Last week we introduced you to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which is specialized clothing or equipment worn for protection against health and safety hazards. PPE is designed to protect many parts of the body, i.e., eyes, head, face, hands, feet, and ears. Following are a few more details regarding PPE.

PPE review.

Employers must evaluate their work situations and determine the best action to protect their workers through engineering controls, then administrative controls, and lastly PPE. Employees must be trained to properly use, care for, inspect and maintain their PPE. Some PPE requires fitting to ensure that the worker is properly protected. Know the difference between what is disposable and what is reusable. Ensure that employees
know how to obtain PPE, and what is required when working. Workers must understand that when using PPE, the hazard still exists, and if the PPE fails, the employee is exposed.

What are the basic requirements of PPE?

At SSOE, for example, the basic PPE required for all employees is a hard hat, safety glasses, and safety boots always. Cut resistant gloves and hearing protection are required to be with the employee at all times and worn when there is a possible exposure. For those workers on construction projects, a high visibility vest or shirt is required, and is also highly recommended to be worn on all projects and sites. SSOE has programs for prescription safety glasses and safety boots for our employees, provided at no cost to the
employees. Workers must also know their projects / client’s PPE requirements before going to the site in order to be prepared for any situation.

PPE in your workplace. 

Are you aware of your company’s written policy that supports a comprehensive PPE program? Please be sure to consult with your manager for more details on your company’s policy, and regular trainings specific to PPE.

Types of PPE. 

Safety Glasses, Goggles, & Face Shields:
Whether you are grinding sheet metal, welding, cutting grass, or snowboarding,
every job or task requires different levels of eye protection. Always protect your eyes
from flying particles.

Hearing Protection:
Construction sites, rock concerts, hunting, and auto racing are just a few activities where we must use good judgment to protect our hearing.

Hard Hats:
Be sure to check your hard hat before each use and replace it if damaged or after any hard impact, even if it does not appear to be damaged.

Shoes and Work Boots:
At SSOE, protective footwear must be all leather with no mesh or cloth, at least 4 inches tall and over the ankle, hard sole, Safety toe of either composite or steel and slip resistant.

Clothing:
Never wear loose clothing around machinery and be sure that any vests have breakaway Velcro. High visibility vests or shirts are required on construction sites at SSOE and highly
recommended on all projects.

Gloves:
Hand protection can take on many options depending on the exposure, so be sure to
select and use the right glove. SSOE requires cut resistant gloves any time your hands are touching something while on a project or site.

Lastly, Safety always is ALWAYS!!