With Health and Safety laws getting stricter worldwide, bricklayers need to move with the times. I have memories of falling through rotten scaffolding planks, being zapped from concrete mixers and using a 15" angle grinder by holding on its wobbly guard, knowing that it was rubbing on the blade because it was too hot to hold. As you get older you realize the importance of looking after yourself. PPE should be an integral part of your kit.
What is personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is any clothing or equipment that provides protection to the wearer from a potential risk.
What does this include for a bricklayer?
PPE is relatively similar throughout the building industry. Bricklayers don't wear too much for the majority of the day, their steel toe boots and prehaps gloves being adequate. Many commercial sites require hi visiblity clothing along with a hard hat. Certain power tool use requires ear and eye protection, even a respirator.
Here are some examples of quality products that you should have in your kit at a minimum.
You will notice that is not expensive, but you don't want to always be replacing items. A good way to look after your PPE is to keep it separate from your hand tools. Sports bags work well to keep it portable and protected.
Gloves
Not all bricklayers
wear gloves, if you want to go without
that's fine but just expect to need a bit of time for your hands to harden up.
If you do want to give gloves ago look for gloves that have been made for
handling masonry. Normally they will be nice thin for good feeling when working
with brick. This is achieved with a puncher proof latex coating. And remember
even the very best gloves will quickly wear out.
Click here to view a decent pair of gloves on Amazon
Click here to view a decent pair of gloves on Amazon
Safety Glasses
When using angle grinders
or brick saws be sure to use safety glasses. For a long time I had convinced
myself that wearing them was more dangerous because I couldn't see clearly.
This was solved in two ways. First buying a pair that were anti fogging and
second looking after the glasses so they don't get scratched. Now I realize
it's not worth taking a chance on your eye sight.
Click here to view the safety glasses I use on Amazon
Click here to view the safety glasses I use on Amazon
Ear Muffs
Again many young guns
think they can get away with not using ear muffs every now and then. Hearing damage though is accumulative,
meaning that every time you don't use your muffs you will be damaging your
hearing. Get a pair that fit well and are comfortable for long periods of time.
If your company does a lot of commercial
work where hard hats are mandatory think about getting some clip on ear muffs.
Work Boots
If there is one item on this list to make sure you get good quality, this is it. It will cost you more than $100 but being comfortable all day is worth it. Make sure that they have steel toes, good ankle support, and grippy soles. A good pair will take a week or so to break the leather in but from then on you shouldn't notice them. I prefer slip on rather than laces just because they are easy to keep clean.
Hard Hat
A hard hat is generally worn on larger construction sites where multiple trades are working. Every time I get back on a site where I need to wear my hard hat it takes a morning to get used to the new head clearance. But don't a few bangs on the scaffold frames convince you to take it off. I prefer the hats with the quick release harness because they are easy to fit and are comfortable.
Respirator
Now a respirator might
seem over the top. But if you have a lot of cutting to do the dust gets every
where, including up your nose. Wearing a simple dust mask or a respirator stops
this making it much more comfortable.
High Visibility Clothing
High Visibility gear is now needed on most construction sites. As a result many bricklaying companies have a hi-vis shirt as part of their company uniform. It's good to have a warm jacket in high vis as well. I look for one with zip up pockets and a hood.
