PPE has become a staple part of our day to day lives, both professionally and personally, the need to have adequate PPE is key to keep ourselves and others safe. Here we will explore what PPE you should expect a logistics company to be utilising when managing the transportation of your goods.
In order to remain COVID-19 compliant, it is mandatory that all members of the public wear a mask or visor whilst in a public indoor space. Whilst in the majority of cases, drivers will remain outside when transporting goods, we would still expect them to wear a mask or visor. If they are remaining at a 2m distance and it is safe to do so, you may advise them that you feel comfortable for them to remove their face covering.
Logistics companies should also be protecting their customers by ensuring that they are wearing gloves. When leaving heavy duty items, drivers are likely to be wearing gloves anyway but even for light deliveries, we would now also expect them to have medical grade latex gloves as a minimum.
The use of hand gel should also be apparent for all drivers, in some instances they may use this in the cab. We would recommend that drivers sanitise their hands between each delivery to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We would also recommend drivers have a personal sanitiser on their person at all times.
We have recently invested in Orbels for all our drivers to ensure they are able to access antibacterial sanitiser at any point during their working day. You can read more about Orbel here.
Of course, COVID-19 is not the only risk that presents itself when working in the Logistics industry. Drivers should also have steel toe cap boots, despite the weight of the items they are carrying. One singular parcel may seem light but if 10 of these items were to fall, the risk of injury will be minimised by wearing the correct footwear.
When working on construction or building sites, like any personnel, drivers should wear a hard hat. Even if they are only out of the van for a few moments, a hard hat is mandatory to ensure their safety whilst working under site conditions. Particularly when working at event sites, drivers should treat this as a building site and wear the appropriate PPE.
Lastly, a high visibility jacket should be worn when visibility is limited. This may be in certain weather conditions, when it is light/dark or in a warehouse environment when access to natural light is limited. You will find that some companies require you to wear a specific high visibility jacket when on site. If instructed to do so, drivers should replace their high visibility jacket with the one provided by the site manager.
The reason you may be asked to wear a high visibility jacket with a particular colour or company logo on is because if you are involved in an accident, the first aider on site can clearly see which company you belong to. This allows them to ensure the appropriate person is contacted about any incident that may occur on site. This is both for your safety, reporting purposes and so your next of kin can be contacted if required.
We hope this provides a useful summary of the PPE requirements expected within the logistics industry and some additional helpful tips if you are working onsite at an event. If you need any further information, please contact us.
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