What are the two categories Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
1. Body Protection: This category includes items that cover and protect large areas of the body from hazards. Examples of body protection PPE include:
- Coveralls: Full-body suits that cover the wearer from head to toe, providing protection against chemicals, dust, and other hazardous materials.
- Lab coats: Long coats worn over regular clothing in laboratory settings to protect against spills and chemicals.
- Aprons: Large, waterproof garments that protect the front and back of the wearer from liquids, chemicals, and other hazards.
- Safety glasses: Designed to protect the eyes from flying debris, dust, chemicals, and other hazards.
- Goggles: Similar to safety glasses but provide a wider field of vision and increased protection from splashes and vapors.
- Face shields: Clear plastic shields that protect the entire face from hazards such as flying debris, splashes, and chemicals.
- Hard hats: Helmets designed to protect the head from falling objects, bumping into stationary objects, or electrical hazards.
-Steel-toed shoes: Protective footwear that features a reinforced toe cap to protect the feet from falling objects and crushing injuries.
2. Respiratory Protection: This category includes devices that protect the wearer from inhaling hazardous substances such as dust, fumes, gases, and vapors. Examples of respiratory protection PPE include:
- Respirators: Devices that cover the nose and mouth and provide filtered or purified air for breathing. Respirators can be classified as either air-purifying or supplied-air respirators.
- Dust masks: Simple masks that cover the nose and mouth and filter out dust and larger particles. They do not provide protection against gases and vapors.
- Gas masks: Specialized respirators that provide protection against specific gases and vapors. They use cartridges or filters to remove harmful substances from the air.
-Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs): Respirators that use a battery-powered fan to circulate filtered air to the user. They provide a higher level of protection compared to dust masks and gas masks.
- Supplied-air respirators (SARs): Respirators that supply clean, breathable air to the user from a remote source such as a compressor or cylinder. They offer the highest level of respiratory protection.