Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Provision of PPE
The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a small but significant role in helping to keep employees safe from possible risk that they may face during their employment. Where it is not practicable to avoid the presence of a hazard, and employees need PPE, employers provide appropriate PPE to employees to ensure that no one suffers a head, eye, foot, hand injury or hearing, respiratory or skin damage for particular workplaces.
It is an employee's legislative duty of care to use or wear the appropriate PPE or protective clothing provided by the employer.
PPE supplied to employees can include: safety boots, safety glasses, hearing protection (where required), high visibility vests, gloves and sunscreen protection and broad rimmed hats. Additional PPE can also be made available as required, such as hard hats for those going to respiratory protection/breathing equipment or mine sites.
Sub-contractors are generally responsible for providing their own PPE to their personnel.
Use of PPE
Managers or supervisors should ensure that sufficient instruction is provided to ensure correct wearing of PPE.
Induction Training – General information about PPE is part of the OHS induction for new employees.
Job Training – of new employees for their specific jobs should cover hazards and risks identified and include instruction in the use of PPE required by the job including:
- Correct selection, use and wearing of PPE; comfort and fit requirements;
- Limitations in use and effectiveness and maintenance and replacement procedures.
PPE must be in good condition, not modified and used correctly (in accordance with manufacturer's specification). Employees are expected to actively assist management in ensuring that all PPE is stored and maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications.
Damaged or faulty PPE should be replaced.
Signs
To assist all employees, management should post appropriate signage in various work locations, indicating the appropriate personal protective equipment to be worn
Foot protection – Protective footwear can prevent sharp objects form penetrating and injuring the foot, protections from knocks against items. Protective footwear can range from steel capped safety boots to closed in footwear.
High visibility vests - assist in reducing accidents in heavy traffic areas.
Eye protection – Safety glasses provide protection from protruding or flying objects. Eye protections must be worn for certain jobs involving grinding and drilling. Mechanics, welders, boilermakers and maintenance workers need to wear safety goggles, or face shield depending on the Standard operating procedures and MSDS.
Hearing protection – earplugs or earmuffs must be worn where a standard operating procedures or a hazard analysis indicates hearing damage could occur.
Hand protection - Protective gloves are useful to prevent cuts where sharp tools are used or when handling rough objects. Appropriate types of gloves should be provided accordingly.
Safety helmets – protective headwear is standard protection against injury from falling objects. Protective Safety helmets are highly recommended on building and construction sites higher than one level, underground work, mining and quarrying with similar hazards.
Note: The use of PPE (and administrative controls) is the lowest in the order of priority of the Hierarchy of Controls to minimise exposure to risks associated with workplace hazards. It should not be relied on as the primary means of risk control until the options higher in the list of control priorities have been exhausted. PPE controls may be used in conjunction with other controls where the risk of exposure is high.
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