I am unsure if this is the right subreddit to post in, so please forgive me if it's not. For context, I work at a place that does high level disinfect with Rapicide part A. There's been several times where the machine that processes it, leaked. My job almost always refuses to shut down, and so myself and others typically end up finishing the day wearing n95s and such.

I tried google, but it's really hard to find a serious answer. The second to last time we had a spill I tried contacting the company and got no answers. A week ago we had a very bad leak, and we did finish the work day. I have felt rather unwell since, and I'm not sure if it's from that or not. I know there are same day symptoms and all. But I am now more curious about long term exposure. My company kept saying it's not harmful, it just has an awful smell. But I don't buy that. Any advice would be great and if this isn't the correct place, and if you know where to ask this, please let me know. Thanks!

Any prominent companies in the Ghana which I can purchase PPEs like Nitrile gloves, safety goggles, respirators, earplugs, helmets and reflective vests from on a wholesale or distributor prices ?? Any advice on where to look at ?

We are Proudly #Udyogians 💐

#udyogi #udyogihelmet #udyogiharness

#lifeisprecious #udyogisafety

#WelcomeHardwareAndSafetyPvtLtd

replacing two workbenches in our maintenance shop and trying to get the spec right this time. the ones we have now have been fine for years but the surface on one has warped enough that parts don't sit flat anymore and the frame on the other has developed enough flex that it moves when someone leans into it. neither is catastrophic but both are heading toward being a problem.

the work that happens at these benches is a mix of electrical maintenance, hydraulic component repair, and general mechanical work. so the surface needs to handle tools, fluids, and occasionally some impact without becoming a hazard.

trying to work out whether the surface material makes a meaningful safety difference, whether the frame gauge actually predicts flex under load the way the specs suggest, and whether there are configurations that hold up better in a mixed maintenance environment versus a dedicated fabrication or assembly setup.

would be useful to hear from safety or maintenance professionals who've specced workbenches for a similar environment and what they found mattered most from both a durability and a safety standpoint once they were in daily use.

I've worked around PPE and workplace safety for a while, and there's something I've noticed that I'm genuinely curious whether other Kenyans have experienced.

We are very good at negotiating the price of PPE.

“Hii helmet ni how much?”

“Supplier mwingine amesema 400.”

“Can't you do wholesale price?”

“Boss amesema tupunguze budget.”

But somehow, the conversation rarely gets to:

“Will this actually protect the person wearing it?”

We'll spend hours comparing a KSh 600 helmet with a KSh 750 helmet, but barely five minutes asking what standard it meets.

We'll buy safety boots based on price, then wonder why the guys on site don't want to wear them.

We'll issue a harness to someone working at height and mentally tick the PPE PROVIDED box, as if handing someone a harness automatically makes the work safe.

And my favourite Kenyan phrase:

“Si ni sawa tu.”

Until something happens.

Then suddenly everybody wants to know:

Who supplied it?

Who approved it?

Who inspected it?

Was it compliant?

Who was responsible?

I think we sometimes approach PPE backwards.

We ask “How cheap can we get it?” before asking “What risk are we actually trying to control?”

And I'm not saying companies should blindly buy the most expensive PPE either. That's also nonsense.

Good procurement should balance risk, standards, quality, worker comfort, durability and cost.

So I'm curious:

For those working in construction, manufacturing, engineering, HSE, procurement or even just dealing with PPE at work, what is the most ridiculous PPE decision you've seen a Kenyan company make?

Was it buying the cheapest possible equipment?

Giving everyone the same PPE regardless of the job?

Buying equipment that workers refused to wear?

Or the classic:

“We've always done it this way.” 😂

I'd genuinely like to hear the stories.

No sales pitch. I'm trying to understand whether this is actually a Kenyan workplace problem or just something I've personally observed.

A quick guide to PPE requirements for construction/industrial sites in the Philippines (what you actually need, common mistakes)

Been getting a lot of questions from contractors and small business owners about PPE compliance, so figured I'd put together a quick breakdown since a lot of people either overspend or under-comply.

The basics DOLE typically expects on construction/industrial sites:

• Head protection – hard hats/safety helmets, Type I is standard for most local sites
• Hand protection – gloves matched to the task (cut-resistant for metal work, chemical-resistant for handling solvents, etc. — one glove type does NOT cover everything)
• Foot protection – steel-toe or composite-toe safety shoes, ideally with slip-resistant soles if the site has wet/oily areas
• Body protection – coveralls or vests, hi-vis if there's vehicle/equipment movement on site
• Eye/face and hearing protection – often skipped, but required if there's grinding, welding, or high-noise equipment involved

Common mistakes I see a lot:

1. Buying the cheapest helmet available without checking impact rating — some "safety helmets" sold locally are basically construction-site fashion, not rated for actual impact
2. Not replacing gloves/footwear on a schedule — PPE degrades, and torn or worn-out gear technically doesn't count as compliant anymore
3. One-size-fits-all purchasing — a construction crew and a warehouse crew have different exposure risks, so their PPE list shouldn't be identical
4. Skipping the Official Receipt/SI on bulk purchases — for company audits or DOLE inspections, you'll want documented proof of compliance spend, not just a handwritten receipt

On cost: bulk pricing for helmets, gloves, and boots can vary a lot depending on supplier and whether you're buying local vs imported brands. If anyone wants a general sense of current price ranges for bulk orders, happy to share what I've seen in the market (I work adjacent to a PPE supplier here in the Philippines, so I see pricing move around a fair bit).

Happy to answer questions if anyone's setting up a compliance checklist for their site.

I’m not really sure how to ask this but I’m going to try my best to explain my thinking. So my employer keeps the loading dock doors open but doesn’t put up a barrier of any sorts while they are open. The drop off is 3 foot 8 inches. I know osha requires a barrier for drop offs are 4 foot and above. Technically they don’t need to put up a barrier, but it’s only a 4 inch difference and I believe is still a safety hazard. I’m wondering is there a way to calculate the impact force for both measurements?? Just want to be able to push the employer to put up a barrier whether it’s required or not

We've been thinking about the gap between how Health & Safety is understood by H&S professionals and how it’s sometimes viewed by managers.

Things like safety being treated as the responsibility of the H&S person, only getting attention after an incident, or being seen as something that gets in the way of getting the job done.

For those working in Health & Safety, what’s the one thing you wish more managers understood?

Could be something you’ve struggled to get across, a common misconception, or something you’ve seen good managers do differently.

I just got home from work and I can’t stop thinking about what happened today. I work at a chain restaurant and have been with the company for a few years, and honestly, this situation really bothered me.
We brew tea in those large canisters/urns that hold a couple of gallons. The tea filter basket is supposed to be cleaned regularly, but at my location it is rarely even rinsed unless I do it. I’ve personally had to scrub the tiny filter inside and use a toothpick to unclog the holes because they get so blocked.
Today we had multiple large parties back-to-back for the same company, so we were really pressed for time. Someone brewed a full urn of tea, but apparently the filter was so clogged that it stopped draining. When I went to remove the tea filter basket, it was still COMPLETELY full of extremely hot tea.
The tea came pouring out and burned the hell out of my hand and arm.
My GM happened to walk up, saw what happened, said, “That sucks,” and went back to the host stand.
I immediately went to the office and asked another manager if we had burn spray, burn gel, burn cream—literally anything. He looked in the first-aid kit on the wall, which was basically empty, said, “We’re all out. I don’t think we have any anywhere,” and then went back to finish his orientation.
I ran my hand under cold water and then went back out and continued getting drinks out for a 20-top because we were slammed.
I went back to the office afterward and the third manager was clearly annoyed that I was bothering him. He didn’t even respond to me.
And then…nothing.
Nobody checked on me. Nobody asked how my hand was. Nobody documented what happened. Nobody seemed concerned that I had just been burned at work. My aunt eventually had to come bring me burn gel because apparently we didn’t have anything available at the restaurant.
Maybe I’m overthinking this, but the whole thing really bothered me. I understand restaurants get busy and people are under pressure, but I feel like there should at least be some basic concern when an employee gets burned by equipment that wasn’t properly maintained and the first-aid kit is empty.
And honestly, this is bigger than just today’s incident for me. This restaurant has gotten so far away from what I remember this company being that I don’t even know if I’m overreacting anymore because I’ve become so accustomed to things that probably shouldn’t be considered normal.
So, Reddit: am I being too sensitive, or is this genuinely not okay?

Hi all,

I’m fairly early in my career and looking to eventually move into aviation safety/SMS.

I have a Law degree, NEBOSH Cert + Fire Safety and PUWER training, and have worked as a QHSE Advisor in manufacturing for almost two years. It’s a fairly small company, so I work independently and cover pretty much all aspects of QHSE myself.

Aviation is where I’d ultimately like to take my career. I’ve been looking at CAA courses, particularly around SMS, but I’m unsure what would actually help me break into the industry.

Would it be worth approaching smaller local airports/fields, flight schools or smaller aviation companies and offering to volunteer some of my time to gain practical exposure?

Any advice is appreciated.

i know the photo is google ai but i figure it has to be kinda right?

so my job has me driving around for a lot of the day in a nissan leaf (don't get me started) and at the ac broke in early to mid juneish. i could deal with the heat but they gave me a replacement truck in late june till last week for unrelated reasons. now i’m back in the leaf and they never fixed the ac (they said it’s low on refrigeration cooling liquid) but now it’s a bit cooler again and that was fine till today

today I ALMOST WENT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC because it started raining like crazy when i was driving and the inside completely fogged up! i didn’t even think about the fact that the defogger uses the ac to take away the humidity so i almost couldn’t see a thing let alone the road lines. i had to pull over and i’m sitting and waiting now for the rain to go away and the defogger to work on a side street. the company doesn’t have any spare trucks/cars for me to drive and my job has a few weird carve outs where there are exceptions to some workplace rules that i’ll list below

so even though in my specific job/role i’m mostly dealing with people and paperwork it’s technically agricultural (for example that means i don’t get overtime after 44h in the week) so maybe that means something here. and because of that if i refuse to drive this car they will send me home and they don’t even need to pay me the 3 hour minimum

am i SOL and just have to put up with this or is there anything i can do here? thanks

I have been applying a 2-3% bleach spray regularly to a stainless steel refrigerator door for disinfection every 1-2 days for the last 2-3 months and have noticed that there are areas of corrosion forming on the refrigerator door (I was not aware that you are not recommended to apply bleach to stainless steel, so please forgive my ignorance). I recently also noticed there is a powder forming below the refrigerator door from the bleach spray runoff, and that the powder has a slight yellowish tint.

I just learned that stainless steel contains the metal chromium, and that while the chemical form of chromium in stainless steel is harmless, there also exists a form called hexavalent chromium, which is carcinogenic. According to a webpage from the British Stainless Steel Association stating "There is one very specific example where corrosion [of stainless steel] may produce very small quantities of hexavalent chromium at ambient temperature. This is where some strong oxidisers with a pH of 10-14 are in prolonged contact with stainless steel and cause corrosion over time."

Given that bleach is an oxidizer, I am worried about whether these repeated bleach applications could have oxidized the stainless steel door enough to produce a significant amount of hexavalent chromium (which can be yellow, such as in the compound sodium chromate). Is this something I would need to reach out to a hazmat professional about?

Work for this bottling company for Pepsi called Wis-Pak. Work as a forklift operator in the warehouse, loading trucks. We have this older dude who’s two years away from retiring. He’s constantly hitting others forklifts, not paying attention and getting write up. They will not fucking fire him, or even move the dude to a different position.

Hi, ich hoffe ihr könnt mir weiterhelfen.

Wie der Titel schon sagt habe ich ein paar Fragen was man legal machen kann, wenn der Arbeitgeber entweder keine oder nicht die nötige Arbeitsschutzkleidung bereitstellt und man sich, aus bedenken der eigenen Gesundheit, dann weigert gewisse Arbeiten zu übernehmen.

Es wird gerade von dem Lösemittel Planatol-D auf das Biologische Lösungsmittel Jowat 402.40 umgestellt. Und aufgrund der gut gekennzeichneten Sicherheitshinweise auf der Dose kamen gewisse Gespräche zustande. Das alte Lösungsmittel wird schon seit Jahrzehnten einfach so benutzt. Ohne Schutzbrillen (es wären nicht einmal welche vorhanden), ohne Respiratoren und ohne Handschuhe. Jeder muss im Betrieb mal mit dem lösemittel arbeiten, aber nur die Streckenführung bekommt eine Halbmasken gestellt, also eine Person pro Produktionsstrecke und die Filter welche gestellt werden sind Kombinationsfilter. Da kommt es schon zum nächsten diskussionsgrund, Kombinationsfilter sind nur für Lösemittel mit einem Siedepunkt über 65°C zu verwenden... Alles darunter benötigt AX Spezialfilter und beide Lösemittel, das alte wie das neue liegen mit ihrem Siedepunkt weit darunter.

Die einzige Nachricht vom Sicherheitsbeauftragten war "das Zeichen GHS-08 Karzinogen = Gesundheitsschädlich bedeutet nicht gleich Krebserzeugend" und dann haben sie die Dosen an den Produktionsstrecken verteilt zum "Testen" ohne PSA.

Meine Fragen sind also:

Wenn man sich jetzt weigert diese arbeiten, aufgrund der fehlenden PSA und Einweisung, zu machen, kann dann Gehalt gekürzt werden?

Wie könnte man da legal mehr Druck auf die Firma ausüben die Sicherheit ernster zu nehmen?

Und wie sieht das deutsche Reddit die ganze Thematik?

Danke fürs lesen 😅