My friend and coworker, Larry, was working with a pyrophoric product that would ignite if exposed to the atmosphere. When he opened a control valve in a line that had just been repaired, he was engulfed in flames and ran to a safety shower. When I arrived and helped Larry remove his flame-resistant clothing, I noticed he was only burned in areas where his skin was not covered. It was then that I realized the value of protective clothing.
Despite examples like this, workers often resist wearing flame-resistant clothing and other garments. How you roll out a protective clothing program will influence whether employees will accept it or reject it, so let’s take a look in this article at avoiding common management mistakes.