PPE Infographic: PPE The Basics

Employees are required to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) to protect themselves from safety hazards on the job, and it’s up to employers to provide that PPE.

According to OSHA, “All personal protective equipment should be safely designed and constructed, and should be maintained in a clean and reliable fashion. It should fit comfortably to encourage workers to use it. If PPE doesn’t fit properly, it can be the difference between being safely protected or dangerously exposed. When engineering, work practice, and administrative controls aren’t enough to provide sufficient protection, employers must provide PPE and ensure it’s used correctly. Employers also need to train workers on:

• When PPE is necessary
• What type of PPE is needed
• How to properly put it on, adjust, wear, and take it off
• The limitations of the equipment
• Proper care, maintenance, useful life, and disposal of the PPE

If PPE is used, a PPE program should be put in place. This program should cover the hazards present, the selection, maintenance, and use of PPE, employee training, and monitoring the program to make sure it’s effective.”

This infographic gives you the basics of personal protective equipment.