Personal Protective

Equipment

Personal Protective Equipment

Definition: Devices used to protect an
employee from injury or illness resulting
from contact with chemical , biological,
physical, electrical, mechanical, or other
workplace hazards.
The need for PPE and the type of PPE used
is based on hazard present.
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Personal Protective Equipment

PPE is used as a last resort
The use of PPE signifies that the hazard
could not be controlled by other methods,
such as:
administrative controls (i.e., shift rotation)
engineering or industrial hygiene controls

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Engineering Controls

Design (remove hazard from process)

Substitution (of less hazardous materials)
Process modification (how and where)
Isolate the process or the worker
Wet methods for dust reduction
Local exhaust ventilation (at source)
Dilution ventilation (area)
Good housekeeping
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So, what is it???

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Personal Protective Equipment

Head protection
Eye and Face protection
Hearing protection
Respiratory protection
Arm and Hand protection
Foot and Leg protection
Protective clothing
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Head Protection

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Hard Hats work by dissipating force

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Eye Protection

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Eye Protection
Common Uses:
Impact Protection
Chemical Hazards
Radiation Protection

welders goggles
laser goggles
UV
Infrared

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Eye Protection - Selection

Visitor specs are only appropriate for nonemployees with no true exposure to hazards
Safety glasses are used to protect the eyes
from flying objects (no face protection)
Chemical splash goggles protect against fluids
by sealing tightly against the face
Face shields provide highest level of
protection
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Face Shield - the highest level of

face protection

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Hearing Protection

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Hearing Protection Basics

Noise induced hearing loss can occur with
exposures >90 dBA
A hearing conservation program becomes a
requirement at exposures >85dBA
Higher levels of noise exposure have
shorter allowable exposure times

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Noise levels versus Duration

Sound Level (dBA)
90
92
95
100
105
110
115
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Exposure (hours)
8
6
4
2
1
0.5
0.25
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Hearing Protection
Rule of Thumb - if you cannot carry on a
conversation in a normal tone of voice with
someone at arms length, you are likely near
90dBA
All hearing protection devices should have
a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) = # of
decibels they will reduce noise levels.
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Hearing Protection - Types

Ear Plugs - less expensive, disposable, good
ones have fairly high NRRs - sometimes
difficult to tell if employees are wearing them
Ear Muffs - more expensive, more durable,
typically higher NRRs than plugs, more
obvious
Can be used together in very high noise areas
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Arm and Hand Protection

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Gloves - Typical Uses

Chemical protection
Biohazard protection
Abrasion protection
Friction protection
Protection from extremes of heat and cold

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Gloves
No glove is good against all hazards; consult
laboratory safety link on EHS web page for glove
selection chart
Gloves have a finite lifespan and must be
periodically replaced
When donning gloves, examine them for signs of
tears, cracks, holes and dry rot
Hands should always be washed after removing
gloves
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Handwashing and gloves

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Foot and Leg Protection

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Protective Footwear
Steel-toed footwear, preferably with
metatarsal guards, is used to protect feet
from crushing injuries caused by heavy
objects
Rubber boots are often used to protect feet
from exposure to liquids.

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Other Protective Clothing

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Other Protective Clothing

Used to protect street clothes from hazards
in the workplace
Often hazard specific
To be considered effective, protective
clothing must prevent the contaminant from
reaching the clothing or skin of the wearer!

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Respiratory Protection

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Respiratory Protection
Protects users by removing harmful
materials that may enter the body via the
lungs
Inhalation is one of the quickest, most
efficient ways to introduce lethal levels of
hazardous materials into the body

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