Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are protective clothing, goggles, helmets, and other equipment designed to protect the workers from workplace hazards.

Using personal protective equipment is often essential, but it is generally the last line of defense after:

1. ENGINEERING CONTROLS

   Engineering controls involve physically changing a machine or work environment

2. WORK PRACTICES

   Work practices involve training workers how to perform tasks in ways that reduce their exposure to workplace hazards.

3. ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS

   Administrative controls involve changing how or when workers do their jobs, such as scheduling work and rotating workers to reduce exposures.

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to;

  1. Identify the hazard by carrying out a workplace risk assessment

  2. Select appropriate PPE

  3. Educate and train workers on proper use and maintenance of PPE

  4. Ensure adherence of workers to PPE, and apply strict conditions in case of non compliance.