Types of Personal Protective equipment

Personal protective equipment is special equipment that you wear to create a barrier between you and hazards. This barrier reduces the chance of injuries, inhaling dust or chemical vapours and fumes and spreading germs. Employees must wear PPE as described in their workplace guidelines,

Employees are not in compliance with the wearing of PPE as necessary that management forces them to wear. Otherwise, they will not understand the objective to use them. To prevent workers from wearing faulty PPE, tell them how to spot deficiencies. For example, cracked helmets need to be replaced.

What is PPE?

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes anything that someone can wear or put on to mitigate the threats that workplace hazards pose to health and safety for:

Last Resort - No other control measures to mitigate risks,

Backup measure - PPE complements other more effective control measures

Depending on the tasks and environment, workers should wear the following PPEs:

Boots

Gloves

Earplugs

Respirators

Safety harness

High visibility clothing

Helmets,

Hand protection - Gloves:

Gloves are designed for many types of workplace hazards. In general, gloves fall into four groups:

Leather Gloves

Fabric and coated fabric gloves;

Chemical and liquid-resistant gloves;

Insulating rubber gloves

Eye Protection -Safety Glass:

Devices must comply with ANSI Z87.1-1989. They are spectacles, goggles, welding helmets, welding shields and face shields. Each class protects against different risks

Foot Protection – Safety Shoe:

Devices must comply with ANSI Z41 - 1991 (American National Standard Institute for Personal Protection-Protective Footwear), Footwear protect from hazards are:

Chain saws

Electric shocks

Electric conductivity

Impact on the metatarsal

Sole perforation

Static discharges

Impact on the toes

Head Protection – Safety Helmet:

Devices must comply with ANSI Standard Z89.1-1986 (American National Standard Institute for Personal Protection-Protective Hard hat), In general, protective helmets or hard hats should do the following:

Resist penetration by objects.

Absorb the shock of a blow.

Be water-resistant and slow burning.

Hard hats are divided into three classes:

According to OSHA

Class A hard hats provide impact and penetration resistance and voltage protection (up to 2,200 volts).

Class B hard hats provide the protection from impact and the highest level of protection against electrical hazards, (up to 20,000 volt).

Class C hard hats provide lightweight comfort and impact protection but no level of protection against electrical hazards.

Ear Protection -

Ear-Muff or Earplug: This equipment used for Noise reduction rating 22 dB to 33 dB. Devices must comply with ANSI S-3.19. Where sound level is 85 dB, must be used hearing protective equipment.

For more details about Noise visit: Noise effects and control

Permissible Noise Exposures
Duration per day, in hours	Sound level in dB*
8	90
6	92
4	95
3	97
2	100
1	105
1/2	110
1/4 or less	115

Safety Harness:

A safety harness or full body harness used in work at height. it is designed to distribute the impact force.

Devices must comply with ANSIP Z359.1 - 2020.

To know more details visit: work at height hazards and control

How do I inspect and choose the right PPE for the job?

Selecting the correct PPE for the job is another task that is the responsibility of your employer and is based on a variety of factors. For example, OSHA mandates that the selection of PPE must follow the results of the workplace assessment. Specifically, employers must identify and analyze hazards in the workplace that may require the use of PPE.

Is PPE important?

It considers that 8.1% of fatal injuries on the job in the US are caused by being struck by an object, more importantly, 8.2% of the fatalities were due to electrocution. In many cases, the damage could be less with the right PPE, such as helmets and gloves.

OSHA standard

OSHA Standards that Require PPE, 29 CFR 1910, General Industry

1910.132 General requirements (personal protective equipment)

1910.133 Eye and face protection

1910.135 Occupational foot protection

1910.136 Occupational foot protection

1910.137 Electrical protective devices

1910.138 Hand protection

1910.139 Respiratory protection for M. tuberculosis

1910.95 Occupational noise exposure

1910.134 Respiratory protection

1926.96 Occupational foot protection