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PPE or Personal Protective Equipment is safety equipment that will protect you from health and safety risks. PPE is the easiest and most important method of staying safe on site.
You should PPE use when you are putting yourself in a position in which an activity could be a hazard. Only use PPE if there is no other way of getting a job done without it (if other controls aren’t an option). Sometimes PPE is a compulsory requirement, e.g. hard hat when on-site; in these cases, your employer should supply it free of charge. You need to be able to select the correct PPE for the correct job to ensure you have sufficient protection, so select carefully.
PPE comes in a range of different types including, respiratory, eye, hearing, head and more. Take a look below at the different types of PPE, their limitations and when you should wear them.
Eye and face protection protects your face from any possible splash, projectile, vapour or radiation that could damage your eyes. An example would be when using a saw or drill where dust and flying particles could shoot up into your eyes.
To protect your eyes from things such as debris, dust or other airborne particles opt for safety goggles. Safety goggles shield your eyes to protect both the front and side of your face. Safety goggles also act as a barrier against chemical splashes or harmful liquids that cause eye irritation or damage.
However, safety goggles do not protect the rest of the face. If you’re working with radiation or bright light it is best to wear filter lens goggles.
For full face and neck protection, use a face shield. You can use face shields as a secondary precaution over the top of safety goggles; this way you can ensure utmost protection from chemical splashes.
You must always make sure you wear appropriate hand protection when you are exposed to potential hazards. If you are likely to encounter anything that could potentially: cut, lacerate, burn, puncture or harmfully absorb into your skin you must protect yourself.
Depending on your task you need to select the PPE accordingly; if you immerse your hand in a substance for a long time just a glove will not suffice. You may also need to select gloves with a cuff, protective sleeves and gauntlets to protect enough of your body.
Wearing gloves for extended amounts of time can lead to skin problems; try to use separate cotton inner gloves to prohibit this. When you are using machinery keep your hands exposed; avoid wearing gloves because you can get them caught in the machine. Also, barrier creams are not deemed as a reliable alternative to PPE.
You can use body protection for a range of purposes; you may need it to protect your skin from a contaminated substance, avoid impact or protect yourself from heat. Keep your loose clothing away from machinery as it may get caught; wear disposable overalls, aprons or boiler suits in those situations.
Body protection doesn’t necessarily refer to the material of your clothing (e.g. flame retardant, high visibility or chemically impermeable). Body protection may refer to safety harnesses or life jackets, so make sure the type of body protection is properly considered before conducting a dangerous task.
Our Safety Harnesses Training Course covers the PPE for working at heights to correctly use and adjust safety harnesses.
RPE is a particular type of PPE that protects you from the inhalation of hazardous substances. Dust, gases, vapours and oxygen-deficient areas can all be harmful to the chest and lungs. That is why tight-fitting respirators are crucial to keeping you safe. To ensure that you or your employees have sufficient protection it is advised that you receive Face Fit testing.
Individuals can become competent in delivering Face Fit Testing themselves by attending a Face Fit Testing Workshop course.
Hearing protection is important when being exposed to loud noise as it can be harmful to your ears. Ensure you wear earmuffs, earplugs or canal caps before working in situations with a high sound level (over 85 decibels). Assess your choice of PPE correctly to get the right balance of noise reduction and communication with others.
It may seem obvious but it is important; you must wear a helmet or hard hat if you are in an area in which you are at risk of impact from falling objects. You can also use helmets to protect yourself from harmful splashes. Check that your chosen head PPE will fit with the rest of your eye and hearing protection.
For more information visit – http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/ppe.htm
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