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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPE is equipment that will protect the user against
health or safety risks at work. It can include items
such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, high-
visibility clothing, safety footwear and safety
harnesses. It also includes respiratory protective
equipment (RPE).

Personal protective equipment should be used in
addition to other controls and only as a last resort as
there are many limitations associated with its use; for
example, it does not provide collective control Worker Wearing PPE
measures, nor does it fail to safety.

For instance, hearing protection only protects the employee wearing the protection and if
removed the noise has the potential to cause hearing damage. It is far better to replace the
equipment with less noisy equipment than rely on the hearing protection.

Even where engineering controls and safe systems of work have been applied, some hazards
might remain. These include injuries to:

• the lungs, e.g. from breathing in contaminated air
• the head and feet, e.g. from falling materials
• the eyes, e.g. from flying particles or splashes of corrosive liquids
• the skin, e.g. from contact with corrosive materials
• the body, e.g. from extremes of heat or cold.

It is important to determine the limitations of PPE before its use.

Benefits and Limitations of Personal Protective Equipment are summarised below:

Benefits Limitations
• Portable • PPE may not provide adequate protection
• Low cost because of poor selection, poor fit,
• Protects the wearer incompatibility with other PPE, misuse of PPE
• Interim control measures until difficult or non-use of PPE.
controls are implemented. • It protects only the wearers not others who
are nearby.
• Relies on the behaviour of the people
wearing the equipment always.
• PPE may bring in new hazard for instance
impaired vision, unable to hear emergency
alarms, wearing for long time causes fatigue.
• It only reduces the injury rather than
preventing it.
• If fails to danger, does not provide 100%
protection.

POSHE V2| Unit IG1 – Element 3 – Managing Risks – Understanding People and Processes 37