Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment that protects and prevents injury or illness. Workers in many industries wear PPE to keep them safe from potential dangers on the job. These items include safety gloves, safety glasses, earplugs, hard hats, coveralls, full-body suits, lead vests, and more. Athletes who play sports that put them at risk for certain kinds of injuries, such as concussion (injury to the brain), also wear PPE. Common PPE items worn in sports include helmets, mouthguards, athletic supporters, and various types of body guards and pads.

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Overview

The Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) in the United States requires employers to provide PPE to workers who are exposed to potential dangers on the job. Depending on where they work and what type of work they do, workers can be exposed to job hazards that could be physical, chemical, mechanical, electrical, or radiological in nature. For example, construction workers are exposed to many physical hazards, include falling objects, sharp edges, loud noises, flying sparks, and falls. Laboratory workers are exposed to a variety of chemical hazards, including splashing substances, respiratory problems, and chemical burns. In addition, radiologists, physicians who use medical imaging technologies, are exposed to the radiation involved in x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and other types of radiological work.

Several common categories of PPE exist. They are grouped according to which part of the body they are designed to protect such as the face and eyes, ears and hearing, head, and rest of the body.

Face and Eye Protection

Workers may face a number of dangers to their faces and eyes from hazards such as splashing chemicals, vapors, flying particles, sharp objects, infected materials, or radiation. They should wear PPE specifically designed to protect their face and eyes. Face shields are transparent sheets of plastic that cover the entire face from the eyebrows to the neck. Face shields provide protection against numerous substances, such as dust, splashes, and sprays, as well as projectiles that could be hazardous. Safety spectacles, or goggles, are eyeglasses that provide protection from impact, dust, splashes, and other eye hazards. Some goggles are designed to fit over regular eyeglasses. Surgical and cloth face masks cover the mouth and nose to prevent bacteria shed in liquid droplets and aerosols from the wearer to spread to others. During the 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a global study published in the Lancet by doctors Derek K. Chu and Elie A. Akl showed that the chance of infection or transmission of the virus was 3 percent with the use of a mask compared to 17 percent without a mask. Other studies stated that real-life examples show that wearing a mask while sick could significantly reduce the spread of the virus, however, they noted that too few studies had been done to support precise statistics.

Hearing Protection

Many workers are exposed to loud noises that can permanently damage their hearing. Different types of PPE are designed to help prevent hearing loss in the workplace. Earplugs are inserted directly into the ear canal to block noise. These come in single-use, disposable varieties, or they may be individually customized for the worker. Earmuffs are worn over the head and create a complete seal around the ears to protect the ears from loud noises.

Head Protection

Head injuries can be caused by falling objects, bumping against fixed objects, or electrical shock. Head injuries can cause lifelong problems or even fatal injuries. Workers who are at risk of head injuries should wear protective helmets or hard hats. These items are designed to absorb the shock of blows and resist penetration by foreign objects. They are available in a variety of grades and sizes that provide different degrees of protection.

Body and Limb Protection

Workers may face a variety of workplace hazards that can cause bodily harm, including injury to the torso, limbs, hands, and feet. For example, they may operate equipment that can cause cuts and bruises; they may work in extreme temperatures; they may work with chemicals that could splash; they may work with bodily fluids; or they may work with radiation. Common PPE items for body and limb protection include full-boding clothing designed to withstand fire or extreme temperatures, safety gloves, lead vests, leggings, toe guards, specialty footwear, and more.

All types of athletes should wear appropriate PPE items when playing sports. These protective items are designed to prevent injuries that are common to different activities. Common sports-related PPE items include helmets, goggles; athletic supporters, mouthguards, pads, and wrist, knee, and elbow guards. Specific athletic organizations provide guidance on the type of PPE that should be worn for different activities at various levels of play (professional, amateur, high school, etc.).

Special Considerations

PPE is especially important for health care workers and others, such as morticians and airline/travel personnel, who may come into contact with individuals who have been exposed to highly infectious diseases. One such disease, Ebola hemorrhagic fever (Ebola), can be transmitted easily from person to person through exposure to bodily fluids. Although this often-fatal virus is uncommon to some parts of the world, it can be easily transmitted via individuals who have been exposed through travels. Appropriate precautions should always be taken when exposure to infectious disease is suspected. Individuals who may be at risk for exposure to diseases should wear appropriate PPE for eyes, face, head, and the body to avoid direct contact with infected bodily fluids or individuals.

OSHA, a division of the United States Department of Labor, is the federal agency responsible for developing and enforcing laws related to worker safety, including those related to PPE requirements for different types of jobs. OSHA regulates both public and private sector employers and requires them to keep workers safe by providing working conditions that are free of known dangers. OSHA provides detailed regulations and enforcement criteria for different industries and groups of workers.

Most states follow OSHA's regulations as written; however, some states have adopted their own standards and enforcement policies. These regulations are generally as strict as OSHA's but may vary in enforcement requirements. State-specific plans can be found on each state's official website.

Bibliography

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"Ebola." Occupational Safety & Health Administration. United States Department of Labor. Web. 2 Feb 2015. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ebola/index.html

Gudgin Dickson, Eva F. Personal Protective Equipment for Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Hazards: Design, Evaluation, and Selection. Wiley, 2012. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=490405&site=ehost-live. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016.

"Personal Protective Equipment." Occupational Safety & Health Administration. United States Department of Labor. Web. 2 Feb 2015. https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3151.html

Personal Protective Equipment. OSHA 3151-12R 2004, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor, 2004, www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3151.pdf. Accessed 31 Oct. 2016.

Rettner, Rachael. "Face Masks May Reduce COVID-19 Spread by 85 Percent, WHO-Backed Study Suggests." Live Science, 2 June 2020, www.livescience.com/face-masks-eye-protection-covid-19-prevention.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2020.

"Sports and Exercise Safety." TeensHealth. Nemours Foundation. Web. 2 Feb 2015. http://kidshealth.org/teen/food‗fitness/exercise/sport‗safety.html