Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Overview
Personal protective equipment, commonly known as PPE equipment, is equipment worn to minimize the exposure to critical workplace illnesses and injuries. Normally, these illnesses and injuries may result from radiological, chemical, physical, electrical, or other hazards, which may occur at workplaces. Personal protective equipment includes:
– Eye protection such as face shields, goggles, and glasses
– Hearing protection such as ear muffs and ear plugs
– Respiratory protection such as SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), airline respirators, and filter respirators
– Foot protection such as rubber gumboots, safety boots, and shoes.
– Head protection, which are broad-brimmed hats, hard hats, and helmets
– Body protection, which include gloves, high visibility clothing, aprons, and overalls
– Any substance designed to protect an individual’s health, for instance, sunscreen
When selecting this “Safety clothing” to minimize the risk to safety and health, the employer or the business must ensure that the personal protective equipment is:
a) Appropriate for any hazard associated with the work and the nature of the work
b) A desirable size, fit and relatively comfortable to the person putting it on
c) Repaired, replaced or maintained to make the safety clothing continue minimizing the risk to the employee or worker
d) Worn or properly used by the worker
Ensuring Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment
All PPE equipment should be of safe construction and design, and need to be maintained in a reliable and clean environment. Additionally, the safety clothing should encourage worker use by fitting well and being comfortable to use. Personal protective equipment may make a difference between being dangerously exposed or safely covered if it does not fit properly. It is necessary that employers provide PPE to their workers as well as ensure equipment’s proper use. In addition, employers or business needs to train each worker designed to use PPE, and this is imperative since it helps them know the following:
· When the PPE is necessary
· The kind of PPE necessary
· How to put on the safety clothing, adjust or take off properly
· The drawbacks of the equipment
· Proper care, useful life, maintenance and the disposal of the equipment
· Choosing Personal Protective Equipment
Businesses and employers are required to consult with their respective workers when choosing the appropriate PPE. They should also:
· Evaluate the performance and the risk of requirements for the PPE
· Review the equipment’s compatibility in cases where multiple personal protective equipment is required
· Consult with the Protective clothing supplier before purchasing, to ensure it is suitable for workplace conditions and the recommended nature of work.
· Ensure that the personal protective equipment complies with the Australian Standard or equivalent standard before acquiring it to the employees or the workers.
A program should be implemented if PPE is to be used. This program should comprehensively discuss the selection and maintenance of PPE, the training of employees, the hazard present, use of PPE and monitoring the PPE program to make sure of its ongoing effectiveness.
Summary
Among the business entities, that supply personal protective equipment is Promotional FX. This business entity is specialized in exceptional quality wear that includes the women and men’s safety wear, custom embroidery, as well as protective and industrial clothing. This company, which supports Australian made products, also deals with in-house embroidery hence it is able to customize your work wear with your branding and logo at an extremely lower price considering that it is an in-house service. Moreover, the personal protective equipment it supplies complies with the Australian Standards hence highly recommended.
