Mullion Will Float Your Boat

At Granite we believe that quality comes before expense.  We don’t risk your safety in order to provide you with cheap deals; instead we use the best materials available and offer the best value for money.

Planning on going sea fishing or just plain cruising?

The sea can be a cruel mistress, it is best to be prepared for anything especially when you are so far away from land. So a Mullion Floatation suit would be considered an essential item to take along with you.

These floatation suits have a range of benefits which includes, Protection against cold water shock and hyperthermia upon immersion. It also features inherent buoyancy in excess of 50 Newton meaning it conforms to the EN393 standard, the outer fabric is fully waterproof and all the seams are taped. Another feature is the retro-reflective tape on hood and chest combined with the High-visibility adjustable insulated peaked hood insuring that you are more likely to be visible to others meaning that you will be able to be seen from quite a distance.

Mullion aims for and achieves the maximum technical properties and standards within its product range and consistently holds the highest standard of approval possible in each market sector for the relevant products.

Furthermore, Mullion works very closely with the various appropriate standards committees and accredited approvals testing houses in order to ensure the highest standards are set and maintained for the safety at sea industry. All this means that with Mullion you are virtually guaranteed great quality and a product that you know will be just what you are looking for when going sea fishing or cruising.

At Granite Workwear we have an extensive range of floatation suits/jackets and trousers that you will find are of great quality and good value. We also have immersion suits and life jackets for both leisure and professional use.

How Important Is Comfort In Trainers?

With the summer time now here, more outdoor activities being done is called for, whether this is just going for a walk in the park, cycling or even just going for a walk round the town all this is sure to leave your feet hurting, unless you have really comfortable trainers, meaning that comfortable trainers almost become a necessity.

Luckily here at Granite Workwear we have just the thing in our special offers section of the webpage, these are trainers that are made by V-Tech both are very lightweight and breathable, providing decent comfort. You’ll see that the prices slashes on these trainers are as much as 38% off. So surely this is a win/win situation you get a decent quality pair of trainers that will keep you comfortable whilst you enjoy the wonders of the of the summer. However not only will these pair of trainers be useful in this situation, they will be useful in almost any situation especially when you have to travel far by foot so whether you are taking the dog for a walk or working on your feet all day, the V-Tech trainers will be the best value for money to get the job done.

With the V-Tech Aviation Non Metallic Safety Trainers costing just £39.95 which is almost 33% Off and the V-Tech Wing Non Metallic Safety Trainers costing £39.95 resulting in a massive 38% Off these are deals that surely have to be snapped up!

Quality Workwear

No matter what profession or trade that you are involved in, the first thing that everybody does before heading off to work in the morning is to get dressed in appropriate attire. Whether you are a business man looking for that smart professional look, or a construction worker who requires durable clothing that offers protection from the wear and tear of the building site and the elements, Granite Workwear is the place to find high quality goods at affordable prices.

The quality of Granite Workwears clothing and equipment can't be underestimated! With a twelve month guarantee on all purchases, you know that we are a company that has a great deal of pride and confidence in the products that we provide to all industries. The durablity of our workwear is so great that they can be industrially laundered at up to 90 degrees cellcius. Our protective workwear is also among the very best available on the market today.


Granite Workwear offers teflon coated, ergonomically designed knee pads to fit with the articulation of the knee, as well as other protective wear including the shoulders, head and feet. Low cost and extremely effective high visibilty clothing; from jackets with two way zips and high collars for additional protection from the wind and rain, to high-vis gloves, trousers and belts.

Granite Workwear is a comprehensive website that offers all types of workwear to protect against elements, help you dress classy as needs be, and provides accessories to help you stay comfortable at work.
Besides providing all sorts of clothing for different occupations that work in harsh conditions, and also provides business attire for the every day businessman. They have a wide selection of high quality, fashionable, and reasonably priced polo shirts, trousers, jackets, hats and bags. Check out the website now!

Safety eyewear:

Eyesight safety provision as well as wearing is a requirement under the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations.

Eyesight Protection needs to be employed around dangerous environments wherever there is actually a danger regarding projectiles harming the eyes.

Our own selection of Bolle and Peltor Safety Glasses fulfils the requirements associated with EN166, the European Norm with regard to Industrial Eye Protection. This not simply incorporates requirements with regard to liquids, airborne dirt and dust and molten metal protection but additionally impact performance with all of our Bolle and Peltor Safety Glasses ideal for withstanding low energy impact.

Bolle and Peltor Safety Glasses are only able to be offered as low energy impact eye protection. This is primarily because Safety Glasses sit on the wearer’s nose where almost all impact energy needs to be absorbed.

If greater impacts are anticipated then Safety Goggles as well as Safety Face shields will have to be considered.

Bolle Safety Glasses marked EN166 1F satisfy this particular requirement and are also optically correct consequently they might be worn for many hours with no danger associated with headaches.

Prior to you buying the kind of Safety Eyewear you need you'll want to initially think about the kind of hazard being encountered and the ideal type of eye protection suitable for that hazard.

Types of hazard:

Mechanical - Flying particles, airborne dirt and dust or even molten metal.

Chemical - Gases, fumes or perhaps liquid splash.

Radiation - Temperature (Infra-red), uv light or even glare.

Laserlight - Over a broad spectrum of wavelengths from Uv to Infra-red.

Category of eye protection:

Safety Glasses - Comfortable and offered in a number of designs are not going to keep out airborne debris, gas or even molten metal. Bolle designs are obtainable with prescription lenses.

Safety Goggles - Can offer protection for all those forms of hazards. May possibly be put on over spectacles.


Safety Face Shield - Protects the face area along with the eyes nonetheless will not keep out airborne dirt and dust or even gas. Comfortable to make use of for lengthy periods.

In cases where high-impact is anticipated then Safety Goggles or even Safety Face shields will be much more suitable as they distribute the actual force associated with the impact across the face instead of the nose which happens to be exactly what our Bolle and Peltor Safety Glasses accomplish.

Different shades of lenses are available for specialist sectors including Foundries, Glass working as well as with Welding. Bolle also have a comprehensive and high quality range of welding masks for this purpose.

Various lens shades may also improve eyesight with regard to jobs such as examination or low light conditions.

Safety Gloves for Chemical and Biological Hazards

Safety Gloves should be issued and worn after undertaking a Risk Assessment for people who have to handle:

• Hazardous materials
• Toxic chemicals
• Corrosive materials

No single glove will meet the needs of everyone. Gloves must be selected on the basis of the materials being handled and the type of work undertaken.

The use of protective gloves should be seen as a control measure of last resort and should always be used in conjunction with other measures. This is because:

• Gloves only protect the wearer – they do not remove the contaminant from the workplace environment.
• If protective gloves are used incorrectly, or badly maintained, the wearer may not be protected - when gloves fail they fail completely which then exposes the user to the hazard.
• Gloves themselves can cause skin problems.
• Wearing gloves interferes with the wearer’s sense of touch.
• The extent of protection depends on good fit.
• Some types of glove are inconvenient and interfere with the way people work.

However, by selecting the right glove for the task at hand, understanding the limits of the selected glove and by knowing how to correctly use them, gloves can help to remove dangerous exposures.

There are various standards that have to be achieved for different risks.

EN 374 is for gloves designed to protect from chemicals and micro-organisms. This standard specifies the requirements of gloves for protection against chemicals and/or micro-organisms. Specific Requirements are that gloves need to be:

• Sealed against penetration of liquids according to method in EN 374-2. This test is a pass/fail test.
• Permeation resistance to chemicals tested according to method EN 374-3. Each combination of glove/chemical is classified according to the time the glove resists to permeation of the chemical.

EN 455 is used to assess gloves intended for use in health care. A glove that conforms to this standard will provide adequate protection against infection risks, but chemical resistance will not have been assessed.

There are four factors to consider when deciding which glove is suitable for your work

(a) The type of hazard (chemical type, Bio-hazard)
(b) The task
(c) The user (size and fit, state of health, etc.)
(d) The workplace conditions (ergonomics, temperature, wet or dry, etc.),

They need to be considered together and not in isolation as it is the interaction of all these points that will determine the suitability of the glove.

In the Risk Assessment it is not enough to simply state that gloves are required, the type of glove must be specified along with any other control methods used to avoid or limit contact and also any special measures that must be taken to ensure that the protection of the glove is maintained, for example specifying when gloves should be changed.

Chemical Hazard

It is impossible for one glove material to offer complete protection from all substances/chemicals. All of them are liable to damage or failure by degradation or permeation by some chemicals. In most instances where there is need for protection against accidental contact, a nitrile glove will be the best choice.

Degradation is damage caused by changes in one or more of the physical properties after contact with the chemical, signs of degradation are normally visible with indications being swelling, loss of flexibility or areas of stickiness.

Permeation is where a chemical passes through the glove material by diffusion without damaging the actual glove, this is normally expressed as the ‘breakthrough time’, this is the measure of how quickly a chemical can permeate the glove and will be specific for the particular model of the glove.

Generally the thicker the glove, the longer the breakthrough time is. The breakthrough time is the maximum time that it can be used in contact with the hazard and must be changed at that time even if the task has not been completed. Breakthrough time can also be impacted adversely if the chemicals are warmer then the ambient temperature and also are of higher concentration.

If the task involves working with chemicals classed as toxic, harmful on skin contact or capable of absorption through the skin you should always consult the material safety data sheets for the chemicals used, or a chemical resistance chart to select the most suitable type of glove.

Examples of Chemical Hazards

Area	Example of Hazard
Engineering	Metalworking fluids, oils, solvents, degreasers, adhesives, cement, etc.
Laboratory	Acids, alkalis, oils, solvents, etc.
Maintenance	Solvents, oils, paint, epoxy resins, degreasers, cements, tar, etc.
Printing	Processing chemicals, inks, plate cleaning solvents, adhesives, etc.
Catering	Dishwasher liquids, oven cleaners, surface cleaning agents, water, etc.
Agriculture	Pesticides, weed-killers, oils, solvents, etc.
Cleaning	Bleaches, cleaning agents, detergents, water, etc.
Janitorial	Cleaning agents, solvents (i.e. bleach), etc.
Office	Solvents, glues, cleaning agents, water, etc.

Whereas the thicker the material generally the more resistance the need for dexterity has to be taken into account in the selection of the glove. Also the cuff length must be taken into account; generally disposable gloves cover only a small area of the wrist, often leaving a gap between the glove and the sleeve of the protective clothing. There are longer gloves available to eliminate this.

Grip requirements also need to be taken into account, if working in wet and oily conditions gloves with a textured surface should be used.

Abrasion, puncture, tearing and snagging risks also have to be taken into account, generally disposable gloves do not offer good resistance to these hazards and therefore thicker re-usable gloves should be considered.

User requirements

Using the correct size of gloves is essential; gloves that are too small will restrict the hand and cause fatigue and rashes. Gloves that are too large are also uncomfortable, interfere with grip and can easily get snagged, a full range of sizes should be available.

Many people are allergic to latex and exposure can cause rashes, breathing problems and in very rare cases anaphylactic shock. In this case then nitrile gloves should be used.

Any cuts and abrasions on the hands should be covered with a waterproof dressing before donning the gloves.

If somebody has eczema they may need to use a cotton liner inside the gloves. Also they should use a moisturising cream after washing their hands after using the gloves.

Granite Workwear have a comprehensive range of safety gloves suitable for all uses on our website.

In a later article we will be looking at Safety Gloves for Mechanical and Other hazards.

Eye Protection a Must

Thousands of eye injuries occur every year in the UK ranging from minor, which may result in a few days off work, to major, resulting in the loss of an eye.
The use of proper eyewear, guards against flying particles, chemicals, burns and with the cost of compensation for the loss of sight in one eye averaging £100,000 and the loss of working days in lesser cases there is an obvious cost if the right equipment is not used.

However it is not just about cost; the welfare of workers should be uppermost in employers’ minds. In the case of individuals who are performing DIY or sports they should be thinking about the impact on their and their family’s lives of damaging their eyes.The Health and Safety Executive make it clear that companies have a legal duty of care to train and protect their employees and visitors against occupational risk. It is their responsibility to ensure that the proper PPE eyewear is used at all times. It used to be that only people actually involved in the use of tools or operating machinery had to wear eye protection, now anybody passing through a work area or construction site has to be protected.
Often the employees do not like to wear PPE items and in particular eyewear, as they find it restricting and uncomfortable but suppliers are conscious of this and are developing new products that are comfortable and fit properly so that maximum protection is afforded.

Particularly in the case of eyewear, fit is essential and the cost and logistics of stocking many different sizes at a company has now been addressed by the production of adjustable eyewear that fits a number of sizes and shapes of face. The eyewear is also much lighter and gives distortion free vision. There have also been big advances in non-mist and scratch resistance and many offer various levels of UV protection along with polarisation to cut glare particularly when working near water. In the past one of the reasons that people did not like to wear safety eyewear was that it looked unfashionable, this has now changed with the design of trendy and sporty looking products often following high-street fashion trends.

At Granite Workwear you will find a comprehensive range of eye protection items. Even the Peltor Maxim Air Seal which can double as goggles or the more traditional glasses but with the eye completely sealed. These come with three interchangeable ballistic lenses, smoke for high light levels, yellow for low light levels and clear.

We are finding that they are being used by a very diverse range of customers from people who are susceptible to eye infections to drivers of vintage vehicles. A bee in your eye at 70mph must be a very alarming experience!

Do You Have A Noise Problem At Work?

This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to it. As a simple guide you will probably need to do something about the noise if any of the following apply:

• Is the noise intrusive - like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant - for most of the working day?
• Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about 2 m apart for at least part of the day?
• Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day?
• Do you work in a noisy industry, eg construction, demolition; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; forging, pressing or stamping; board making; canning; foundries?
• Are there noises due to impacts (such as hammering, pneumatic impact tools etc), explosive sources such as cartridge operated tools, or guns?

Noise can also be a safety hazard at work, interfering with communication and making warnings harder to hear.

The health effects of noise at work

Noise at work can cause hearing loss that can be temporary or permanent. People often experience temporary deafness after leaving a noisy place. Although hearing recovers within a few hours, this should not be ignored. It is a sign that if you continue to be exposed to the noise your hearing could be permanently damaged. Permanent hearing damage can be caused immediately by sudden, extremely loud, explosive noises, eg from guns or cartridge-operated machines.

But hearing loss is usually gradual because of prolonged exposure to noise. It may only be when damage caused by noise over the years combines with hearing loss due to ageing that people realise how deaf they have become. Eventually everything becomes muffled and people find it difficult to catch sounds like 't', 'd' and 's', so they confuse similar words.

Hearing loss is not the only problem. People may develop tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears), a distressing condition which can lead to disturbed sleep.

Remember

By law, as an employer, you must assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to noise so that you can protect the hearing of your employees.

Where required, ensure that:

• hearing protection is provided and used such as ear defenders;
• any other controls are properly used; and
• you provide information, training and health surveillance.
  

A wide array of noise protection is now available from the simple disposable ear plug to electronic ear defenders with intercom and radio features.

At Granite Workwear we have chosen to sell the Peltor range of ear defenders. Peltor offers a huge range of ear protection supplying the military, industry, police etc.

Eyes are Irreplaceable!

Always wear eye protection when grinding, spray painting, drilling, welding, sawing, working in a dusty environment, or handling chemicals. Develop the habit of putting on safety glasses or goggles whenever you work with hand or power tools.

Several types of eye protection devices are available:

Safety glasses

Standard eyeglasses and sunglasses provide frontal protection only. If you wear glasses, make sure they have impact resistant lenses. Safety glasses have heavier lenses that can withstand more shock than ordinary lenses.

Goggles

Plastic goggles protect the eyes against front and side impact. Unvented or chemical splash goggles also offer protection against chemical vapours and liquids.

Always wear goggles when striking hardened metal tools and hardened metal surfaces. This will protect the eyes against flying metal chips.

Face Shields

Face shields protect the face against splashing, dust, and chaff. However, standard designs offer very little protection against impact.

If impact protection is needed, wear safety glasses or goggles under the face shield. Special impact-resistant shields are also available.

Always wear a helmet when arc welding!

The eyes, face, and neck need protection against the burning rays of the arc, and from the splatter of molten metal and slag. To protect vision, make sure the welding helmet has a coloured lens with at least a No. 10 shade when welding up to 200 amps. (Darker shades are needed when using higher currents. Get specialist advice)

Never strike an arc before your helmet is on. Never look at an arc from any distance with naked eyes while someone else is welding.

Remember to use eye protection when chipping slag. The slag is often still hot and breaks away as sharp pieces.

Oxyacetylene welders

The lenses in welding goggles should be a No.5 or 6 grade for welding and cutting, and a No.3 or 4 shade for brazing.

Sun protection also important

Always wear sunglasses to protect you eyes while working outdoors to prevent damage by the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Don't take your eyesight for granted!

Workwear | Safety Boots | Protective Equipment
Granite technical workwear industrial cloths