Introduction: What is Personal Protective Equipment?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a safety gear that is worn by employees to protect themselves from workplace hazards. It includes head, face, hand, and foot protection.
A PPE should be selected according to the type of hazard that an employee may encounter. For example, if a worker may come in contact with chemicals or biological hazards, they need to wear gloves and a mask respectively.
The OSHA website has compiled a list of PPEs that are necessary for various types of jobs and provides guidelines on how to select the right equipment for each job.
What are the Main Types of PPE?
PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment.
There are four main types of PPE:
1) General protective equipment – this type of PPE is used to protect workers from hazards they might encounter while they are on the job. It includes gloves, safety glasses, hard hats, and steel-toed boots.
2) Respiratory protection – this type of PPE is used to protect the respiratory system from hazardous substances. It includes respirators and other breathing devices like air purifying respirators and gas masks.
3) Eye protection – this type of PPE protects the eyes from hazardous substances. It includes safety glasses, goggles, and face shields.
4) Hearing protection – this type of PPE protects the ears from hazardous substances or loud noise levels in a workplace environment. It includes ear plugs, ear muffs, and ear plugs with muffs.
Why Do We Need to Wear PPE?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that employers provide their employees with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to ensure their safety. Without PPE, an employee would be at risk for injury, illness, or death.
The type of PPE that is required varies depending on the workplace environment. For example, in a warehouse setting where there is a risk of falling objects from above, hardhats and safety goggles are needed while in a manufacturing setting where there is a risk of being sprayed with chemicals or other substances, chemical resistant gloves and eye protection are needed.
How to Choose the Right Type of PPE For Your Needs And What’s The Material Used To Make It
Choosing the right type of PPE is crucial to our safety. The material used in making it can also be very important.
The type of PPE we wear is determined by the risk level of the environment we are working in. Some materials are more resistant to specific hazards than others. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and rubber gloves are better at protecting against solvents, while nitrile gloves provide better protection against acids and bases.
How to Properly Wear and Store Your Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an integral part of the safety culture. It is not just a set of clothes that you wear to work. It is an essential part of your protection and safety equipment while at work. PPE includes clothing with lycra fabric, such as coveralls, lab coats, gowns, or scrubs.
– Protection against chemicals and biological hazards
– Protection against radiation hazards
– Protection against ergonomic hazards
– Protection against noise hazards
– Protection against cold or heat stress
– Protection against electrical hazards
– Protection from falls or slips in wet areas
There are many reasons why you should wear PPE to work:
