PPE is one of the most visible parts of workplace safety. Hard hats, gloves, goggles, hearing protection and respirators are easy to see during a site walk. What is less visible is whether the equipment was selected properly, fits the worker, is still in good condition and is being used in the way the manufacturer intended. The difference between issuing PPE and ensuring effective use matters. Issuing PPE is not the end of the control process. If workers do not understand when the equipment is needed, how to fit it, what it can and cannot protect against, or when it should be replaced, the protection may be much lower than everyone assumes. PPE Comes After Better Controls Have Been Considered HSE guidance places PPE at the lower end of the hierarchy of controls. Employers should first consider whether a hazard can be eliminated, substituted, isolated or otherwise controlled. PPE is used where risk remains and personal protection is still needed. PPE is especially dependent on human beh...
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