What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and what PPE is required or provided?

What is personal protective equipment?

Personal Protective Equipment or 'PPE' refers to items of clothing or equipment such as helmets, goggles, gloves and steel toe-capped shoes or boots designed to protect the wearer from the risk of injury or infection.

PPE is manufactured to approved standards, for example ISO or CE standards, so the equipment will be effective in protecting the user from the effects of the specific hazard the user may be exposed to. It is important to ensure the PPE selected is effective for the specific hazard it is to protect against. 

The use of PPE should be considered as a 'last resort', if other means of protecting the user against the hazard are either not available or they are assessed as likely to be ineffective against the effects of the hazard.

When is the use of PPE required?

Where an activity could include exposure to a hazard which is assessed as 'significant', for example the hazard is worthy of consideration, then a written risk assessment is required by law identifying the hazard, the risk and the controls required to manage the risk to an acceptable standard.

If the hazard and the risk cannot be eliminated, reduced or contained to an acceptable level then PPE should be considered. The assessment should identify the type of PPE required, the standard of PPE and when and where it should be used.

How is PPE provided?

Where a risk assessment identifies the need for PPE to be worn for an activity, the University is responsible for providing PPE to the required standard, together with user training in its correct use, care and storage. This training should be recorded and repeated regularly.

The responsibility for providing the PPE rests with the management team in control of the work activity, with the Health and Safety team able to provide guidance and support in respect of the type and specification of PPE required.

The PPE selected must be suited to the individuals who will be expected to use it. This can require that the PPE is 'fitted' to the individual user, for example for respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to be effective it must provide a complete seal with the face of the user against the risk of inhaling hazardous dusts or vapours. Individual factors that may compromise the effectiveness of the PPE should be considered in its selection, for example, the user wearing spectacles, having a beard or stubble, should be factors in the selection of suitable and effective RPE. 

What are my responsibilities for PPE?

If you have been trained and provided with PPE then it is your responsibility to ensure you use it correctly for the activity for which it has been provided.

You are responsible for ensuring the PPE is cleaned and stored correctly, and for reporting any faults or damage to your line manager so the PPE can be replaced or repaired as appropriate.

How will I know if the PPE is safe to use?

You should always check your PPE before use as per your training. If it is damaged, faulty or missing you should not start the relevant activity or task without it. Raise this straight away with your line manager.

Certain types of PPE are required to have statutory checks and inspections. This includes for example Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) or safety harnesses. Your training should help identify the types of equipment these checks apply to, and to look for inspection date tags so they are 'in-date'.

What regulations apply to the provision and use of PPE?

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations can be found on this link.

The university's policy on Personal Protective Equipment can be found on this link.