Personal Protective Equipment and Health and Safety
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be worn by employees that need to be protected against risks in the workplace for their personal health and safety. The types of clothing and equipment used will depend on the specific job description and what types of equipment and processes the particular staff member will be exposed to.
Provision and maintenance of PPE:
The employer is responsible for paying for all PPE, and correct clothing (purpose and size) must be supplied to all employees. Replacement protective equipment must be readily available, and the employer is legally obliged to provide all training with regards to the proper use and maintenance of PPE.
Choosing the correct PPE:
A thorough risk assessment of all work areas needs to be performed on a regular basis. This will determine the types of PPE required, based on the specific hazards identified.
Things to consider:
- Is the PPE suitable for the risk involved? For example, one can’t wear goggles if full-face protection is required.
- Does the PPE lower the overall risk? Wearing gloves, for instance, can cause increased risk of entanglement in some cases.
- Does the PPE fit the wearer correctly? For example, people who wear glasses are limited with their use of ear and face protection.
- What are the demands that will be placed on the PPE? How long will it need to be worn, what strain will it take, and are there visibility requirements?
- Is all the PPE that needs to be worn by one person compatible? For example, can earmuffs and face protection be worn together if necessary?
- Can the risk be controlled to protect everyone in the work area (such as a machine guard) instead of just clothing for one person?
- Does the PPE restrict the wearer (limited mobility and/or visibility), and is this restriction less hazardous than the risk it is meant to protect against?
What does PPE include?
- Clothing such as overalls, high visibility vests, life jackets and padded suits. Each employee must have their own set in the correct size.
- Respiratory protective equipment, including masks. Tasks that usually require this form of PPE include welding, areas with lots of dust, and work zones that include chemical hazards.
- Eye and face protection, for example safety glasses and face shields. This is to protect against splashing of harmful liquids, flying debris, lasers, and gases.
- Head protection with safety helmets. These include hard hats for falling materials, bump caps, and caps/hair nets to protect against entanglement.
- Hearing protective devices such as earplugs and earmuffs.
- When working at high levels, fall arrest harnesses.
- Skin protection (gloves and fire-resistant clothing)
- Protective footwear (safety boots and rubber boots with steel toe guards). These are usually required in tasks such as construction, chemical handling, demolition, building repair, anywhere there is a risk of heavy falling objects, or extreme hot or cold environments.
- Sun and heat protection when working outdoors (hats, sunscreen, shaded rest areas)
- Disposable protective clothing for working with chemical and bio-hazards.
- Hand and arm protection. In addition to gloves, wrist cuffs and armlets may be required (as an example, for protection when cutting glass)
Training on the use of PPE
Whenever PPE is provided, the respective employees need to be fully trained on the use of the equipment, as well as on the risks it is intended to safeguard against. Refresher training may be necessary and this is determined by regular risk assessments.
Training needs to include the following:
- The particular hazards present and why the PPE is required
- How the PPE operates as well as its limitations
- How to correctly store all PPE
- The testing requirements before the equipment is used
- Hygiene and cleaning procedures
- Factors that will have an impact on the performance of the PPE (such as damage)
- Manufacturer’s recommended replacement periods and shelf lives
- Recognising, reporting and repairing defects
It is important to remember that the correct use of PPE is highly dependent on the particular work environment involved, as well as the person wearing it. There is no “one size fits all” approach, and time and care must be taken to ensure that each item if fully compliant with the relevant sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Comments (9)
Afternoon All A question that's been with me for a while Most PPE life period is about 12-18 months if you look after it But my question today is if the employer request that you return your defective PPE to be issued with new PPE if that is correct in an environmental point of view or can it be due to control measures Do you see any problem with this or do you think the employee must keep old defective PPE My problem is that i wont know if the Employee will use it somewhere else and maybe gets injured Please let me know Regards
2020-08-27 14:31:04Hi. We are in the metal fabrication industry. We manufacture and install handrails and balustrading for the building industry. Does the company have to provide overalls for the staff? All other PPE is provided.
2022-01-25 17:07:14Dear sirs, We take this opportunity to introduce our company which is one of the leading manufacturer-cum-exporters of fine quality all sorts of LEATHER INDUSTRIAL SAFETY GARMENTS & GLOVES. Our major products are as follows. SAFETY PRODUCTS LIST: LEATHER DRIVER GLOVES, LEATHER WORKING GLOVES, LEATHER WELDER GLOVES, RIGGER CANADIAN GLOVE, ANTI VIBRATION GLOVES, CUT RESISTANT, DOUBLE PALM GLOVES, GARDENING GLOVE AND MECHANICS GLOVES AS WELL AS MANY OTHER ALLIED LEATHER PRODUCT ACCESSORIES SUCH AS LEATHER WELDER JACKETS, PANTS, APRON, SLEEVES AND SPATS in Cowhide, Sheepskin, Goatskin, Buffalo and Split Leather. We are selling our products in world wide market since 1990 with good reputation. Please visit Our web site www.contirbuteindustry.com and select articles of your interest so that we may quote you our best reasonable prices for your perusal and send you samples for your further evaluation. Looking forward to hear from you soon. Best Regards. Zohaib
2020-09-11 07:36:58This is simply because welding arcs are more dangerous, and overexposure to its powerful UV rays can peel off your skin or cause a severe skin burn. Therefore, to avoid this, you should always wear a welding jacket during welding for adequate protection.
2022-08-28 06:07:20The best welding shirts is a hazardous activity to do. You do not just deal with harmful fumes and gases from welded materials, but you subject yourself to the likely injury by sparks and heat from the welding machine. Every welder needs to focus on protective gear when performing any welding task. To consider safety as a welder.
2022-09-03 05:46:27A hard hat is a type of helmet that is primarily used in work environments including construction and industrial sites, to protect the head of the wearer from injuries. These injuries occur when falling objects land on the head of the user, flying objects hit the user’s head; the user falls on their heads onto a dangerous or hard object or even gets electrified. So, do you know how often should hard hats be inspected?
2022-09-06 05:56:16Hi All, Please can someone let me know how a company dispose of worn out/ used PPE?
2023-11-23 09:19:39Dear sirs, We take this opportunity to introduce our company which is one of the leading manufacturer-cum-exporters of fine quality all sorts of LEATHER INDUSTRIAL SAFETY GARMENTS & GLOVES. Our major products are as follows. SAFETY PRODUCTS LIST: LEATHER DRIVER GLOVES, LEATHER WORKING GLOVES, LEATHER WELDER GLOVES, RIGGER CANADIAN GLOVE, ANTI VIBRATION GLOVES, CUT RESISTANT, DOUBLE PALM GLOVES, GARDENING GLOVE AND MECHANICS GLOVES AS WELL AS MANY OTHER ALLIED LEATHER PRODUCT ACCESSORIES SUCH AS LEATHER WELDER JACKETS, PANTS, APRON, SLEEVES AND SPATS in Cowhide, Sheepskin, Goatskin, Buffalo and Split Leather. We are selling our products in world wide market since 1990 with good reputation. Please visit Our web site www.contirbuteindustry.com and select articles of your interest so that we may quote you our best reasonable prices for your perusal and send you samples for your further evaluation. Looking forward to hear from you soon. Best Regards. Zohaib Contribute industry Sublime Chowk Malkey Kalan Sialkot - Pakistan. 51310 PH: 0092-52-3254554 E-mail: info@contributeindustry.com E-mail: zohaib@contributeindustry.com Homepage: www.contributeindustry.com
2020-02-11 08:15:43Do you want to protect yourself from head injuries and spillage on the worksite and want to know how to wear a hard hat correctly? If yes, then keep reading, as this article will help you know about the correct way to wear a hard hat. Hard hats are an essential tool for people working on construction sites, laborers, and road makers.
2022-10-13 10:49:18