PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) refers to wearable devices and clothing designed to protect workers from workplace hazards when engineering and administrative controls are insufficient.
What Is PPE?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) includes items such as hard hats, safety glasses, high-visibility vests, steel-toed boots, hearing protection, respirators and chemical-resistant gloves. PPE sits at the bottom of the Hierarchy of Controls - it is the last line of defence after elimination, substitution, engineering controls and administrative controls have been considered.
Types of PPE by Hazard
- Head: Hard hats, bump caps
- Eyes & face: Safety glasses, goggles, face shields
- Hearing: Earplugs, earmuffs (see Audiometric Testing)
- Respiratory: N95 masks, half-face respirators, SCBAs (see Fit Testing)
- Hands: Cut-resistant, chemical-resistant, thermal gloves
- Body: High-vis vests, fire-resistant clothing, coveralls
- Feet: Steel-toed boots, metatarsal guards
- Fall protection: Harnesses, lanyards (see Fall Arrest)
Employer Duties
Under Canadian OHS legislation, employers must provide appropriate PPE at no cost, ensure proper fit, train workers on correct use and limitations and inspect/replace PPE on a defined schedule.
Digital PPE Tracking
Make Safety Easy tracks PPE issuance, inspection dates and replacement schedules digitally, ensuring no worker is left unprotected and every inspection is documented.