Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

In any business, especially those with inherent risks, making sure your employees are safe is vital . In fact, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, you have a legal responsibility to make sure your employees are safe at work by providing the right instructions, procedures, training, and sufficient supervision.

That’s where Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) comes in. But what is PPE and why is it crucial?

What is PPE?

PPE refers to any equipment worn or used by an employee to minimise exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses. PPE plays a vital role in safeguarding your workforce, acting as a crucial barrier against potential dangers. 

But do you know which PPE is right for your industry? Are your employees using it correctly?

Free PPE checklist

To help you decide what PPE you need to introduce into your business and how to properly manage it, our Health & Safety experts have put together this FREE checklist for you to use. While the FREE checklist is great for you to use when running PPE checks, you will need to understand the following: 

The importance of PPE

Investing in PPE is more than just a regulatory requirement, it also shows that you are genuinely committed to your employees’ safety and wellbeing. When used correctly, PPE acts as a safety barrier, reducing the risk of workplace injuries and illnesses.

PPE not only reduces risk of injury, it will also improve your business’s reputation, which is great for attracting top talent  and can build trust with potential clients and partners. 

Your legal responsibilities

Understanding your legal responsibilities around PPE is vital for your business to stay compliant, and it’ll help you avoid costly penalties. Your responsibilities include regular risk assessments, providing PPE, providing training to employees and maintenance of equipment.

The types of PPE available

There are many different types of PPE that you will need to consider for your unique business. Our free PPE checklist will cover a wide variety of them already, so it is a great resource to get yourself familiar with the different options for PPE.

To help further expand on the types of PPE, here is a PPE category breakdown, from head to toe and some actual examples of them.

• Eye protection: any sort of protection that prevents injury to the eyes. Some examples of this are safety glasses, goggles and face shields.
• Hearing protection: safeguards hearing by reducing exposure to high noise levels. Some examples are earplugs and earmuffs.
• Respiratory protection: protects the lungs from inhaling dangerous or hazardous substances. This could be in the form of respirators and masks that filter out harmful dusts, fumes and gases.
• Hand protection: used to shield your hands from cuts, abrasions, chemicals, and extreme temperatures. The main example of this would be gloves made from various materials, such as leather, nitrile, latex, etc.
• Foot protection: similar to gloves, foot protection is there to shield your feet from impacts, punctures, and electrical hazards. Safety shoes and boots with reinforced toes and soles are good examples.
• Head protection: reduces the risk of potential falling objects and head impacts. Hard hats and bump caps are some examples.
• Body protection: provides a barrier against various hazards affecting the torso and limbs, including chemicals, heat, and visibility issues. Examples could be high-visibility vests, aprons and coveralls.

How to choose the correct PPE for your business

Once you’ve completed your risk assessment, you should have a good understanding of what potential hazards are present in the workplace. With this information to hand, you’ll be able to start looking into what PPE you’ll need to combat any of the potential hazards identified. 

Once you’ve decided on the PPE, you should make sure that all employees are properly trained on how to use it. It’s also important to make sure that all wearable PPE fits correctly, as ill-fitting equipment could be ineffective and your people might not use it if it’s uncomfortable. 

The risk of not having PPE in place

Without PPE, employees are at higher risk of injury. This can lead to reduced productivity and increased absenteeism – not to mention potential legal liabilities if you’re not supplying the right equipment for protection. 

You could also suffer severe reputational damage if an incident occurs and it’s found that you didn’t provide the right PPE for. Potential clients and partners could lose trust in your business if you’re showing that you’re not committed to safety. 

To download your FREE PPE checklist, simply fill out your details in the form opposite.

Need more than just PPE support?

We understand that managing your HR and Health & Safety measures can often feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. As a compliance provider, we specialise in supporting businesses across all industries with their responsibilities. 

We can help you with yours – so your employees stay safe at work and your business stays compliant. 

To speak to one of our experts, you can call us on 0161 532 6646 or you can request a callback and we’ll be in touch at a time that suits you.