Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is equipment worn to minimize exposure of personnel to hazardous situations. It includes gear, clothing, and devices designed to protect the wearer from injury or disease. PPE can be anything ranging anywhere from gloves up into space suits, depending on their protection against different types of hazards.
Personal protective equipment is a necessity for many jobs. If you are looking to increase your safety on the job, here are some steps that will help you pick out personal protective equipment.
1: Determine what kind of workplace environment you work in.
2: Evaluate risks and hazards at your workplace. What kinds of hazards do you encounter? Do these hazards have different levels of severity?
3: Get educated about OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard if applicable to your industry or workplace situation.
4: Review the OSHA Personal Protective Equipment Standards to determine which type(s) of PPE may be appropriate for protection against specific hazards at your workplace environment, as well as any requirements related to fit and use.
5: Consider if you can use PPE that your company already owns or if it will be necessary to procure new equipment.
6: Determine appropriate PPE selection from the options available to you.
