GrowShield launched its cannabis-specific PPE brand, because we were inspired by our years of work in the medical PPE industry through our parent brand, APP.
Manufacturing the gear that keeps workers safe on the job has long been our company’s passion, and we’ve devoted ourselves to creating and sourcing protective products of all kinds to keep workers comfortable, healthy, and safe, while preventing job site contamination.
However, unlike the medical industry, cannabis industry professionals haven’t historically had a standard approach to PPE that prepares them to succeed in today’s fast-paced, growing marketplace.
We’ve come a long way since the days of harvesting in board shorts and Grateful Dead T-shirts, and today’s cannabis growing professionals deserve the highest standards of PPE. That’s where GrowShield comes in.
Here’s everything you need to know about finding the highest quality PPE to protect plants and keep workers happy, healthy, and safe.
PPE allows cannabis growers to work in a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment, but what gear is the most necessary for growers?
Protective clothing with two or more layers to guard against potential grow site hazards is the most essential PPE item for cannabis growers. Designed to shield workers from hazardous materials found on the job site, protective clothing keeps workers safe from dangerous particulates, splashes, and sprays.
Hazards that cannabis growers may be exposed to include chemical hazards, such as fertilizers, plant nutrients, fungicides and pesticides, carbon monoxide, and gasoline or other fuels. They also include physical hazards, such as farming and processing equipment, cleaning chemicals, and harsh outdoor conditions, as well as biological hazards, including mold exposure.
Whatever conditions cannabis workers encounter, a comprehensive PPE program is the key to keeping them safe and ensuring that your cannabis grow site remains in compliance with state and local regulations. It also ensures that your flower is contaminant free for easier and more profitable processing.
Depending on the particular demands of your job site and the needs of your employees, essential PPE for cannabis growers includes coveralls that protect your arms and legs, sleeves for additional arm protection, shoe and boot covers as well as face protection to guard against particulate matter that might be inhaled.
Skin protection gear is used during harvesting and cutting to prevent workers’ skin from being exposed to hazards such as pesticides and fertilizing chemicals, as well as THC.
Your worksite will also determine the type of PPE workers need. Outdoor grow operations need PPE that offers protection against heat stress. Indoor grow operations should be mindful of UV and heat exposure.
Skin protection keeps workers’ skin from becoming irritated by exposure to these hazards, ensuring they can work safely and effectively without their skin becoming irritated or inflamed.
The fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals your grow operation uses will have their own specific PPE guidelines, but generally, it is advised that workers use gloves, sleeves, lab coats, shoe and boot covers, and coveralls, either alone or in combination, depending on the tasks they handle throughout the day.
When working in grow operations, employees may be exposed to airborne THC, pesticides, and other agricultural chemicals that can cause irritation to the eyes and face. Some harvesting and processing operations may also produce projectiles and other flying debris that can cause a danger to workers.
In addition, workers in indoor grow operations with UV lamps need to be protected from the specific spectrum of these grow lights. Your eye and face protection in these cases should offer protection to prevent workers from damaging their vision due to prolonged exposure to UV rays.
In order to protect cannabis growers from these hazards, workers should consider using eye and face protection in the form of face shields, goggles, beard covers, and bouffants.
Not only do these forms of protective gear keep workers safe, they ensure your flower stays free of hair and other contaminants.
Even with proper ventilation and gas detection in place, respiratory protection can help reduce worker injury by minimizing exposure to agricultural chemicals, cleaning agents, mold, dust, and other airborne contaminants that exist on site.
When inhaled, these contaminants can pose a considerable danger to your workers, making respiratory protection an absolute must for all cannabis professionals.
Face masks and respirators prevent workers from inhaling potentially injurious compounds which might cause them harm. Using these forms of PPE not only protects workers on the job site, it helps you protect their long-term health and well-being for a happier, more effective workforce.
It’s always wise to consult your specific brands of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals to see what PPE they advise, as specific recommendations may vary from brand to brand.
Generally, most experts recommend a combination of masks and respirators, depending on the exact nature of the contaminants workers may be exposed to and the conditions they’ll be working in throughout the day.
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