How often do you use plastic? You probably use it at least once a day. We’re even willing to bet that you use plastic dozens of times a day, even if you don’t know it. You’re probably using plastic right now to read this article. From plastic components in your cell phone to the chair you’re sitting on, you simply can’t escape plastic.
There’s no doubt that plastic products make our lives easier. They allow us to carry water when we’re on the go, and it can keep our children entertained when they’re bored. But plastic products can do much more than that – they can actually make your life safer, especially while you’re at work.
Plastic Products at the construction site
No other industry utilizes plastic products as pervasively as the construction industry. Not only do they construct buildings out of plastic materials, they use plastic materials to construct the buildings as well, and many of these items help keep them safe.
Perhaps the most recognizable piece of plastic at the construction site is the hard hat. Although these protective hats can contain a wide variety of materials like fiberglass, aluminum, and resin-impregnated textiles, most hard hats also contain thermoplastic. That’s because plastic materials are lightweight, strong, and can easily be molded.
Workplace safety at the construction site doesn’t start and end with construction hats. Construction workers are using plastic all day, every day. Plastics have replaced a lot of things, including the tools that construction workers work with. Equipment that is primarily made of plastic weighs less than other materials like metal, making them easier to handle, which in turn makes them safer to use.
At the manufacturing plant
According to First American Plastic Molding Enterprise, the plastics industry is the third-largest manufacturing industry in the United States. However, there are many other manufacturing industries as well, and every single one of them uses plastic in some way or another.
In a manufacturing plant, employees are surrounded by sharp edges and potentially deadly equipment. With the repetitive nature of manufacturing work, it is easy to lose focus, which means accidents aren’t terribly uncommon. Fortunately, serious accidents are fairly uncommon, in part thanks to plastic.
Plastic guards are often used on equipment, hats, and clothing in order to prevent serious accidents. Plastic grips are used to make sure workers have control of the equipment. Machine tools, lathes, and heavy-duty production equipment all include plastic in one way, shape, or form that’s entire purpose is to make the workplace safer.
In the hospital
Plastic is great at preventing physical injuries, but it can also make the workplace safer in other ways. This is most easily seen in the hospital.
Nurses, doctors, and other caregivers aren’t likely to get cut or suffer any other serious physical injury in the hospital, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of dangers. Instead, there are dangers that can’t be seen.
Plastics are being developed that are antimicrobial and antibacterial. These plastics can be used on door handles, tables, and other surfaces that hospital staff regularly touches, greatly reducing the possibility of illness.
The most obvious use of protective plastic in the hospital is to make needles. By using disposable plastic needles, hospital workers can reduce the risk of contagion, not only among themselves, but also among the patients they have in their care.
On the road
Not everyone spends their days in the manufacturing plant or in a medical facility. Semi truckers have always been essential to our economy, but with the popularity of shopping online, delivery drivers are more important than ever. Unfortunately, spending your days on the road can be more dangerous than it appears at first glance.
Plastic products are making time spent on the road safer because vehicles made out of innovative plastic materials make it more and more likely for you to walk away from a serious accident. Body panels, seat belts, shatter resistant headlamps, and lightweight vehicle components are making vehicles safer than they’ve ever been before. This has the added benefit of making life safer for the rest of us as well. Who doesn’t find themselves in a car, truck, or other vehicle at least a few times a week?
Offices and beyond
Sitting in a cubicle probably doesn’t sound very dangerous, and for the most part, it’s not. Especially when you compare working on the computer all day to working at a construction site. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few dangers to be aware of.
All buildings must be protected against fire, and systems primarily comprised of plastic make this possible. From the fire alarm to the spraying devices, plastic can make sure that you get out of the building quickly and safely.
That’s not all. Alarms of all kinds depend on plastic materials. For example, CO2 can be very deadly, and a simple plastic device can ensure that it doesn’t become a problem in the office, at home, and beyond.
Learn more about innovative plastic materials
Of course, plastic fasteners can make life safer too! To learn more about plastic materials, or to discover all of your plastic fastener choices, make sure you browse our website. If you have any questions, or if you’d like to place an order, give us a call. We’d be happy to help, which includes providing you with a free quote.
