What Are The Basic Types Of Personal Protective Equipment?

By Author: niha
Total Articles: 96
Comment this article

Personal protective equipment, usually mentioned as "PPE", it is an equipment worn to minimize exposure to dangers that cause serious workplace damages and diseases. These injuries and diseases may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, and other workplace hazards. Personal protective equipment may contain items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests and full body suits.
Personal Protective Equipment role in decreasing exposure of workers to hazards, including hazards of processes, environment hazards or any other type of physical, chemical or biological hazards, which can cause workplace injuries and illnesses. The personal protective equipment training is taking into consideration the convenience of attendees and to raise their confidence at workplaces. This will satisfy the training needs of individuals seeking basic knowledge of PPE and its need for workplace safety.
Basic types of Personal Protective Equipment:
However, even the strictest controls will not essentially eliminate all the risks associated ...
... with most work tasks and this is where the necessity for PPE must be estimated. A hazard assessment can help recognize which specialized PPE will be essential. There are many types of workplace safety equipment available depending on the risk exposure and work conditions. The following are basic PPE that can help to protect employees:
Face and Eye Protection: PPE contains safety goggles and face shields and it should be used for tasks that can cause eye damage or loss of vision, sprays of toxic liquids, splashes, and burns.
• Confirm that there are no cracks or deformities on the lenses.
• Confirm the strap is in good working condition and is firmly closed to the cheek and forehead.
• Clean and disinfect after use.
Respiratory Protection: PPE contains full-face respirators, self-sufficient breathing apparatus, gas masks, N95 respirators, and surgical masks are used for a task that can cause breath of harmful materials to enter the body. This contains harmful gas, chemicals, large-particle droplets, sprays, splashes, or splatter that may contain viruses and bacteria.
• Confirm that the equipment is fit-tested and the employee has suffered proper training before wearing one.
• Sensibly read the instructions to determine if it is designed to help protect against the hazards may face.
• Change filters on half-mask or full-mask respirators commonly.
• Change disposable respirators with every use.
• Surgical masks are not to be shared with anyone.
• Stop touching the surgical mask after wearing it.
• Change surgical mask timely and should be disposed of after use.
• Replace the mask instantly if it is damaged or soiled.
Skin and Body Protection: PPE contains the following categories to protect employees from physical risks:
Head Protection - It contains hard hats and headgears and should be essential for tasks that can cause any force or object falling to the head.
• Confirm that there are no dents on the shell and connections are tightened inside.
• Do not store in sunlight as extreme heat can cause damage.
• Choose proper cleaning agents as it can weaken the shells of hard hats and may eliminate electrical resistance.
• Always change a hard hat if it was used for any kind of impact, even if the damage is invisible.
Body Protection - It contains safety vests and suits that can be used for tasks that can cause body damages from extreme temperatures, flames and sparks, toxic chemicals, insect bites and radiation.
• Confirm that it is clean and free from cuts and burns.
• Always get a good fit to confirm full body protection.
• Ensure bodysuit is heat-resistant clothing when working with high-temperature risks.
Hands Protection – It contains safety gloves and should be used for work that can cause hand and skin burns, absorption of harmful substances, cuts, fractures.
• Confirm hand protection fits perfectly with no spaces and it is free from cuts, burns and chemical residue.
• Always change them if any sign of contamination was observed.
• Use rubber gloves when working with heat and electricity to decrease the risk of burn or electrical shock.
Foot Protection – It contains knee pads and safety boots and should be used for tasks that can cause serious foot and leg damages from falling objects, hot substances, electrical dangers, and slippery surfaces.
• Confirm boots have slip-resistant soles that can protect against compression and impact.
• Confirm the sole plate is in good condition to prevent punctures.
Fall Protection – It contains safety harnesses and lanyards and should be strictly used for works that can cause falling from heights and serious injury or death.
• Confirm that the straps are free from tears, deformities and burn marks.
• Check the buckles if connected tightly.
• Destroy of the equipment if used after a falling incident.
Hearing Protection: PPE contains ear muffs and plugs and it should be used for works that can cause hearing problems and loss of hearing.
• Confirm the equipment fit the ear canal perfectly.
• It is suggested to use formable earplugs to fit on different sizes of ear canals.
• Use protectors that decrease noise to an acceptable level to have a room for communication.
• Confirm earplugs are clean and in good condition.