I’m a firm believer in free enterprise and believe that “over-regulation” of any industry can and will stifle growth, innovation and job creation.  However, as we have seen in recent years no regulation or extremely limited oversight can have disastrous results for consumers.  There must be a balance.  Market forces should be allowed to work and flourish while at the same time there must be protections and oversight in place to keep entities (including manufacturers) from taking dangerous “short-cuts” to drive profits and to keep predators completely out of the market.

The safety PPE market regulation comes in the form of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).  OSHA was created to help protect workers from workplace hazards, by establishing and enforcing workplace safety and health requirements.  OSHA requires employers to provide their employees with a safe workplace and appropriate protective equipment.  A point of confusion sometimes is that while OSHA may mandate the use of a product that meets a certain standard, OSHA does not write any standards or certify any products.

So what is a Standard and why do we need them (specifically in our safety industry)?  In simple terms standards create the “norm” or “what’s expected”.  Standards establish compatibility, suitability and levels of performance.  They put credibility and a certain level of trust behind the products that are manufactured to specific industry standards.

At MCR Safety we are strong supporters of PPE product standards and believe they are vital to assure workers are well protected from the many diverse hazards that may be present in the workplace.  We are a member of ISEA (International Safety Equipment Association).  ISEA is a recognized leader in the development of safety standards in the U.S. and around the world.  The association also works with Congress and government agencies to educate and influence policy makers on the importance of safety regulations and oversight in the workplace as well as the necessity of standards and their enforcement.  For more than 75 years ISEA has worked with its member company’s to promote the standardization of safety equipment.  MCR Safety is an active participant on all product group committees within ISEA for our core product lines.

When you or your fellow coworkers put on a pair of safety glasses you should want to know they meet a standard that has been developed by experts, tested to the rigors of the workplace and is consistently enforced.  This same level of confidence should apply whether you are wearing a respirator, garment or pair of gloves.  There is no room to “short cut” and no place for predators when it comes to protecting life and limb at the workplace!

One way people like to celebrate the New Year is to shoot fireworks. This can be a fun and exciting event. This can also be a dangerous and deadly event. Did you know that sparklers could burn as hot as 1200 degrees?  The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has some great tips for fireworks safety.  The video shows some radical explosions and a great testimony of what can happen when you play with fireworks.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Have a happy and SAFE New Year’s holiday!

MCR Safety’s Innovations Technology Center (ITC) works as an internal Research & Development (R&D) facility dedicated to improving the quality and integrity of our products. Important data is collected from our products, competitor products and products in development to help provide better quality to the customer as per their requirements, needs and expectations. ITC is able to run multiple tests on the quality of our gloves making it easier for the customer to choose which one suits his or her needs the best.  These gloves are categorized from the lowest to the highest quality based on the different performance aspects of the material. Through ITC we see opportunities through the testing data and analyzing the results in order to provide the best information to the customer. ITC performs testing operations based on ANSI/ISEA and CE standards. ITC also develops its own internal test procedures to do comparisons between the materials and obtain the results based on the best possible data and analysis.

Capabilities for the testing of gloves include abrasion, cut, tear, puncture, tensile, and dexterity. String knit manufacturing equipment is also an available resource for experimenting with new innovative yarn combinations.  Glasses and face shields are subjected to ANSI high velocity impact testing.  Garments can be tested for laundering capabilities for durability of fabric materials and reflective coatings. The goal of our ITC lab is to utilize these technical resources to assure performance of our safety gear as well as contribute to innovative product development.

We believe in the numbers we obtain from rigorous testing, ITC helps to give the shape to those numbers to produce the best quality product in the market.

Special thanks to Terry Bell, Vipin Myneni, and Josh Murrell for their input on this article.