the National Institute of Justice does not verify that the armor will perform to the claims of the manufacturer.
Modern body armor is designed to be rugged and durable, but even the best armor is not impenetrable under all conditions and circumstances. There are several additional factors that can cause limitations in armor effectiveness.
Moisture: Soft armor is vulnerable to moisture; wet fibers may relax, spread apart, and weaken the overall structure of the weave, causing gaps in coverage or lowering the effective protection provided by the armor. Soft armor is typically housed in a waterproof outer carrier to protect against moisture.
Multiple Impacts: NIJ standards provide ratings for multiple impacts across the face of the armor, but in practical terms, most body armor is designed to take one to two shots in a specific area at a time. Depending on the proximity of impacts, multiple shots can compromise the overall integrity of the armor as bullets tear into structure weakened by previous impacts. The force of a first strike can compromise the strength of fibers or plating in a particular area, reducing protection if subsequent shots strike in the same location.
Coverage: Even the toughest armored vest can't stop a bullet that hits an area not covered by the vest or paneling. For optimum protection, vests should be sized appropriately to the user and any gaps should be closed before wearing, particularly in two-panel clamshell configurations that can leave vulnerable side areas if not sized correctly to the wearer.
Normal Wear: The strongest armor still suffers from the ravages of time. Soft armor in particular can break down over time, and armor worn in daily use may suffer accelerated deterioration depending on the conditions of use. The National Institute of Justice advises that in-use body armor undergo inspection at least once per year in order to rotate out vests that may no longer provide sufficient coverage.
First and foremost, your employer should tell you basically - if not exactly - what you need. And there are standards that you should be aware of and follow. However, here are some general guidelines or things to consider.
Typically, patrol officers who wear armor on a regular basis prefer to wear soft armor due to its light weight and slim profile, allowing it to be concealed under a uniform. Tactical shooter teams, SWAT teams, and others who need to value maximum protection over concealability tend to wear soft armor underneath a plate carrier fitted with hard armor plating to provide the best protection available for the price.
Whatever armor you choose, you need to make sure that it fits properly, as body armor in general can be uncomfortable either because of its bulk or because it has been poorly fitted. Armor that doesn't fit properly may limit the abilities of the wearer, or worse, be left behind. Armor that is properly fitted will encourage officers to wear it, which in turn will help to ensure that it will protect them when they need it most.
Whatever your choice, Anchortex Corporation has a broad selection of mission-critical body armor solutions for your department or facility from GH Armor, High Ground, Super Seer, and other manufacturers. Contact us today to learn more.
Anchortex Corporation thanks Propper Uniforms, precision manufacturers of military and tactical uniforms for over 50 years, for their assistance with this article.
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]]>All of these items should ideally fit into a small duffel bag or pack that you can then store under your desk or in your locker. While keeping supplies in your car is a wise decision, a kit at your workplace will allow you to avoid having to leave the relative comfort and safety of your building until it is safe to do so. If possible, you can ensure your workplace is properly prepared by taking most of the advice here and scaling it up to meet the needs of your facility -- storing additional blankets for workers trapped at the office, emergency food and water supplies should people be stuck for long periods, a properly maintained first aid kit for general safety as well as disaster survival, and so forth.
Looking to develop your own survival kit or stock up on emergency supplies for your facility? Call or click now for more product information and for quotes.
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]]>Here are some basic recommendations for avoiding germs that can be instituted at home or in the workplace to ensure that you avoid catching respiratory illnesses like the flu. Last year's flu season hospitalized over 310,000 people according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here is a basic list of tactics to follow to avoid catching or spreading respiratory diseases, and hopefully create a culture of workplace health.
Avoid coming in close contact with people who are sick in your home, office, or workplace. If you are sick, be sure to keep your distance from others to protect them from becoming sick as well.
If possible, stay home from work or school, and avoid running errands or otherwise going out, when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others and keep you out of close contact with them.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Do not use your hands, as this will lead to spreading germs on everything you touch until you next wash your hands.
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs and increase workplace health. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to kill germs and bacteria.
Germs are most commonly spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone in the environment is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
While there is no foolproof way to avoid catching the occasional sickness, some basic preventative hygiene and common-sense precautions can keep you and your workforce healthy. Looking for sanitizing solutions? We offer a number of solutions, including hand sanitizers and more.
Contact us for for product information or questions.
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]]>Many people in the justice system and throughout society have considered whether how prisoners are treated during their incarceration affects the likelihood that they will return to prison. One aspect of prisoner treatment that many in the correctional industry are beginning to focus on is how prisoner cells are furnished. The type of furniture used in correctional environments can have a significant impact on the likelihood that a prisoner will commit further crimes once released. Historically, the United States criminal justice system has a primary focus on the concept of retributive justice, and such on punishment of those who have broken laws set by the state, and on using the severity of this punishment to deter the offender and others from committing crimes against the state. This focus has led to most correctional furniture being designed for durability first and comfort dead last, providing a cold and unpleasant environment meant to be part of the punishment.
However, as the New York Times reminds us, in other countries there are experiments in more humane prisons - even maximum security prisons - that focus on reintegrating prisoners with society and on humanizing them to the extent that such is allowable. Normative cell furniture is designed around the idea that the prisoner needs to be given a safe, aesthetically pleasing environment from which to begin his transition from law-breaker to law-abider. All elements of the cell are designed so that they are calming to the inmate, while reducing the opportunities for destruction from combative individuals who may be seeking to harm themselves or others. With this in mind, modern prison cell furnishings are often geared around indestructible, easy to clean furniture that has no weak points to stash contraband or break off for use as improvised weaponry. Likewise, institutional facility furniture for dayrooms and outdoor areas focuses on providing a therapeutic setting and residential appearance without providing opportunities for destructive behavior.
Some leading-edge manufacturers of detention furniture and fittings, such as Cortech USA, have been designing what they propose to be progressive cell furniture designs. Working in collaboration with other leading detention facility supplies, Cortech's The Normative Cell is envisioned as one-stop shop for a fully furnished cell designed for the Restorative Justice Environment. The Normative Cell is a combination of a Prefabricated Sleeping Room Unit, Cortech Endurance Furniture, Prison Cell Lavatory and Toilet, and Detention-Grade Security Windows. This model of a therapeutic environment in a prisoner cell focused around rehabilitation includes the following components:
The traditional retribution model of justice, and its corresponding influence in furniture design, has proven to be expensive, often brutal, and dehumanizing, and may be responsible for increasing the rates of recidivism by marginalizing offenders to the point where they become more detached from their actions. However, rehabilitative justice and restorative justice are focused on reducing the chances that the offender will commit further crimes after his period of punishment has ceased, and thus, programs that focus less on making the punishment unpleasant and more on addressing the issues that led to the action are becoming more popular in communities throughout the United States.
Restorative justice combines the goal of rehabilitating the offender with the concept of taking direct responsibility for the harm their actions have caused victims, and working to provide restitution for those actions. Providing a safe and therapeutic environment for rehabilitation to occur has been proven to reduce recidivism among offenders, as well as to reduce the severity of actions taken by those who do commit future crimes. Restorative justice programs, such as the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program and other community outreach efforts, focus on cooperation with offenders, victims, and communities to assist criminals in changing their attitudes and future behavior while providing the opportunity to heal the damage inflicted on the victims of criminal activities and demonstrating to criminals the destructive effects that their crimes have caused. Through providing a therapeutic environment, prison furniture can improve the chances of these programs finding success, making our communities safer and stronger.
These new approaches and ideas have other applications too, including: behavioral health, mental health, correctional facility design, restorative justice adn rehabilitation, normative behavior, and prisoner rehabilitation.
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]]>While you can't control the weather, you can promote safe driving behavior among your workers, and ensure that they are cognizant of the hazards of driving in winter weather conditions and that their vehicles are properly inspected and maintained to help prevent crashes and mechanical failures that can be dangerous to operators and occupants. In addition, areas where workers must work near traffic require additional caution during winter weather, as drivers may skid or lose control of their vehicles more easily and may have lowered visibility or other impairments. Work zones must be properly identified and marked off for safety, and all workers must wear appropriate high visibility apparel to ensure that they are visible to motorists.
Clearing snow from roofs is a common hazardous task required as part of the winter season, and employers must evaluate and plan how to do the work safely. This includes being mindful of the potential for unexpected hazards due to the winter conditions such as layers of ice, surfaces weighed down by snow that may have the potential for collapse, concealed hazards that workers might fall through, electrical hazards from snow removal equipment or overhead power lines, and other unforeseen problems. Employers should determine the right equipment and personal protective equipment, including braced ladders, personal fall arrest systems, non-slip safety boots, etc, for any tasks required, and ensure that workers are trained on how to properly use them, and should use methods that do not require workers to put themselves at risk where possible.
Slips, trips, and falls are a common winter hazard regardless of the work environment. Employers can reduce these risks at their work sites by ensuring that walking surfaces are cleared of snow and ice, and that deicer is spread as quickly as possible after winter storms. They can also ensure that workers have appropriate footwear to reduce the risk of injury - insulated, water-resistant boots or over-shoes with good rubber treads are recommended for walking during or after a winter storm when slip hazards are at their worst. Workers are also advised to take shorter steps and walk at a slower pace so that they can respond appropriately to changes in traction when walking on icy, snowy, or otherwise hazardous walkways is unavoidable.
Utility workers who must repair or replace damaged power lines in severe winter weather conditions are at particular risk, as wetness and snow can reduce the insulation value of protective equipment, resulting in increased electrocution hazards, in addition to the additional risks posed when working at heights on potentially slippery equipment. If possible, electrical equipment should be de-energized before work is performed, and a full hazard analysis must be performed to identify the safest way to perform necessary work before proceeding. Additional personal protective equipment may be required due to the increased risk of electrocution or to address other hazards created by harsh weather, and additional caution should be exercised when working in adverse weather conditions. Other workers who must work near damaged or downed power lines should assume that they are energized at all times, and should establish a safe perimeter from them and report them to the responsible authority. Only properly-trained electrical utility workers should handle damaged power lines.
Clearing downed trees and other collapsed obstructions may be necessary during severe winter weather conditions, particularly when they block public roads and damage power lines. Employers are responsible for ensuring that workers who must work at clearing trees under these conditions are provided with proper personal protective equipment, including electrical PPE for trees in contact with energized power lines, fall protection equipment if working from heights, and protective equipment to reduce the risk of injury from any powered equipment being used as part of the tree-clearing task such as chainsaws or wood chippers.
Want to know more about how to protect your workers from hazards? Sign up for our newsletter for more information on workplace hazards and OSHA standards compliance, and contact our sales representatives with questions about safety equipment and supplies or for quotes for your company or facility.
]]>Most standard undergarments today are made from cotton or poly-cotton fabrics. These traditional materials can retain perspiration and so can be uncomfortable. This dampness means that standard underwear carries the risk of chilling the wearer during colder temperatures. To combat this and provide better flexibility in a variety of environments, a variety of performance fabrics and fabric thicknesses are used to provide an insulating layer between the wearer's skin and his or her outer apparel, helping wick away moisture while maintaining a comfortable body temperature. In most cases, next-to-skin apparel is classified by type of fabric and fabric weight. Depending on your specific needs, different combinations are often recommended for different circumstances.
Base layer apparel is often worn by military personnel because they are often subjected to extreme cold weather environments. U.S. military personnel in the Air Force, Army, Marines and U.S.C.G. / Coast Guard often wear multiples levels or baselayers as part of their ECW clothing systems. Runners and other athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and many types of workers, such as commercial fishermen and sailors, also often wear baselayer apparel.
Base layer apparel is typically meant to be worn to limit discomfort due to moisture from perspiration, which normal undergarments can cause, as well as to help regulate body temperature depending on the environment. In colder environments, heavier base layer clothing is recommended, and typically is designed a snug fit and elastic cuffs to keep body heat inside the garment. Lightweight base layer garments are designed to be loose to promote air circulation while wicking moisture away from the skin, increasing overall comfort and reducing the risk of heatstroke.
Most base layer underwear is made from one of three types of materials: silk, merino wool, synthetics such as polyester, or high performance flame resistant materials.
Most manufacturers of thermal undergarments and moisture-wicking underclothing use four general titles for fabric weights.
There are a number of brands manufacturing quality baselayer apparel today. Some of the leading brands include United Join Forces, Drifire, Massif, Indera Mills, Tru-Spec, Helly Hansen Workwear and Under Armour.
]]>Physical restraints like ankle and wrist cuffs are intended as a physical intervention or device that limits a patient's freedom of movement or restricts patients from access to their own body. Manufacturers of speciality medical devices like Humane Restraint and Posey make cuffs that restrain the patient without hurting him or her.
As a healthcare professional, you may be called upon to use physical restraints for both non-violent, non-self-destructive behavior or violent, self-destructive behavior depending on the needs of a patient. A patient may need to be restrained for non-violent behavior in situations where movement by the patient may be medically unsafe, due to physical incapacity or the possibility of accidentally or purposefully removing IV lines, tubes, or drains that are providing medical support.
On the other hand, a patient may need to be constrained for violent or self-destructive behavior if they are making clear threats of violence, are a clear and immediate physical danger to themselves or others, or when it can be reasonably assumed that delay in restraining them would cause a serious risk of harm to themselves or others, and preferably only after less restrictive solutions have been attempted or considered; restraints are intended to be used for emergency situations to keep the patient, staff, and others safe from harm.
Medical use of physical restraints is intended to use the least restrictive type of restraint possible to alleviate a clearly dangerous situation, used only as a last resort when the risk of harm to self or others is unacceptably high, and only for as long as the unsafe situation occurs. Nurses should receive hands-on training on safe and appropriate application of each type of physical restraint during orientation, and should reinforce this training periodically to ensure that they are familiar with the techniques required to safely apply restraints when they become necessary, and to provide appropriate care to ensure that their need and use is minimal.
Health care workers also need to know when not to use restraints; as a general rule, patient restraints are not to be used simply because of past behavior by the patient, but rather should be used in response to current behavior and risks, and only after exploring or attempting alternatives. There are increased risks of suffocation or pulmonary aspiration when using physical restraints for prolonged periods, and restraints may cause further psychological trauma or stimulate traumatic memories that may worsen the patient's overall condition. As such, there should be attempts to de-escalate situations before they reach the point where restraints become necessary by calming the patient down, redirecting or diverting their attention or emotions, or providing medications that are deemed appropriate for standard treatment. Only when other alternatives have been considered or attempted and it is clear that the patient is at risk of causing harm to themselves or others should restraints be utilized, and whenever restraints are used the patient should be carefully monitored, assessed, and given support so that their fear of the restraint is limited and the time the restraint is needed for can be reduced.
Medical professionals must assess the best form of treatment for the patients in their care, Having to physically restrain a patient against their will is one of the most difficult things many nurses have to do, both physically and emotionally. While the need to protect a patient and others from harm may mandate the use of physical restraint systems, you should not use this as a substitute for other forms of therapeutic care or treatment and should only use them when it is absolutely necessary.
]]>Prison rape and other types of sexual assault and sexual violence against inmates are a horrible reality of our criminal justice system, all too prevalent in our nation’s prisons and correctional facilities. In recent years, both the American public and the U.S. government have become increasingly concerned about the effects of prison sexual violence on inmates, both while they remain incarcerated and later when they return to their communities.
As part of a major effort to protect inmates that are victims of sexual predators in prisons and jails, in 2003 the United States enacted the Prison Rape Elimination Act. The intent of PREA is not only to protect inmates’ physical and emotional well-being, but to protect the human rights and civil rights of prisoners as well.
The law is aimed at eliminating prison rape and other forms of sexual violence in prisons and jails through a “zero-tolerance” policy.
In addition, the law requires the U.S Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) “to carry out a comprehensive statistical review and analysis of the incidence and effects of prison rape for each calendar year.” This research and analysis shows what progress is being made towards curbing prison sexual violence, and helps policymakers, academics, and prison administrators to come up with effective solutions and programs. Also, making this data available to all interested parties – including the public – will help make correctional facilities and administrators more accountable for incidents pertaining to sexual violence and of prison rape, which is likely in itself to help reduce the incidence of these crimes.
At Anchortex, we understand that your correctional facility has to comply with PREA. In addition to preventing prison sexual violence, it is also important to protect inmates’ privacy and dignity. With the use of Shower Curtains and Room Dividers in the correctional facility, you are able to abide by the PREA law while maintaining inmate privacy.
1)Use shower curtains that are opaque in the middle for privacy but see-through at the top and bottom for security. The colored opaque part is made from a heavy duty material that is not see-through, which helps the inmate maintain his or her privacy and modesty. In order to allow Corrections Officers to know what is going on at all times, the see-through top and bottom lets the officers see the inmate’s lower legs, shoulders and head, so the inmates can be protected.
These high security or maximum security shower curtains are custom made to meet your facility’s specifications and requirements. The see-through parts are made from either a clear or frosted solid material, or a see-thru mesh material at the top and/or bottom with a colored material in the middle; we are able to provide your facility with exactly what you need. Like standard shower curtains, these can be made to any size dimensions, including standard sized shower stalls and handicapped shower stalls.
2) The use of Room Dividers is also a helpful tool in the protection of inmate privacy. For example, if there is an incident in the facility that triggers the need for inmates to “strip down” for inspection by Correctional Officers, a Room Divider allows the inmate to have privacy from other inmates while letting the Correctional Officers have the ability to do an inspection of the inmate. Anchortex offers mobile Room Dividers, so you are able to move the Room Dividers from room to room, or create a space within a room for privacy.
Anchortex understands your need to find the products that will work best for your facility. We are here to work with you, so you can find the best solutions to have your facility be compliant with the PREA law.
]]>Many school districts today are understandably concerned by the levels of violence in our schools, both actual and potential. In addition to the increasing levels of "normal" school violence such as stabbings, shootings, and gang violence, many people today are afraid of the possibility of terrorist attacks on our schools. School adminstrators and parents often consider and debate the merits of physical security measures such as metal detectors and hand wands to screen students at school entrances, and X-ray package scanners to screen the contents of backpacks and parcels. These security systems are used to ensure that students, staff, and visitors do not bring weapons or other contraband onto school grounds. The threat of violences extends beyond school buildings themselves to high school auditoriums, sports fields, and other places where high school sports and other activities with large groups of students occur.
However, not everybody is convinced that metal detectors in schools and other physical security measures are appropriate for schools, or that they are really an affordable solution.
Decision makers and other interested parties (including parents, teachers, and members of the community), need to consider the potential benefits alongside the drawbacks and costs of using metal detectors and package scanners in schools, in order to ensure that they can properly manage a weapon detection program that reduces the risk of violence and acts as a functional deterrent to crime within the premises.
The National Institute of Justice confirms in its project, The Appropriate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools, that walk-through metal detectors work well at detecting most types of firearms and knives, and can be used as part of a school environment. As a case study, the New York City school district, with over 1.1 million students, has used metal detectors and package scanners in schools with notable success. New York City has been equipping 88 school buildings with handheld and walkthrough metal detectors, X-ray machines, and school safety officers since the last fatal shooting in a New York City school in 1992. It is an unfortunate reality that many schools, and not just those in big cities, need to be concerned about school violence.
1) The layout of the entry area must restrict people from bypassing the screening portals, and must have sufficient space for those waiting to walk through the portal to stand.
2) Schools have to plan for the number of students arriving and provide sufficient space for those waiting in the queue to enter. Those waiting in line need to be kept a minimum of three feet from the scanner so as not to interfere with its operation, and scanners must be a minimum of ten feet from each other unless properly synchronized to avoid interference.
3) In addition to metal detectors, X-ray equipment is highly recommended to handle students' bookbags, backpacks, purses, and other parcels. Contraband can easily be concealed in these types of items, and an X-ray scanner can show the specific contents without a lengthy search that would otherwise slow down throughput.
4) Handheld scanners are required to pinpoint the location of objects that have triggered an alarm in a student or visitor passing through the walk-through metal detector. This also means that safety officials will need to be trained in their use and capable of sorting false positives from actual threats.
5) The design of most schools does not necessarily lend itself to a comfortable staging area that can support the requirements to properly screen those passing through. As such, layout of a screening solution will need to be carefully considered
1) The initial expense of a walkthrough metal detector sufficiently sensitive to detect weapons.
2) The cost of handheld metal detectors in order to locate objects detected by the walk-through scanners.
3) The cost of X-ray baggage scanners to detect weapons and contraband within bags and backpacks.
4) The cost of maintaining these machines over time and of replacement at the end of their service life.
5) Most importantly, the cost of hiring and properly training school security guards to operate the equipment, screen for hazards, and manage the flow of students so that they enter safely and on time.
As some experts point out, even this is not a universal guarantee of protection from violent incidents by fellow students. Students still ride school buses that are not screened, and violence can still occur outside of the school on school grounds. Ensuring absolute security would also require that all other entrances to the building be secured and staffed at all times to prevent bypassing the main entrance metal detectors, and ground-level windows would need to be permanently secured to avoid contraband being passed through to those on the inside who have already passed screening. Furthermore, while many districts are prepared to have trained operators manning metal detectors during school opening, unless they continue to man the detectors, this does not screen against late students, visitors, school employees, parents, and others, and thus creates the opportunity for persons to enter the school during times without screening and store weapons in the building if desired.
As such, both proponents and detractors of school metal detectors agree that the security technology is only as good as the people operating it, and that the best line of defense against school violence is a well-trained and alert staff and student body. Conscious decisions must be made and potential risks determined when designing a weapon detection program, and while metal detectors are not a universal solution to the threat of school crime, they are one potential component in a broader comprehensive school safety program that has to be evaluated for return on investment of time and resources alongside other prevention, intervention, and security strategies.
Psychiatric health care units and facilities need to be different from general health care environments in a number of critical ways. According to Behavioral Health Facility Consulting LLC (BHFC), these are some of the key ways in which hospital psych units are different from general hospital units:
For starters, in psychiatric units, the focus is on keeping patient safe from self-harm and protecting other patients and staff, whereas in general hospitals the focus is on treating patients’ medical conditions.
The function of space is different in psychiatric units. In psych units, treatment takes place in activity rooms, interview rooms, and group rooms, and family visitation takes place either in interview rooms or in common areas. In contrast, for general medical patients, both treatment and family visitations take place in the patient rooms. General medical patients are in their rooms most of the time, while in psychiatric units, the patient is encouraged NOT to be in his room except at night and during rest periods.
Psychiatric units also employ different floor plan designs and solutions. A primary concern in psychiatric units is the ability for staff to observe corridors and day rooms from staff stations. Access to and from the unit is restricted, and details like the direction of door swings (to resist barricading) are important. Special rooms are required, such as Group Rooms, Activity Rooms, Interview Rooms and Seclusion Rooms. These concerns and requirements do not apply to general medical units, where traffic flow and the total travel distance from patient rooms to staff stations are primary concerns.
Another difference is in the products and materials used in psychiatric units. For one thing, there are fewer of them, and they need to be less hazardous. For example, typical psychiatric patient rooms and bath rooms do not have the following: sharps containers, IV poles, medical gas outlets, TV sets, monitors with cables, cubicle curtain tracks, accessible ceilings, and phones. Instead, they typically do have the following: platform beds that are secured in place, windows and mirrors that are shatter resistant, wardrobes with only open fixed shelves, ligature resistant door hardware and toilet accessories, vandal resistant heating and cooling systems and light fixtures, ligature resistant plumbing fixtures, and concealed plumbing pipes.
These are some of the differences, but there are many details that need to be considered when designing and operating behavioral and psychiatric hospitals and healthcare units. Other considerations include making sure furnishings are tamper-proof, designed with suicide prevention and limiting self-harm in mind. Nothing should be overlooked when it comes to patient safety.
]]>The reality is that they wear leather jackets for protection. When it comes to riding a motorcycle, the risk the driver is exposed to during an accident is magnified significantly, and in most cases, the most significant expected cause of injuries is from the sudden stop of a crash. However, an unexpected spill from a motorcycle at any speed can shred skin and clothing, adding to the injuries suffered. A study of motorcycle accidents conducted by the George Institute for Global Health confirmed that among those motorcyclists who do not wear a protective jacket such as a leather motorcycle jacket, roughly 92% of those involved in an accident will suffer injury, and of those, 57% suffered abrasion injuries and 43% suffered bruising. Among those wearing a protective jacket, the number injured drops to 78% from 92%, with only 26% suffering from abrasion injuries and 39% suffering bruising. While it is clear that a motorcycle jacket cannot protect against all injuries, it is also clear that a leather jacket can reduce injuries and their severity significantly for any motorcyle rider.
Further studies have been performed on the durability of fabrics in the event of a motorcycle accident to measure their protective benefits, and have concluded that animal hides (particularly deerskin and elkskin) are superior at resisting the abrasion damage caused during a high-speed scrape against the pavement compared to cottons and most synthetic fabrics. Leather jackets are comfortable to wear and can easily be removed when not riding, whereas full-body suits tend to be more uncomfortable and as such are only beneficial when one is earnestly expecting to ride under hazardous conditions or for extremely long periods of time.
Motorbike police across the world have different standards for protective gear and requirements for their law enforcement officers. In the United States, the requirement for safety gear varies by jurisdiction. In general, it is recommended that a motorcyclist wear abrasion-resistant pants and jacket, knee protection, gloves and helmet. Full-body motorcycle suits are most practical in terms of safety, but can also limit maneuverability when the motorcycle cop needs to leave his vehicle, and can drastically reduce comfort for a motorcycle officer if he is not moving for long stretches of time, especially in warmer weather. The reliable leather motorcycle jacket is often an acceptable tradeoff with enough padding and durability to provide protection without being overly burdensome, and does not restrict access to a policeman's duty gear when necessary. Many law enforcement departments have specific styles of leather jackets commissioned to meet their exacting requirements for performance and appearance, as well as to provide a uniform professional appearance in their daily activities. One of the leading leather motorcycle jacket brands in the U.S. is Taylor's Leatherwear, which makes a variety of styles worn by motorcycle police departments across the U.S. Some popular examples are leather jackets worn by the Los Angeles Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, the New York Police Department, and the Boston Police Department. And yes, they look cool.
]]>As with any work environment, there are many things you can and should do as a company to ensure the safety of your lone workers. Companies should perform hazard assessment programs that are updated based on the work being performed, and should establish a regular check-in procedure or employee monitoring solution to ensure that regular contact is kept with employees and that all people are accounted for while working. Employee monitoring devices are a type of lone worker safety device that can detect falls, lack of motion, and other crisis events and can also be configured to require regular check-ins to maintain safety. In the event that a crisis event is detected, a request for help is triggered, or a check-in period has lapsed, these devices transmit an alert to a monitoring person providing information about the employee's name, type of alert and exact location, allowing them to provide timely emergency response based on the needs of the company. This allows lone worker incidents to receive the quickest response time available, and thus improves worker health and safety dramatically.
Employers are legally responsible for protecting their employees, particularly those who are at heightened risk due to isolation. By using available technology to track worker location and movement, detect incidents, and initiate emergency response, companies can ensure that their protection plan has a check-in system and response procedures prepared in the event that the worst comes to pass. Ask us about lone worker monitoring systems to protect your workers today.
]]>With this in mind, Kappler recommends that these items undergo a standard visual test (and, in the case of Level A vapor protective garments, pass an ASTM F1052 pressure test) before use. Only in the event that hazardous materials suits fail these tests should they be removed from service or downgraded to use as training suits only. Suits should be stored away from direct sunlight in a cool, dry location that is not subject to extremes of hot or cold temperatures. Kappler chemical suits are meant for multiple use, single exposure situations and should not be returned to service after use. Note that while Frontline hazmat suits are designed to add protection from flash fire and radiant heat to the standard chemical resistance offered by Zytron products, Frontline heat reflective suits are meant for escape only from chemical flash fires, and wearers should avoid intense heat and open flames.
Ask us for additional information on Kappler chemical protection suits and other chemical protection solutions for your hazardous materials handling needs.
]]>Are you ready to learn more about screening solutions that meet and exceed the exacting standards of the TSA? Click here now to contact us and learn what Anchortex Corporation has done for airports, military bases, prisons, secured corporate environments, and other security-conscious companies throughout the United States.
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