Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes a wide range of equipment and safety gear to protect oneself from harmful external stimuli. It includes equipment such as safety helmets, safety earmuffs, face shields, safety glasses, and so on When working in or passing through a hazardous environment, wearing the correct safety gear is vital. Moreover, the PPE used should be strong, sturdy, and of good quality.
Types of PPE and Their Uses
There are different types of safety equipment that are geared towards protecting one during specific situations and environments. And here are the most common types of PPE:
Hearing Protection: One must always use some form of hearing protection when exposed to dangerous noise levels. And the most popular types of hearing protection gear include safety earmuffs and earplugs. As such, earmuffs cover the entire ear and are very effective in blocking out loud noises. Earplugs, on the other hand, are smaller in size and are inserted directly into the ear canal. Both these types of PPE effectively prevent hearing loss and damage to one’s ears that arises out of exposure to loud noises.
Eye Protection: Eye protection includes different types of safety glasses as well as eye and face shields. And one should wear these during any scenario where there is even a slight risk of hazardous particles or liquids reaching and damaging one’s eyes. Likewise, activities like welding or construction commonly require the use of good quality safety eyewear.
Respiratory Protection: Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is the most common PPE used in recent times due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, besides possible exposure to the virus, one should also wear the correct RPE when working in an industrial environment that is likely to be contaminated or hazardous. And, face masks like surgical masks as well as N95 masks are the most popular types of RPE used.
Other Types of PPE
There are several other kinds of safety gear that are required to protect individual body parts, such as helmets for protecting one’s head during construction or riding a motorcycle, plastic or rubber gloves for protecting arms and hands from chemicals and construction equipment, safety boots required during construction work, as well as harnesses and high visibility clothes to protect one’s body.
Wearing good quality gear should be of the utmost importance in a hostile working environment. And since it is generally used in hazardous environments, the safety equipment needs to be extremely sturdy and durable. Meanwhile, another important factor that is often overlooked while using any PPE is comfort. Since one is generally required to wear the equipment for a long duration, it must be comfortable. For instance, safety earmuffs need to not only be effective in blocking out loud noises but should also be light in weight and padded to ensure maximum comfort.
It is always important that one checks and does thorough research on the nature of the hazardous work or environment that one will be exposed to in advance so that the right safety gear can be worn. This is essential since there is a tendency for individuals to downplay the importance of safety and precautions. Very often, people take their health and the absence of injuries for granted. But even one small mistake can have heavy repercussions. Therefore, individuals should check the safety standards that are required and ensure that they have sufficient knowledge on how to wear and safely dispose of the protective gear.
