Understanding PPE - What You Need To Know

Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, is more than just a buzzword left over from the pandemic, it’s a fundamental line of defense in any workplace safety plan - why? Because, for workers across a range of industries, including everything from construction and healthcare to manufacturing and hospitality, PPE can mean the difference between a minor incident and a serious injury. 

What exactly is PPE, and why is understanding its proper use so important? This quick guide will explore the purpose of PPE, the different types available, and the essential considerations for selecting and maintaining the right gear for your specific industry.

What Is PPE?

PPE is clothing and equipment designed to minimise exposure to workplace hazards that can cause a person injury or illness. These hazards can be anything, including chemical, physical, electrical, mechanical, and even biohazards. Why is PPE important? Because it effectively serves as the final barrier when other safety measures are not feasible or don’t provide sufficient protection.

The use of PPE is not just an afterthought, it’s often a legal requirement governed by regulatory bodies such as WorkSafe New Zealand. These regulations provide mandates that employers provide suitable PPE to their employees while also ensuring they are trained on its proper use, maintenance, and any potential limitations.

Why Is PPE Important?

To truly appreciate the role of PPE, it’s important to understand its place within the safety system used to minimise or eliminate exposure to hazards. This list or hierarchy of safety controls is ranked from the most effective control measures to the least effective. The fact that PPE is at the bottom of this hierarchy doesn’t diminish its importance. Instead, it highlights it as an essential final layer of protection that should be used in conjunction with other controls (not as a replacement for them).

• Elimination. Physically removing the hazard (the most desirable outcome). For example, removing a dangerous chemical from the workplace.
• Substitution. Replacing the hazard with a safer alternative is the second priority. For example, using water-based paint instead of solvent-based paint.
• External Controls. The next best solution is effectively isolating people from the hazard. For example, installing mechanical ventilation systems to remove airborne contaminants.
• Administrative Controls. This one works by changing or modifying the way people complete their work. This includes things like implementing safety procedures, training, and job rotation to limit exposure time.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). And last but not least is the use of protective clothing and gear to offer some form of additional protection for workers. Although the least effective control measure in the list, PPE is useful when other controls are not possible/sufficient.

Types Of PPE And Industry-Specific Applications

PPE is definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution, the type of gear needed depends heavily on the specific hazards of any given job. Here’s a quick look at the main categories of PPE and their relevance across various industries.

Head Protection PPE

In its simplest form, head protection usually means a hard hat. The industrial sector, construction industry, and forestry and manufacturing sectors are everyday users of hard hats to protect against falling objects and bumping your head on sharp surfaces. Another common form of workplace headwear is hairnets, which are designed to protect wearers from getting their hair caught in machinery. 

Eye And Face Protection PPE

Generally speaking, this one includes safety glasses, goggles, face shields, and more job-specific hardware like welding helmets. These items are designed to protect the wearer against flying particles, splash-back, chemical exposure, and extreme light or heat. Understandably, protecting the eyes is extremely important, so eye and face protection PPE is designed to reduce the likelihood of eye or facial injuries or the degeneration in eyesight in many different industries, including manufacturing and engineering, healthcare, welding and carpentry, plus many more!

Hearing Protection PPE

Hearing protection is essential for repeated noise exposure, which in its extreme can lead to permanent hearing loss. Earmuffs and earplugs are common examples of hearing PPE, along with noise-insulating and noise-absorption products. You will commonly find hearing protection aids in the construction, manufacturing, mining and aviation industries.

Respiratory Protection PPE

Designed to protect the user from inhaling hazardous substances like dust, fumes, gases, vapours, and viruses and bacteria, respiratory PPE can range from simple dust masks to full-face respirators with air-purifying cartridges. The most prominent form of respiratory PPE is the face mask, which was used extensively during the pandemic but is also commonly used in the medical sector, painting and decorating, manufacturing and agriculture.

Hand Protection PPE

Generally speaking this one is most likely some sort of gloves. There are various types of hand PPE gloves that are designed to protect hands from cuts/abrasions, chemical burns, electrical hazards, and extreme temperatures. The materials the gloves are made from are what determines the type of protection they offer. For example, heavy-duty gloves protect against cuts and scrapes from rough materials in industries like construction, disposable gloves are essential for preventing the spread of germs and protecting against biological hazards in the medical profession and insulated gloves provide protection against heat or chemicals in the manufacturing fields.

Foot Protection PPE

Foot protection PPE is safety focussed footwear, such as steel-toed safety boots that serve a specific purpose to protect the feet from falling objects, punctures, electrical shocks, and slips. Heat resistant legwear, footwear with additional cushioning, and footwear with extra grip on the sole to reduce slipping are also good examples. Foot PPE is particularly prevalent in the construction and industrial manufacturing industries, warehousing and logistics, and also in food processing businesses.

Body Protection PPE

This category extends to a wide range of items such as safety vests, aprons, lab coats, and overalls. Body protection PPE is designed to protect against chemicals, heat, radiation, sharp objects, and the impact of poor visibility. Some common examples might be insulated or heat resistant clothing, high visibility clothing (commonly seen in construction, the railways, road and traffic workers), or skin coverage clothing designed to protect from the unintentional absorption of chemicals or biological contaminants such as those often worn in laboratories, or hospitals etc.

Applying PPE In Practice

Let’s consider a few real-world examples to see how PPE works in practice.

Construction - A construction worker on a busy build site needs a hard hat for protection from falling objects, safety glasses for flying debris, hearing protection for noisy machinery, high-vis clothing for visibility, and steel-toed boots for foot protection. For specific tasks like welding, they will need a welding helmet and gloves. 

Healthcare - A nurse or doctor working in an emergency room will use disposable gloves for handling patients, a gown or apron for protecting clothing from spills, a face shield or goggles for eye and face protection, with each piece of PPE a targeted response to a specific type of hazard.

A Chef - A professional kitchen has its own set of specific hazards, a chef’s PPE would include slip-resistant shoes to prevent falls on wet floors, cut-resistant gloves for knife work, and maybe even a flame-retardant apron for working with open flames or hot surfaces.

Developing A Workplace PPE Policy

Simply providing PPE to your staff is not enough, you will need to develop a comprehensive and effective PPE program that covers all of the following:
Hazard Identification. Before any PPE is selected, a thorough assessment of the workplace must be conducted to identify and assess all potential hazards. This helps determine what types of PPE are necessary.

• What Kind Of PPE Is Needed. Based on the hazard assessment, the right type of PPE must be chosen. This involves considering the specific task, the level of protection required, the fit, comfort, and durability of the equipment.
• How To Wear The PPE. All employees must receive training on how to properly use, adjust, wear, and remove their PPE. They must also understand the limitations of the equipment and how to recognise signs of wear and tear.
• How To Care For/Store PPE. A clear system for the cleaning, storage, and maintenance of PPE is essential. This ensures the equipment remains effective and hygienic. Damaged or worn-out PPE must be replaced immediately.
• Understanding PPE Limitations. Understanding the limitations of the PPE you have chosen and communicating this to staff as well as clearly determining the useful life of the PPE is also an important step.
• Continual Monitoring. The PPE workplace program should be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure its continued effectiveness. This includes checking for compliance, gathering feedback from workers, and updating the program as new hazards or technologies emerge.

How To Select The Right PPE For Your Business

Selecting the right PPE for the job is an important step in your PPE Policy. Here are our 5 top tips to help ensure you source the best PPE for your business. 

1. Comfort Matters. Uncomfortable or poorly fitted PPE is likely to be worn in the correct manner or provide adequate protection. 
2. Get Expert Advice. If unsure of your needs or what to buy, get in touch with an occupational health and safety expert. 
3. Shop Around. Work with trusted local workwear suppliers who have experienced staff that understand the rigours and requirements of various industries. 
4. Stick With Quality Over Cost. Better quality products will likely always last longer and also provide a better and safer fit.
5. Keep It Inclusive. If necessary, you may need to accommodate all genders, sizes and ages, so be flexible.

The Future Of PPE

Much like many of the technological advances of late, the world of PPE is constantly evolving. Advances in material science and technology are leading to more effective, comfortable, and intelligent safety gear. 

Wearable technology is one area where there is room for improvement, it is being integrated into PPE in various areas. For example, hard hats with built-in sensors that can detect impacts and provide alerts, or safety vests with GPS trackers to enable immediate worker location if needed in an emergency.

New textiles and composites are also making protective clothing lighter, more breathable, and more durable. Innovations in sustainability have also meant there is a strong movement towards developing single-use PPE made from biodegradable materials. So, in the future, it is reasonable to assume we can expect more and more from our PPE and its capabilities.

We hope you have learned why Personal Protective Equipment is an indispensable element for any and all workplace safety strategies. Remember, safety is a shared responsibility, and the proper use of PPE is a commitment to ensuring that every worker can go home safely at the end of the day! Looking for reliable PPE for the workplace? Take a quick look through Tradestaff Workwear range.