Pony Club Health and Safety
Personal Protective Equipment - PPE
The main legislation governing Personal Protective Equipment at work is the
Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE) 1992. The Management
of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSW) 1999 also control this area. This
article explains what sorts of equipment employers should provide as well as the
precautions employees need to take in order to stay safe.
The MSHW regulations require employers to identify and assess the risks to health
and safety in the workplace. All risks must then be minimised as far as possible.
Where an activity requires some risk, the risk could be minimised in a number of
ways; one of which is to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment.
Regulation requirements
The requirements are simply that where there is a risk to an employee’s health and /
or safety, which cannot be controlled in other ways, protective equipment must be
supplied (by the employer) free of charge and used by the employee carrying out the
activity at hand. The Regulations also require that:
The equipment is properly assessed before use to ensure suitability;
It is maintained and stored properly;
It is provided with instructions for safe use;
It is used correctly by employees.
What is PPE?
Personal protective Equipment (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
could include helmets, gloves, eye protection, safety harnesses, high-visibility
clothing and more.
Hearing protection and respiratory protective equipment are not covered by these
regulations. The former is covered by the Noise at Work Regulations. Of course
these items must still be compatible with PPE.
1 – June 2015
The hazard in the work place must first be assessed. Once the exact risks are
known, suitable PPE can be selected. Make sure that the equipment does not
adversely affect the overall risks of the activity. Make sure that the equipment can be
appropriately adjusted to ensure a good fit for the individual who is to wear the
equipment. If more than one item of PPE is worn, are they compatible with each
other?
Eyes; hazards include dust from hay and when sweeping. PPE could include
goggles, safety spectacles and face masks.
Head; hazards include impact from falling or flying objects, risk of head bumping,
hair entanglements. Members should be asked to wear their hats whenever around
the horses, and tie their hair back suitably. PPE would include a range of helmets.
Breathing; hazards include hay dust and when sweeping.PPE could include partial or
full face masks.
Protection of the body; hazards include extreme temperatures, adverse weather, and
leading or riding horses in poor light and / or near cars. PPE should include
disposable or conventional overalls and high-visibility clothing.
Hand and arms; hazards include abrasion, cuts and punctures, electric shock, skin
infection. Members should be encouraged to have long sleeves on whenever around
the yard and horses. Extra PPE could include gloves.
Face and legs; hazards include wet / damp, falling objects, slipping, abrasion.
Members should be encouraged to wear appropriate footwear at all times at your
Centre. PPE could include safety boots and shoes.
Maintenance and replacement of PPE
PPE is well looked after and is appropriately stored when not in use.
Kept clean and in good repair;
PPE has regular maintenance and in case of the PPE being unavailable, make sure
there is a spare available.
Warning signs can help individuals to remember to wear suitable PPE.
Reporting loss or defects
Loss of protective equipment should be reported to the supervisor / manager at the
time. The activity should be terminated if the protective equipment is damaged and is
not up to standard. Defects in equipment should also be reported as soon as
possible and defects must be repaired as soon as possible.
2 – June 2015