St. Paul, Minn. – Don’t put your neck on the line without protecting what’s above it. That’s the advice from workplace safety advocate Ergodyne as they announced their latest salvo in the battle against the so-called “above-the-shoulders” injuries threatening millions of workers annually—including brain trauma, eye injuries, and the approximately 22 million U.S. workers currently exposed to hazardous occupational noise each year.
“Hearing damage is particularly insidious,” said Tim Gallant, the product director charged with leading the St. Paul, MN-based work gear manufacturer’s latest offering of personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Workers get acclimated to it (noise), and it does its damage over time,” said Gallant.
Ergodyne’s Hard Hat Mounted Earmuffs are the work safety leader’s first foray into hearing protection and are part of a suite of new solutions aimed at protecting the eyes, ears and brains of a worksite:
Eye and Face Protection
- Skullerz® DELLENGER Safety Glasses
Feature adjustable temples that shift up or down and lock into place for a custom fit on a variety of face sizes. - Skullerz® MODI OTG Anti-Scratch & Anti-Fog Safety Goggles
Feature a comfortable soft molded gasket and oversized, wrap-around lens that can be worn over prescription glasses. - Skullerz® ARKYN Anti-Scratch & Anti-Fog Safety Goggles
Feature a comfortable soft molded gasket that creates a customized fit to seal out dust, debris and liquid splashes. - Skullerz® Face Shields
Available in mesh or anti-scratch/anti-fog clear and smoke shields to protect against flying debris, splashes and particles.
All the above solutions (except for the mesh face shield) are available with Ergodyne’s new Fog-Off+™ Enhanced Anti-Fog and Anti-Scratch Technology, promising improved scratch resistance and anti-fog performance vs. the work safety brand’s original Fog-Off technology.
The BLS reported 15,730 eye injuries involving days away from work in 2020—this despite the fact that eye protection is required on may worksites.
“If you’re not accounting for those real-world situations resulting in non-compliance—things like fogging, fit, durability or compatibility with prescription lenses—you’re going to see a lot of eye protection resting on foreheads,” said Gallant. “Our new eye and face protection is keenly attuned to pain points communicated directly to us by the workforce. Workers helped us build this gear so we’re confident it’ll get used.”
Hearing Protection
- Skullerz® 8880 Hard Hat Mounted Earmuffs
Comfortable padded and foam-filled design, tested to a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 26dB to reduce noise levels.
OSHA mandates that any workplace averaging 85dB for an eight-hour average exposure, must put in place an effective hearing conservation program. (On construction sites it’s a 90dB threshold.)
Head Protection
- Skullerz® Face Shields and Hearing Protection are designed to integrate with Ergodyne’s expanding line of safety helmets and hard hats.
From 2003 to 2010, 2,210 construction workers died because of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), representing 25% of all construction fatalities and 24% of all occupational TBI fatalities during the same period according to the CDC. Ergodyne is one of the few North American head protection manufacturers currently offering a safety helmet to protect against non-linear impacts. Despite being known to result in TBIs, non-linear impacts are not accounted for in safety standards testing for hard hats and safety helmets.
“As it happens, the most valuable assets of the workforce—eyes, ears and brain—are also some of the most vulnerable,” said Tom Votel, President & CEO, Ergodyne. “This launch expands our capabilities for protecting the all-important command center of the worker.”
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