What is PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

What PPE stands for

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE is equipment that will protect the user against health and safety risks at work. They are meant to protect (parts of) your body during dangerous work activities.

PPE symbols

There are many PPE symbols in use on signage around work areas to indicate required PPE. We’ve all probably seen the sign requiring you to wear safety boots or a hard hat.

It’s important for both employer and employees that the indicated use of PPE is clear and accurate. An employer is responsible for adhering to PPE regulations and for the direct safety of his or her employees as we will discuss later.

To clearly signal to use of PPE the symbols below are used, for example:

• If the work area is very loud, the employees need to wear ear protection.
• When clean hands and good hygiene are of the utmost importance, then use cleaning & washroom signs.

What is PPE in health and safety

Both employer and employees have a responsibility to adhere to all laws and regulations concerning the registration, use and maintenance of equipment. PPE in health and safety refers to these responsibilities as well as the actual pieces of equipment.

So, PPE in health and safety covers a lot of ground, and it’s not just a matter of putting the helmet on your head. That’s is simply the end result of a proper PPE policy. Once an employer acquires or introduces new PPE requirements a number of key issues are to be addressed:

• maintain a a complete history of each item
• perform and register periodic inspections of PPE
• make sure employees have the right PPE for the job
• make sure employees have accurate information on how to use each item
• ensure that PPE on site is certified and ready for use

Often, one or more of the above issues are neglected or underappreciated. This is largely accidental and is the result of the lack of workflows or administrative tools that help properly address these issues. Failing to address these issues can at best result in higher operating costs and at worst an increased risk to employees’ health and safety.

Wrapping up

The correct management of PPE is more than simply buying the required items. Each organization also has a responsibility to register and maintain each item of PPE with the greatest care.

To help organizations meet regulatory demands and to help protect employee’s safety, we’ve developed Syndustry Equipment. Our platform allows you to quickly register, inspect and mobilise equipment as well as offer employees a knowledge base on how to correctly use their PPE.