How to Wear Proper PPE

Flying sparks, chemicals, falling objects and noise are all examples of hazards you may encounter at your workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends the use of engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or manage hazards at workplaces to the greatest extent possible. These approaches, however, are sometimes not feasible or do not provide adequate protection, the reason OSHA requires employers to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to their employees and ensure their proper use.

Instructions

• 1

  Realize that PPE are equipment you wear to minimize exposure to hazards you may encounter at your workplace.

• 2

  Consider the task you are performing. Are you working with chemicals that may spill? Are you operating loud equipments? Are you surrounded by machinery and objects that have the potential of falling on you? The PPE you need to wear depends on the type of hazards you are surrounded with at your workplace.

• 3

  Ask you employer to provide you with a hazard assessment of your workplace. According to OSHA, it is your employer's responsibility to orient you about physical and health hazards in you workplace and provide you with proper PPE.

• 4

  Wear safety spectacles, goggles, welding shields or face shields before performing a task that has the potential for eye or face injuries. Eye and face hazards include wood chips, metals, dirt, chemical splashes, tree limbs and harmful rays.

• 5

  Put the appropriate hard hat on your head if you are in danger of falling objects, head contact with electrical hazards or bumping your head against fixed objects. Ensure that you choose the hard hat that provides adequate protection and fits right on your head. For example, a Class C hard hat provides impact protection but does not protect against electrical hazards.

• 6

  Wear safety shoes, metatarsal guards, toe guards or leggings if you are working with heavy or sharp objects that may fall on your feet, exposed to molten metal that might splash on your feet or legs or if you are working on or around hot and slippery surfaces.

• 7

  Choose the appropriate glove to protect your hands and arms based on the type of hazards that you face in your workplace. For examples, synthetic gloves protect against heat and cold, but they don't stand up against some chemical solvents. Ensure that you wear the right material and size gloves.

• 8

  Wear protective clothing, such as lab coats, to protect your body from chemical exposure, hot splashes or temperature extremes.

• 9

  Cover your ears with earmuffs or earplugs if you are exposed to noise levels of 85 decibels or greater over an eight-hour period of time.

• 10

  Wear the appropriate respirator if your workplace exposes you to fogs, dusts, sprays, vapors, smokes, fumes or germs.