Human and environmental safety

Safety and health at work.

Safety is first and foremost everyone's responsibility! But it is also a broad concept. It is about:

• Behaviour!
• Approved safe machines and materials
• A tidy and clean workplace
• Minimize chemical pollutants such as lubricants and cleaners. Do the Chemical shift!
• Air quality: extraction of dust and hazardous fumes.
• Reducing noise
• Limit repetitive work to prevent overloading
• Proper use and storage of PPE
• etc..

Clear information, clear work instructions, the correct use of equipment and regular maintenance and inspection - which are often compulsory - increase safety. Employers and employees are jointly responsible for this. Unfortunately, a safe and healthy working environment is not the reality everywhere. Accident research shows that unsafe behaviour often plays a role in accidents. It is not only compliance by employers and employees that is important, but also participation. A (pro-)active attitude of employers and employees towards healthy and safe behaviour is essential to promote healthy and safe working. It is crucial to recognize and acknowledge occupational risks and to be willing to point out unsafe behaviour to each other.

Reducing wage costs by focusing on safety and working conditions

Working safely leads to less absenteeism, higher productivity and therefore lower costs. The trick is to create a work environment in which an eye for safety is ingrained in the DNA of the organization and thus in all employees. Because ultimately everyone is the owner of their personal safety.

The safety culture ladder

This model aims to help organizations better understand where they stand with their own safety culture. And, of course, the ladder also provides insight into the possibilities for developing an improving safety culture. Where does your company stand on the ladder? Every step up is an important improvement.

What is important to be able to make a step?

1. Awareness

2. Sharing knowledge with colleagues

3. Sharing knowledge with fellow companies in the sector or chain

4. The power of repetition: make safety a recurring theme.

5. Reward good behaviour or visible improvements

Make situations discussable and create a culture in which people help each other by pointing out risky situations and keeping each other on their toes. Take everyone seriously when they point out what they consider to be a risky situation. Metaaltechniek can help by giving short clinics or toolboxes on safety and the correct use of PPE. Request a free toolbox via our application form.

A green workplace with as few chemicals as possible contributes to safety and requires less protection.

Benefit of a green, sustainable, safe workplace

Your advantage in using green products is not only that you show colleagues and stakeholders that you take responsibility as a company. It is often also very interesting from a business point of view to make the switch. A Veidec product can replace up to 3 classic chemical products. You do not need special storage cabinets, no special PPE and, in addition, Veidec products work extremely quickly and are economical to use. And last but not least: you will no longer receive critical questions from the occupational health and safety authorities. Everyone is happy!

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Safety starts at the source

Safety starts at the source. With the choice of raw materials, the way of joining: does it have to be welded per se or can a connection also be made with tape or glue. Do we work with power tools or can we also work with pneumatic machines. How is the extraction regulated and does the workplace look further tidy and safe?

It is only as a last resort that PRMs are given a chance. As protection against situations that are really unavoidable. 

The right choice, fit, user-friendliness and degree of protection are of great importance here! Only then does a PPE offer the protection it is made for and the user is hindered as little as possible in his work. This in turn will lead to a higher acceptance and use of the protective equipment offered. This subject is also discussed extensively in one of our toolboxes. Feel free to inquire about the possibilities.

CAUTION: the PPE Regulation is changing. New guidelines as of April 2019!

From April 2018, the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC was replaced by the new PPE Regulation 2016/425. The PPE Directive was introduced to harmonise processes and reflect how personal protective equipment is developed and marketed in Europe today.

From April 2018 to April 2019 is the transitional phase between the publication and application of the Regulation. By April 2019, all PPE products bearing the CE marking must comply with the PPE Regulation.

What are the main changes?

The PPE Regulation is a binding law setting out clear and detailed requirements. These should be fully applied in all European Member States. The Regulation applies to all forms of supply of personal protective equipment, including distance selling, and aims to achieve a high level of health and safety, protect users and ensure fair competition.

The principles are changing in several respects:

• Change of categorization from product-related to risk-related.
• Change of classification for certain product categories;
• Hearing protection, now categorised as 'harmful noise' (risk), is moved from category II to category III.
• An EU Declaration of Conformity should be provided with each product (or with a link where it can be obtained).
• Technical documentation and declaration of conformity for the EU will be kept for 10 years after the personal protective equipment has been placed on the market.
• Validity of five years/expiration date for new certificates
• Established obligations for economic operators within the supply and distribution chain.

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Choose the right PPE! Pay attention to ease of use and fit. It is unfortunate, but one-size-fits-all is never the case with PPE. Increase acceptance by offering a well-fitting PPE per person.

Respiratory protection:

Maintenance-free masks:

Maintenance-free dust masks can be used to protect against dust and other hazards involving particles. They are made for single use and therefore require no maintenance. Stocking must, of course, take place in a clean and dust-free environment.

We know the single-use dust masks in roughly 2 models: as a cup mask, so preformed with a cup. And as a folding mask, which you can easily carry in your pocket. Especially if the masks are packed individually, this is a nice mask to take to the workplace.

Both masks are available with or without breathing valve. This valve makes it easier to exhale, keeps the temperature lower and fumes are more easily evacuated, preventing fogged up glasses and moisture on the inside of the mask.

Welding fume mask, with added carbon, recognizable by the slightly grey/gray color.

3M's 9925 and 9928 masks are specifically designed for welding applications, to provide protection against ozone and welding fumes and to provide relief from nuisance odours. They offer lightweight, effective, comfortable and hygienic respiratory protection against dust, mist and metal fumes and are resistant to contamination from welding fumes for long periods of time. The 3M™ Cool Flow™ exhalation valve reduces the build-up of heat to provide comfortable protection even in humid conditions and heat.

All our dust masks comply with the EN 149:2001 standard. Metaaltechnieksupplies the complete range of 3M dust masks and also carries the Defend label. Unique in the Netherlands, with an excellent price/quality ratio.

View our complete range of dust maskshere.

Reusable masks:

Full face masks are equipped with integrated respiratory and eye protection. If you prefer separate eye protection, the 3M half mask is designed so that it can be used in combination with 3M vision goggles and safety goggles, welding caps and visors. The half and full face masks feature a host of gadgets to ensure a comfortable fit in a wide range of applications. The bayonet connection guarantees easy filter change.

Metaaltechniek supplies the complete range of 3M (half) masks and also carries the GVS brand, with an excellent price/quality ratio.

View our complete range of (half) face masks here

Motor and air powered masks

The Adflo motor-driven respiratory protection is specially developed for welders working with a Speedglas 9000 welding hood. Its well thought-out, compact design is ideally suited to welders and their specific working conditions. All Speedglas welding hoods that can be combined with the Adflo motor unit are equipped as standard with a Speedglas Side Window so that you are well aware of your surroundings. 

An engine-powered breathing system is a system that uses a fan to blow filtered air into hoods and helmets. This allows you to be very mobile.

3M™ Versaflo™ respiratory protection systems are comprehensive, comfortable modular protection systems for the worker. Each system has three easily selectable modules that can be combined with each other: a respiratory protection device, a head cap and a breathing hose. The modules can be used to compose dozens of system configurations. This is the pinnacle of flexibility when dealing with changing environments, user needs and comfort preferences.

3M™ Supply Air Respiratory Systems are designed to provide the worker with clean air. The air can be supplied with a high pressure compressor. 3M has several products that can be connected to a supply air system, such as hoods, helmets, full face masks, half face masks and loose wearable face pieces. This limits your mobility.

Check out our range of motor and air powered masks from 3M

Need help choosing the right mask or protection? On the website of 3M you can find a lot of information about this. Go to the page about health and safety of employees

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Hearing protection also deserves attention.

We are exposed to more noise every day than is good for our hearing. This can cause hearing damage in the long term.

Take a look at the decibel ladder. It may be an eye-opener that prolonged exposure to everyday sounds can cause hearing damage.

You can sometimes reduce the noise level of an activity by choosing a different grinding product. A fiber disc produces less noise than a grinding wheel. And the vibration level of a fiber disc is also lower, which helps to prevent sore arms. In fact, every operation carried out with a handheld machine will produce a noise level above the standard of 85dBA. So always use suitable hearing protection and check every now and then if the attenuation of your hearing protection is still sufficient.

You can buy your hearing protection easily in our webshop!