Voting is now open for the ISHN 2020 Readers' Choice Awards. Please help Saf-T-Gard’s products gain the recognition they deserve as today's most innovative PPE and safety products in the industry by clicking here and voting for the following three Saf-T-Gard products entered:

1. Saf-T-Gard^® Versa-Gard^® Flex G2 & G4 Cut-Resistant Gloves Made with GorillaYarn^® (Hand Protection - Cut-resistant Category)
2. Saf-T-Gard^® Voltgard^® V-GRIPS^® Leather Protector Gloves (Hand Protection - Electrical Category)
3. Saf-T-Gard^® Voltgard^® RESCUE-8T Telescopic Insulated Rescue Body Hook (Emergency Response - First Aid Category)

Winning products will receive recognition, an award and will be the subject of ISHN’s Innovation Winners 2020 Podcast. Winners will also be featured in the upcoming August 2020 publication of ISHN Magazine.

Unfortunately, ISHN does not have unique links for each individual Saf-T-Gard product voting page, so please click here for directions on how to vote in PDF format.

Everyone can vote for each Saf-T-Gard product entered once a day, every day, from now until when the voting closes at 11:59 PM EST May 31, 2020. We encourage everyone to vote for our products every day to increase our chances of winning.

As an added incentive, ISHN will randomly select one voter each week to win a $50.00 gift card. Once you have completed voting, you will have the option to fill out a simple form to be entered in the drawing. Make sure you enter a valid email address so that ISHN can find you. Again, we are strongly encouraging you to vote for each of the above Saf-T-Gard products once per day to increase your chances of winning too! Click here to vote.

Please feel free to share this with your co-workers, friends and family as anyone and everyone can vote.

Thank you very much for your participation, and please contact customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information.

OSHA is extending its temporary leniency on annual respirator fit testing to all covered employers, not only those in the health care industry.

OSHA issued a memo March 14, 2020, stating the agency is allowing health care employers to suspend annual fit testing, in large part, to contend with a nationwide shortage of N95 filtering facepiece respirators. However, according to an April 8, 2020 press release, the agency is directing its field offices to exercise “enforcement discretion” on its annual fit testing requirements - 1910.134(f)(2) to all employers amid the COVID-19 pandemic if employers exercise the following precautions:

• Make good-faith efforts to comply with regulations
• Use only NIOSH-certified respirators
• Perform initial fit tests for each of their health care providers with the same model, style and size of respirator that the worker will need to protect against COVID-19 - “Initial fit testing is essential to determine if the respirator properly fits the worker and is capable of providing the expected level of protection”
• Explain to workers the importance of performing a seal check (i.e., a fit check) each time they put on a respirator to ensure the respirator is providing an adequate seal, in accordance with 1910.134, Appendix B-1
• Conduct a fit test when observing visible changes in an employee’s physical condition, such as facial scarring, dental changes or changes in body weight - “Explain to workers that, if their face shape has changed since their last fit test, they may no longer be getting a good facial seal with the respirator and, thus, are not being adequately protected”
• Remind workers they should inform their supervisors or respirator program administrators if the integrity or fit of their N95 respirator is compromised
• Implement strategies from OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for optimizing the supply of N95 filtering facepiece respirators and prioritizing their use

OSHA issued two memos April 3, 2020, to try to help with the N95 shortage. One allowed for the reuse of N95 respirators and the use of expired N95s in certain cases. The other allowed for the use of filtering facepiece respirators and air-purifying elastomeric respirators certified by other countries or jurisdictions.

Click here to read more suggestions from the agency about how to handle the N95 shortage and the shortage of fit-testing kits and solutions.

When evaluating protective apparel for specific risks and hazards, seam type is a critical element to consider, in addition to fabric and design. Seams can help provide garment strength, durability, and hazard protection. However, seams can potentially be a weak barrier location on the garment; one loose thread or gap and the barrier between you and your environment unravels, leaving you potentially vulnerable.

There are five main types of seam construction for DuPont^™ Personal Protection industrial protective apparel:

• Serged (Sewn) - A seam is produced when threads are interlocked around the edges of two pieces of fabric
• Bound - An outer binding is added to a tightly sewn seam to increase seam strength and improve seam barrier
• Welded - A seam is created by fusing two pieces of material ultrasonically or thermally
• Taped - A strip of compatible material is applied over a sewn seam, which increases strength and improves barrier protection against heavy liquid splash
• Double Taped - A strip of compatible material is applied on both the inside and outside surface of a sewn seam

Taped and double taped seams provide the highest levels of protection. During high-contact activities, especially cleaning, disinfecting, and decontaminating, where exposure to moderate to large volumes of bodily fluids is anticipated, a taped seam DuPont^™ garment may be appropriate to reduce the risk of bodily fluid contact. A hazard assessment should be performed to determine the complete personal protective equipment (PPE) ensemble for hazardous tasks.

Saf-T-Gard carries a comprehensive line of DuPont^™ industrial protective apparel in several different fabrics, including coveralls, pants, shirts, aprons, sleeves, lab coats and hazmat suits. Click here to shop them online, or call customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information or to place an order.

Save as much as 68% on Saf-T-Gard^® Reflect-A-Gard^® RG-2005 Class 2 Hi-Viz Breakaway Safety Vests now through May 31, 2020. Saf-T-Gard can help keep you seen and safe on the job in the Reflect-A-Gard^® RG-2005 Class 2 Hi-Viz Breakaway Safety Vests with features and benefits that include the following:

• Fluorescent lime polyester mesh fabric offers high visibility and breathable comfort
• Two (2) horizontal and two (2) vertical 2” reflective stripes deliver ANSI/ISEA-107 Class 2 Level 2 compliance
• The vest is designed to separate harmlessly from the body in the event that it gets caught
• The five (5) breakaway points include two (2) on the shoulders, two (2) on the sides and one (1) in the center
• One (1) inner pocket at left chest for convenient storage and transportation of work materials
• Hook-and-loop closure provides easy on/off and comfortable, secure fitting
• Available in sizes Large-5XL
• Sold individually or 50 each/case by size
• $3.25/each or $112.50/case of 50 each by size ($50 minimum order)
• Save 31% more per vest when you order by the case

Click here to shop the RG-2005 Vests online, or call customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information or to place an order.

Just as work garments, harnesses can get dirty. Cleaning your fall protection equipment will prolong its life and contribute towards maintaining the performance of the product. Here are some useful tips on how to do it safely.

Spot cleaning

Use a damp sponge or cloth along with a mild detergent if you need to spot clean any Miller brand harnesses, personal fall limiters, self-retracting lifelines and webbing lanyards.

Manual washing

• Place products to be cleaned in mesh laundry bags to reduce the chances of abrasion, snagging and entanglement that could cause damage to stitching or labels 
• Use a mild soap or detergent that does not include bleach
• Make sure the solution is not too soapy, as too much soap can make the product feel tacky to the touch
• Never use an acid solvent, or any solvent-based product on the harness, as it could ruin the material and affect the integrity of the product, making it unsafe to use
• To begin cleaning the harness, wipe off any loose particles with a cloth
• Once the loose particles are removed, take the cleaning solution and place it on a non-abrasive sponge and work it into the material using back and forth motion, rigorously creating a lather
• After scrubbing the harness with the solution, make sure to thoroughly rinse the solution from the fabric using plain water, as soaking it can damage the material
• After rinsing, blot the extra moisture away using a lint-free cloth
• Let the harness hang without folds in the material and air dry in an environment where there isn't excessive heat, away from direct sunlight
• Remove items from mesh bags and hang freely to dry (do not machine dry) but away from excessive heat, steam, or long periods of direct sunlight 
• Use the harness after it is fully dried
• Do not store the equipment wet
• Inspect products thoroughly before returning to service

Machine washing advice

Machine washing may cause fading and softening of the webbing and may reduce the useful service life of the product. Be sure to inspect your washed products thoroughly before each use and be sure to always follow instructions in the instruction manual(s). On a final note, it is recommended that each employee be provided their own set of personal protective equipment instead of sharing PPE. 

Saf-T-Gard carries a wide selection of Honeywell Miller fall protection products, including harnesses, lanyards, SRLs, anchorage points and fall protection accessories. Click here to shop them online, or call customer service at 1-800-548-GARD (4273) today for more information or to place an order.

Two to four Americans working with electricity will be injured while we are on this webinar today. They will all be shocked…likely temporarily or permanently blinded, possibly set on fire and maybe even killed. With more injuries than ever, we need to do more. Ensuring that the right process, the right tools, and the right person is associated at each electrical device...EVERY TIME. Join John Welch, CEO of Bowtie Engineering, as he discusses the following topics:

• Protection agencies - OSHA vs. NFPA
• What does OSHA say?
• What does NFPA 70E say?
• Getting safety programs started
• Yes, it's complicated - Getting your arms around this complex subject or task of electrical safety

What makes Bowtie Engineering different is their ability to standardize nationally and their ability to calculate these risks, train these workers and perform breaker maintenance to steer the worker into a 40 cal/cm² hooded suit or basic safety glasses that will protect them from these hazards. Bowtie Engineering's uniqueness is BowVue; a software portal that organizes this complexity worldwide, for businesses and the people working near electricity. Moreover, they ensure that the right process, the right tools and the right person is associated at each electrical device. Click here to watch this FREE webinar ON DEMAND today to learn more!