Personal Protective Equipment Basics

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the gear you wear to put a barrier between your body and a hazard. It does not remove the hazard, so it only works if it is the right item, it fits, it is in good shape, and you wear it the whole time you are exposed. That is why PPE is the last line of defense, used after the hazard has been removed or controlled as far as possible.

What You Will Be Able to Do

• Say who decides what PPE a job needs and who pays for it.
• Match head, eye, hearing, hand, foot and high-visibility protection to the hazard.
• Fit and inspect each item, and know when to take it out of service.
• Estimate how much protection hearing protectors really give.

Who Decides and Who Pays

OSHA requires employers to assess the workplace for hazards, choose PPE that fits those hazards, and train you before you use it. You should learn when the PPE is needed, what kind, how to put it on and take it off, what it cannot do, and how to care for it. The rules are in 29 CFR 1910 Subpart I for general industry and 1926 Subpart E for construction.

In most cases the employer must provide required PPE and pay for it. The main exceptions are non-specialty safety-toe boots and non-specialty prescription safety glasses that you are allowed to wear off the job, everyday clothing, and ordinary weather gear. Some states and union agreements go further, so the local rule can be better than the federal one.

PPE must also fit. OSHA says so directly for general industry, and since January 2025 the construction standard says it too. A harness, glove or respirator sized for someone else is not protection. If yours does not fit, ask for one that does.

Head Protection

Wear a hard hat wherever something can fall on you, you can bump into a fixed object, or you could contact an electrical conductor. Hard hats follow ANSI/ISEA Z89.1, which rates them two ways.

A bump cap is not a hard hat. It protects against scrapes on low pipes and ducts, not falling objects.

Check the shell for cracks, dents, gouges and chalky, faded plastic. Check the suspension for frayed straps and broken clips. The suspension must keep the shell off your head. Replace the hat after any serious hit, even if it looks fine. Follow the manufacturer's service life, which is printed in the hat with the date of manufacture. Do not drill it, paint it or store it in a rear window, because heat, sunlight and solvents weaken the shell.

Eye and Face Protection

Eye protection follows ANSI/ISEA Z87.1. Look for the Z87 mark on the frame and lens. Z87+ means the item passed the high-impact test. Your everyday prescription glasses are not safety glasses unless they carry the mark.

Warning: A face shield alone does not protect your eyes. Particles and splashes come in under it. Always wear safety glasses or goggles underneath.

Replace lenses that are pitted or scratched enough to blur your view. Clean them with lens cleaner, not your shirt. Filter shades vary by process and amperage, so use the chart for the work in front of you and never guess.

Hearing Protection

Noise damage is permanent and painless, so you can lose hearing without noticing. Under 29 CFR 1910.95, employers must run a hearing conservation program and make hearing protectors available once the 8-hour average reaches 85 decibels (dBA). At an average of 90 dBA, the employer must use engineering or administrative controls where feasible, and hearing protection becomes mandatory. A quick field test: if you have to raise your voice to talk to someone about 3 feet away, the noise is probably at or above 85 dBA.

Earplugs and earmuffs carry a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), but the lab number overstates what you get in real use. OSHA's technical manual gives a way to estimate the protection against a dBA reading: subtract 7 from the NRR, then divide by 2.

Worked example: A shop reads 100 dBA and you have plugs rated NRR 29.

1. 29 - 7 = 22
2. 22 / 2 = 11 dB of real protection
3. 100 - 11 = about 89 dBA at your ear

Foam plugs only work when inserted right. Roll the plug into a thin cylinder, reach over your head and pull your ear up and back, slide the plug in, and hold it for a few seconds while it expands. For earmuffs, keep hair and thick glasses arms out from under the seal, because any gap leaks noise. In extreme noise you can wear both.

Hand Protection

No one glove does everything. Choose by the hazard.

Chemical resistance depends on the exact chemical. A glove that holds up against one solvent can fail within minutes against another. Check the Safety Data Sheet or the glove maker's chart, and look at breakthrough time.

Warning: Do not wear gloves near rotating parts such as drill presses and lathes unless the procedure says to. A glove can catch and pull your hand in. The same goes for loose sleeves, jewelry and long hair.

Replace gloves with holes, tears, stiffness, swelling or a change in color.

Foot Protection

Protective footwear follows ASTM F2413. The label inside the boot tells you what it was tested for.

Steel and composite toes can meet the same rating, so the material is a matter of weight, comfort and metal detectors. Electrical protection comes from the EH rating, not from the toe material, and wear or wet soles can defeat it. Slip resistance is a separate feature and matters on wet, oily or greasy floors. Replace boots when the sole is worn smooth, the toe cap shows through, or a nail has gone through the sole.

High-Visibility Clothing

Wear high-visibility clothing wherever vehicles or equipment move near you. ANSI/ISEA 107 sorts garments by how much bright background and reflective material they carry.

The speed figures are common guidance. Your contract, state transportation department or employer may set a stricter class. Replace gear that is faded, dirty or torn, because it is no longer doing its job.

Daily Inspection and Care

1. Look over each item before you put it on.
2. Tag anything damaged and turn it in. Do not repair it yourself.
3. Clean it the way the maker says, since harsh solvents can weaken plastic and fabric.
4. Store it out of the sun and away from chemicals.
5. Treat anything that stopped a hit as used up.

Common Mistakes

• Wearing PPE that fits badly. A loose hard hat falls off when you bend over, and it will be off at the wrong moment.
• Trusting the gear too much. PPE is not a reason to skip a guard or stand closer to a hazard.
• Grabbing whatever glove is nearby. The wrong chemical glove can hold the chemical against your skin.
• Skipping eye protection for a quick job. Most eye injuries happen during short tasks when people did not bother.

Check Your Understanding

1. You bring your own steel-toe boots and wear them home every day. Your employer also requires a metatarsal guard for your station. Who pays for each?

The ordinary boots are usually yours, because they are non-specialty footwear you can wear off site. The metatarsal guard is specialty protection, so the employer pays.

2. A meter shows 96 dBA and your earmuffs are rated NRR 25. About what level reaches your ear?

(25 - 7) / 2 = 9. So 96 - 9 is about 87 dBA.

3. You are pouring a corrosive cleaner into a tank. A coworker hands you a face shield and says that is all you need. Is it?

No. Wear splash goggles under the shield. The shield alone leaves gaps for a splash to reach your eyes.

4. Your hard hat took a hard hit from a dropped wrench, and you see no crack. What do you do?

Take it out of service and get a new one. Damage may not show, and a shell that has absorbed a hit may not protect you from the next one.

Key Takeaways

• PPE is the last line of defense. It never makes a hazard go away.
• Employers assess the hazards, provide the required PPE and train you, with narrow exceptions on who pays.
• Fit matters as much as rating. If it does not fit, it does not protect.
• Read the markings: Z87, Type and Class on hard hats, F2413 codes, cut levels and NRR.
• Inspect before each use and take damaged gear out of service.