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A short guide to PPE at work

A short guide to PPE at work
Employers need to fulfill certain regulations and standards set by OSHA. Employers also must encourage their employees to undertake certain safety training courses such as the online OSHA 40 hour hazwoper training programs.

PPE is generally defined as any and all equipment which is intended to be held or worn by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his safety or health, for example, gloves,safety helmets, eye protection, high visibility clothing, safety harnesses and safety footwear.

Primarily, PPE must be supplied to and used by those employees whenever and wherever there are risks to safety and health that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways.

However, prior to using PPE one must:

Properly assess the PPE to ensure it is suitable.


Make sure the PPE is maintained and stored properly.


Provide employees with adequate instructions on how to use it safely and correctly.

It is very important to note that an employer of an organization can most definitely not ask for money from an employee for PPE, whether it is or is not returnable.

Furthermore, an employer must, at all costs, choose the most efficient and best quality PPE. However, PPE must be chosen, only after carefully considering the different types of hazards present at the work site. It is here that the supplier can be asked, as to which is the most appropriate type of PPE equipment.

This in turn, brings to light the different types of PPE equipment
depending upon the hazard. Some of them are mentioned below:


Eye Hazards: These may be caused due to chemical or metal splash, dust, projectiles etc. Some PPE options are safety spectacles and goggles.


Head hazards: These may be caused by an impact from falling or flying objects. Some PPE options are helmets and bump caps.


Breathing hazards: These may be caused by dust, vapor, gas etc. Some PPE options are disposable filtering face piece or respirator.


Protecting the body hazards: These may be caused by temperature extremes, adverse weather, chemicals etc. Some PPE options are conventional or disposable overalls, boiler suits.


Hands and arms hazards: These may be caused by abrasion, temperature extremes, cuts and punctures etc. Some PPE options are gloves, gauntlets, mitts.


Feet and legs hazards: These may be caused by falling objects, metal and chemical splashes etc. Some PPE options are safety boots and shoes with protective toe caps.


But, unfortunately all this information will be worthless, if the employees are not provided with proper safety training. This is where the hazwoper 40 hour training courses come into play.

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