Personal Protective Equipment, also known as PPE, is used to protect people from hazards in potentially dangerous situations. PPE products include protective clothing, fall arrest equipment, goggles, helmets, gloves and many other items that could contribute to worker safety.

PPE safety should be your last line of defence. The best place to start is to eliminate hazards completely in order to ensure that worker health and wellbeing is protected. This entails eliminating the need to work at heights or come into contact with dangerous substances, among other things. When the need arises to work on a roof, it is often possible to surround the entire working area with guard rails. Doing this would render the entire platform a safe area, thus eliminating the need for a fall arrest system. The same applies to working with dangerous substances. If all hazardous chemicals are contained at all times, the personnel working with these chemicals will be out of harm’s way and would probably not need goggles or protective clothing.

Often, however, eliminating the risk is not possible. At times, for instance, it is necessary for construction or maintenance teams to access areas that are not safe to work in. Here, personal fall protection equipment, or fall arrest PPE would be needed. This would include a harness, lanyard, helmet and temporary anchor points at least, but probably also goggles, gloves, protective clothing and safety boots. If PPE falling protection isn’t in place, workers run the very real risk of serious injury or death.

Personal protective equipment used in isolation is also not the answer. Personnel should be trained in the proper use of PPE, especially where personal fall protection equipment is used. Without the proper training, PPE safety guidelines would not be sufficiently adhered to and personnel would still be at risk of injury.