With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, news articles everywhere began talking about the need for PPE for medical professionals, first responders, and the general public. With the national narrative focused on PPE in regards as protection from the coronavirus, you might think it is only applicable in healthcare situations.
However, PPE is actually essential equipment for any occupation where the right gear reduces or prevents the risk of illness or injury.
What does PPE stand for?
So, what does PPE stand for? PPE is an acronym for personal protective equipment.
What is personal protective equipment?
PPE is any equipment that protects the wearer.
Defined by OSHA as “equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses,” we can see that PPE really covers a broad range of things, including equipment capable of protecting against physical, radiological, chemical, electrical, mechanical, and other workplace hazards.
A hi-viz vest is protective equipment for those working in a road crew, as well as earplugs for baggage handlers at airports, while cut-resistant gloves and facemasks protect those in meat-packing facilities.
What is PPE in the hierarchy of controls?
The hierarchy of controls are the steps taken to make a workplace as safe as possible.
Generally, the most effective control is the removal of a hazard from the workplace, followed by replacing hazards with a safer alternative, isolating the hazard from employees, using engineering controls such as covers or railing to reduce injury risk, administrative controls (training and safety procedures, and finally, PPE. After all other controls are implemented, personal protective equipment is the last line of defense.
Types of PPE
- Body protection includes flame-resistant clothing, hi-vis vests, and clothing that protects against toxic chemicals, insect bites, radiation, and biomedical spills.
- Face and eye protection include safety glasses, safety goggles, facemasks, and welding face shields.
- Fall protection includes lanyards and harnesses designed to prevent injuries caused by same-level or multilevel falls.
- Foot and leg protection includes knee pads and safety boots.
- Hand protection focuses on safety gloves designed to protect against cuts, crushing injuries, puncture wounds, burns, electrical shock, and exposure to a wide range of chemical or biological substances.
- Head protection includes hardhats, wide-brimmed hats to protect against sun exposure, and neck gaiters.
- Hearing protection includes earmuffs and earplugs that prevent permanent ear damage caused by exposure to loud noise.
- Respiratory protection includes medical masks, N95 respirators, full-face respirators, gas masks, and self-contained breathing apparatus.
What is PPE in construction like?
Requirements for PPE vary depending on the nature of the workplace. The protective equipment needed for office work is much less complicated than what is needed on a construction site. On any particular site you might find personal protective equipment including some combination of:
- safety gloves,
- hardhats,
- safety boots,
- fall harnesses and belts,
- high-visibility vests,
- safety glasses
- welding masks,
- Ear-protection headsets,
- heavy-duty rubber gloves,
- insulated gloves and sleeves for electrical work.
It is the responsibility of the employer to provide appropriate PPE and training for employees working in potentially hazardous situations. The equipment must be kept in good condition, periodically inspected for damage and repaired or replaced as necessary.
Employers and employees alike must ensure that PPE fits properly — an ill-fitting piece of PPE will not accurately protect against hazards, and may even make injury worse (safety goggles that are not properly fitted, for instance, could result in caustic chemicals leaking into the goggles and getting trapped between the goggles and eyes).
Once trained in the correct use of PPE, it is the employees’ responsibility to wear all relevant equipment.
Triple Crown Products provides a wide range of PPE, all of which can be customized with your brand logo. If you're unsure of which equipment best suits your workforce, contact us and we’ll help you choose the style and model you need.