Types of Personal Protective Equipment

Certain work environments and many dangerous avocations require the use of specialized personal protective equipment (PPE). Local and state safety laws plus employers' insurance rules mandate that PPEs be used for specific work activities or employees risk incurring potential financial penalties or loss of employment.

Eye and Face Protection

• Safety glasses are worn in areas where eyes can be harmed by splashes or airborne irritants. They must conform to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Standard Z87.1-1989. When safety glasses are insufficient, goggles or face shields are used. For activities like welding, glass blowing or oxygen cutting, welder's glasses or darkened viewing shields safeguard the eyes against "welders flash," ultraviolet-B light (UV-B) and other areas of the light spectrum that are normally not encountered.

Respiratory Protection

• Respirators protect against breathing in irritants, toxic fumes or other airborne contaminants. Special filters for specific contaminants are used, and respirators must be worn correctly to ensure a tight seal over the nose and mouth.

Hearing Protection

• Many work environments generate varying ranges of frequencies that can be harmful to the ears. In-the-ear plugs and many external ear muffs are specially manufactured to screen out specific destructive frequencies. In particularly dangerous environments, ear protection may be integral to hard hats or helmets.

Head Protection

• Helmets are used wherever head injuries are likely to occur due to potentially falling objects or crammed environments. They are also manufactured with attached face shields and clip-on ear muffs for added protection.

Hand Protection

• To protect against chemical spills, toxic liquids, lacerations or extreme temperatures, different types of gloves, work mittens and barrier creams are available. Depending on the type of hand protection used, some will be reusable while others are disposable.

Foot Protection

• In industrial and warehouse environments where heavy or sharp objects may fall, workers wear shoes or boots with steel toes. They protect the feet where regular street shoes cannot. In sterile workplaces like hospitals and laboratories, workers wear disposable "booties" that slip over their shoes to protect against the transfer of infectious agents to areas outside of their work.

Body Protection

• When liquids, dust, toxic gases or radioactive materials are released, employees must wear appropriate body protection. This can be cotton lab coats, vinyl or rubber aprons and sleeves or full ventilation body suits.