PPE JUST GET HOME SAFE
A Leeds plumber is joining forces with safety experts, Arco, to highlight the importance of PPE after a grinder left him with a cut down his face, a shattered eye socket and cheek bone and limited vision in one eye.
Michael Goodall, who owns plumbing company, iPlumb, was cutting the last metre of tarmac needed to bury a cable, when the grinder he was operating shattered and hit his face, leaving him scarred and unable to see out of one eye with a piece of metal lodged in his safety glasses.
Usually, Michael would wear safety boots, gloves and sunglasses while working. However, on this day, his colleague Paul lent him safety glasses from Arco, which Michael claims saved his eye and his life.
Michael said: “It was so quick, there was no warning that it was going to break and I couldn’t dodge it, but when it hit my face it felt like my whole skeleton shook. I immediately knew it was serious. There was a lot of thick blood and I couldn’t see out of my right eye. My colleague, Paul, ran over with a cloth and applied pressure while calling an ambulance. I waited just six-minutes for it to arrive, but it felt like the longest six- minutes of my life.”
Wearing the correct protection for the job he was doing could have protected Michael from the injuries he received, and could have safeguarded him from more serious and life- changing injuries too. Michael and Arco are raising awareness of the importance of wearing the correct safety gear at all times, to help prevent the 9,000 workplace accidents that happen each year.
“Before the accident, I knew very little about what level of protection I needed, and I’m not alone in that. For instance, few people know about categories for rating the level of protection given by PPE, like protective eyewear. I didn’t know the safety glasses I was wearing were rated F, which is the lowest rating, so they weren’t suitable for the job at all. You need a lot better protection, such as a Grade A High Energy
28 Impact Full-Face Visor, for grinding.
“But because of this, I thought the safety glasses were enough. I now know they don’t protect you from injury. However, if I hadn’t had those Arco glasses on, I wouldn’t have an eye and the force of the blade could have gone into my brain - I could have died. Paul and those glasses saved my life. But I should have been better equipped.”
After the accident, Michael shared his story on social media to help raise awareness and thanked Arco for the safety glasses that had saved his life. Arco was touched by his story and concerned he didn’t have the correct protective safety kit, so decided to take action.
Claire Langley, Sector Marketing Manager at Arco said: “Accidents like Michael’s are all too common. Few workers are aware of the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to ensure they can work safely and effectively. Every year 71,062 work-related injuries are reported and 9,000 are directly related to PPE. But all it takes is a trip to any one of our 50 Arco stores across the UK, and to speak to an Arco adviser, and we can help every worker get home safe, every night.”
Michael said: “After hearing of the accident, Arco invited me to the Leeds branch and the team were really helpful. They gave me information, told me what PPE is out there and informed me about the full-face grind mask, which could have prevented my injuries.
“It’s been really good for me that Arco was there to talk to and the team has been compassionate and so helpful. I didn’t really know what I was meant to wear before speaking with the Arco team, I’d never even seen a full-face grinding mask before. Now, I’m fully kitted-out with new work wear, a full-face mask and
new boots.”
Michael underwent several operations to fix the damage to his face and eye, including a three-
hour operation after the accident, but the after-effects left him with low self-confidence.
“When I came out of surgery my face was really swollen. After two weeks, the swelling started to go
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