Personal Protective Equipment
P.P.E.
Level 1
Personal Protective Equipment
• PPE is any piece of equipment or clothing that protects you from
either;
•
•
Normal day to day hazards
e.g.
–
–
Overalls
Gloves
–
Welding
head shield
- Protect you from every day dirt, grease, oil, etc.
- Protect you from cuts and scratches when handling sharp
metal.
- Protects your face and eyes from the harmful light given
off by the welding process.
– Unexpected events / accidents
– e.g.
-
Safety boots
- Protect your feet in the event anything heavy is dropped
on to them.
Safety glasses - Protect your eyes in the event of flying particles or sparks.
Personal Protective Equipment
•
Using PPE is often essential, but it is generally the last line of defence after
engineering controls, work practices, and administrative controls.
•
•
Engineering controls
Involve the physical changing of a machine or work environment.
•
•
Administrative controls
Involve how and when employees do their job, such as scheduling work and rotating
employees.
•
•
Work practices
Involve training workers how to perform tasks in safe ways that reduce their exposure
to hazards.
•
The employer assesses the workplace to determine which of the above controls are
necessary. Once all of these controls are in place PPE must then be looked at and
the appropriate items selected for the tasks the workers perform.
Personal Protective Equipment
• Employees must also be adequately
trained in the correct use of their PPE this
training should include;
• How to use it correctly
• Awareness of when PPE is necessary
• Awareness of the limitations of PPE
• Care and maintenance of PPE
• All PPE must be CE marked
P.P.E. – Overalls
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory overalls
sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed overalls
must be worn.
P.P.E. – Overalls
•
There are many different types of overalls available,
each is designed and constructed to different
specifications depending on the intended
application.
•
Overalls can be made of several different materials.
These include;
–
–
–
–
–
–
Nylon
Cotton
Polyester
Poly-cotton (a mix of polyester and cotton)
Chemically treated cotton
Nomex ®™ (a synthetic flame proof fabric)
•
Overalls used in garages are usually made from
nylon, as nylon is easily cleaned of oil or grease.
These overalls are unsuitable for welding as can
nylon melt and burn.
•
Overalls used in welding are usually made from
chemically treated cotton such as Proban®™ as
they need to be flame retardant (will not support
combustion).
•
Overalls made of Nomex ®™ have the advantages
of both types of materials. They are easily cleaned
of any oil, grease, etc. and are totally flame proof.
Their only disadvantage is the cost as they are very
expensive.
P.P.E. – Overalls
• Overalls can be of a on piece design as in the case of the classic
boiler suit, or a two piece jacket and trousers.
• The decision on which is best can be down too personnel
preference, corporate image, application and cost.
P.P.E. – Overalls
• Overalls protect you from;
• Things that would make
overalls unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Safety boots
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory footwear
sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed protective
foot wear must be
worn.
P.P.E. – Safety boots
P.P.E. – Safety boots
•
Appropriate safety footwear should always be used when working in the engineering
environment.
•
Ordinary shoes / trainers offer no protection against crush or penetration injuries.
•
The Steel Toe Caps are manufactured in accordance with the EN Standards. Boots
manufactured to EN 12568 are designed to withstand a dynamic static test of 2 tons
(200 joules).
•
Safety boot are designed to withstand a variety of hazards here are some of the
design features you should look for in a safety boot.
Genuine upper leather
Heat resistance. (Rubber sole)
Oil resistance. (Rubber sole)
Non-slip Vulcanised Nitrile Rubber sole with
special design pattern for extra grip
The steel toe cap meets the standards of EN
12568. Built to withstand an impact of 200
joules.
Antistatic sole can be produced on request only.
(Special request)
Reinforced side stitching for excellent bonding.
Steel Mid-Sole
-Penetration Resistance (Optional)
P.P.E. – Safety boots
P.P.E. – Safety boots
• Safety boots protect you from;
• Things that would make Safety
boots unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Helmets
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory helmet
sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed helmets
must be worn.
P.P.E. – Helmets
•
The primary purpose of a safety helmet is to
protect the head of the wearer against
hazards, mechanical shocks. It may in
addition provide protection against other for
example, mechanical, thermal and electrical.
•
A safety helmet should fulfil the following
requirements in order to reduce the harmful
effects of shocks to the head:
•
It should limit the pressure applied to the
skull by spreading the load over the largest
possible surface. This is achieved by
providing a sufficiently large harness that
closely match various skull shapes, together
with a hard shell strong enough to prevent
the head from coming into direct contact
with accidentally falling objects and to
provide protection if the wearer’s head
should hit a hard surface. The shell must
therefore resist deformation and perforation.
P.P.E. – Helmets
•
It should deflect falling objects by having a suitably
smooth and rounded shape. A helmet with
protruding ridges tends to arrest falling objects
rather than to deflect them and thus retain slightly
more kinetic energy than helmets which are
perfectly smooth.
•
It should dissipate and disperse the energy that
may be transmitted to it in such a way that the
energy is not passed totally to the head and neck.
This is achieved by means of the harness, which
must be securely fixed to the hard shell so that it
can absorb a shock without being detached from
the shell. The harness must also be flexible enough
to undergo deformation under impact without
touching the inside surface of the shell. This
deformation, which absorbs most of the energy of a
shock, is limited by the minimum amount of
clearance between the hard shell and the skull and
by the maximum elongation of the harness before it
breaks. Thus the rigidity or stiffness of the harness
should be the result of a compromise between the
maximum amount of energy that it is designed to
absorb and the progressive rate at which the shock
is to be allowed to be transmitted to the head.
P.P.E. – Helmets
• Helmets protect you from;
• Things that would make
helmets unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Gloves
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory protective
glove sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed protective
gloves must be worn.
P.P.E. – Gloves
P.P.E. – Gloves
•
•
•
•
There are many different types of
safety glove available, each
designed for a specific purpose.
What makes one glove suitable for
one purpose does not necessarily
make it suitable for another.
Some gloves are designed to
protect you from your work
environment like in the case of
leather welding gauntlets. Whilst
other gloves are designed to
protect your working environment
from you like in the case of
surgeons latex gloves.
The welding industry mainly uses
leather gauntlets as they offer
protection against the majority of
hazards associated with welding,
cuts, burns, U.V. radiation, etc.
P.P.E. – Gloves
•
•
Other types of gloves that you may
encounter include;
Riggers gloves.
–
•
These have a leather palm and thumb for
protection but have a cotton back. This makes
them lighter / more comfortable to wear.
These gloves are use for general lifting and
carrying and fabrication work as they give the
wearer a greater feel. These gloves are not
suitable for welding as the cotton back offers
little if any protection against sparks and heat.
Synthetic fibre gloves
–
These gloves are made from man-made
fibres such as Kevlar®™, spectra ®™ and
dyneema ®™ these are collectively known as
aramid fibres and have high strength and
wear characteristics especially against cuts
and abrasion. They are also relatively
unaffected by heat. They are sometimes used
in the stainless steel industry as newly cut
stainless has razor sharp edges. These
gloves offer the highest degree of flexibility
and touch but are very expensive.
P.P.E. – Gloves
• Gloves protect you from;
• Things that would make gloves
unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Eye protection
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory eye
protection sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed eye
protection must be
worn.
P.P.E. – Eye protection
P.P.E. – Eye protection
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eye protection comes in many
different forms.
Some are more suitable for your work
environment than others.
They all perform the same basic task
which is to protect your eyes from
flying partials and debris.
Some glasses have additional coating
to protect the wearer from bright and
U.V. light.
Most modern safety glasses are not
made of glass as it can brake or
shatter when struck, but are made of
polycarbonate a tough form of plastic
used in bullet proof glass.
The glasses pictured above left have
been shot with a shotgun from a
distance of ten metres, not one of the
pellets penetrated the lenses.
P.P.E. – Eye protection
• Eye protection protect you
from;
• Things that would make Eye
protection unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Ear protection
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory ear
protection sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed ear
protection must be
worn.
P.P.E. – Ear protection
•
If the environment you work in is too noisy, then hearing protection may be necessary.
•
The action levels for noise are as follows:
•
Between 85 dB(A) and 90 dB(A)
–
•
daily personal noise exposure hearing protection must be provided on request, but the wearing of such
hearing protection is not mandatory.
Above 90 dB(A)
–
daily personal noise exposure, a noise assessment must be carried out. Wearing hearing protection in these
circumstances is mandatory.
•
It is worth noting that the exposure levels above are not ‘safe’. In particular, at 90 dB(A) there is
approximately a 14% chance of an individual developing serious permanent hearing loss over the
course of a number of years.
•
This loss cannot be compensated for by the use of a hearing aid.
•
Hearing protection is also appropriate in situations where there are sudden loud noises due to
explosions.
•
You will know that you need a noise assessment if there is anywhere, where people work, where
you have to shout to make yourself heard by someone standing a metre away from you.
P.P.E. – Ear protection
• One of the most
common types of ear
protection are
disposable and semidisposable ear plugs.
• As the name
suggests these are
used to plug the ear
thus stopping noise
from getting in.
P.P.E. – Ear protection
P.P.E. – Ear protection
• Ear protection protect you
from;
• Things that would make
ear protection unfit for
use;
P.P.E. – Respiratory protection
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory respiratory
protection sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed respiratory
protection must be
worn.
P.P.E. – Respiratory protection
• Oranganic Vapour / Particulate
Respirator.
• Used for organic gases and
vapours as well as particulates
concerning dust, mist and
fume. Suitable for welding
applications and maintenance
work shops.
• Protection against organic
vapours with BP >65ºC & good
warning properties (water and
oil based) and particulates.
Maximum use limitation for
organic vapours 10 x WEL or
1000ppm, whichever is the
lowest and 10 x WEL for
particulates
P.P.E. – Respiratory protection
• Respiratory protection • Things that would make
Respiratory protection
protect you from;
unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Face mask
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory face mask
sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed face mask
must be worn.
P.P.E. – Face mask
• FFP2 respirators are
CE certified to the
new EN149:2001
standard for use
against both solid and
liquid aerosols.
P.P.E. – Face mask
• Face mask protect you
from;
• Things that would make
face mask unfit for use;
P.P.E. – Hi Vis Vest
• The picture to the left
is an example of the
mandatory hi vis vest
sign.
• The sign can have
text as shown here or
just be a picture.
• Wherever this sign is
displayed hi vis vest
must be worn.
• Hi Vis Vest are worn
to make sure you are
seen, some have
additional writing on
to show that you hold
some special position
within the
organization; e.g. fire
marshal, first aider,
etc.
P.P.E. – Hi Vis vest
• Hi Vis vest protect you
from;
• Things that would make
Hi Vis vest unfit for use;
Why you should wear P.P.E.