Exactly What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Personal protective equipment includes all clothing and accessories designed to create a barrier against workplace hazards. The basic element of any personal protective equipment management program should be an in-depth evaluation of the equipment needed to protect against the hazards at the workplace.

Much of the personal protective equipment (PPE) information in this chapter is framed in general terms and is intended to complement relevant regulations and manufacturers' requirements. For more specific information, refer to the OSHA standards cited earlier.

In some instances the standards refer to specifications by:

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
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and

• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
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Many methods of reinforcing the use of personal protective equipment have been employed. Regardless of the method, the employee should understand at the outset that his or her life may well depend upon the use of the equipment.

Using personal protective equipment requires hazard awareness and training on the part of the user. Employees must be aware that the equipment does not eliminate the hazard. If the equipment fails, exposure will occur. To reduce the possibility of failure, equipment must be properly fitted and maintained in a clean and serviceable condition.

Selection of the proper piece of personal protective equipment for the job is important. Employers and employees must understand the equipment's purpose and its limitations. The equipment must not be altered or removed even though an employee may find it uncomfortable. (Sometimes equipment may be uncomfortable simply because it does not fit properly.) Work procedures should be instituted making it a violation (resulting in termination) to modify or refuse to wear the equipment.

Develop a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Program

Management dedicated to the safety and health of employees should use that evaluation to set a standard operating procedure for personnel, then train those employees to use, maintain, and clean the equipment to protect themselves against those hazards.

A written PPE program should be established for the workplace. The two basic objectives of any PPE program should be to protect the wearer from safety and health hazards, and to prevent injury to the wearer from incorrect use and/or malfunction of the PPE.

To accomplish these goals, a comprehensive PPE program should include:

• Hazard assessment of the workplace,
• Medical monitoring,
• Environmental surveillance,
• Selection, use, maintenance, and decontamination of PPE, and
• Employee training.

Program Review and Evaluation

Your PPE program should be reviewed at least annually. Elements which should be considered in the review include:

• The number of person-hours that workers wear various protective ensembles,
• Accidents and illness experience,
• Levels of exposure,
• Adequacy of equipment selection,
• Adequacy of the operational guidelines,
• Adequacy and effectiveness of training and fitting elements,
• Coordination with overall safety and health program,
• The adequacy of program records,
• Program costs, and
• Recommendation for program improvement and modification.

The results of the program evaluation should be made available to employees and presented to top management so that program adaptations may be implemented.

Hazards of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

While personal protective equipment is part of the job in some industries—face shields for welding—as a rule, it is considered a last-resort, temporary type of protection. For normal operations, first choice will always be given to eliminating the hazard in the environment rather than using PPE. This is called implementing engineering controls.

No single combination of protective equipment and clothing is capable of protecting against all hazards. Thus, PPE should be used in conjunction with other protective methods. The use of PPE can itself create significant worker hazards, such as heat stress, physical and psychological stress, and impaired vision, mobility, and communication.

In general, the greater the level of PPE protection, the greater are the associated risks. For any given situation, equipment and clothing should be selected that provide an adequate level of protection. Overprotection as well as under-protection can be hazardous and should be avoided.

Using PPE improperly or in a manner unsuited to its design and purpose is worse than using no protection at all. Without any protection, the worker knows he is vulnerable and perhaps, takes precautions. With some protection, the worker may rashly blunder into severe difficulty, thinking he is safe.