The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations place a number of essential requirements on employers, not least to provide suitable PPE when the risk cannot be avoided by other means. This module provides the perfect guide to understanding the requirements of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and why we must ensure that when it is used, it is used correctly.
 
The definition of PPE is “all equipment (including clothing affording protection against the weather) which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which protects him against one or more risks to his health or safety”  This includes a number of items that you’ll probably be familiar with such as: Safety shoes/boots, harnesses, gloves, eyewear and hi-vis clothing such as those listed on drywalltoolsdirect.co.uk. However items such as breathing apparatus and ear defenders are not included in PPE as other regulations apply to these items. The thing to remember is that any additional items must be compatible with PPE equipment.