Personal protective equipment

Employers should use personal protective equipment (PPE) as a last resort, after they have carried out a risk assessment and put in place other, collective, measures to eliminate or control risks to workers’ health and safety. PPE may need to be used where hazards still remain after engineering controls and safe systems of work have been applied, the HSE advises, to deal with the risk of injury from: breathing in dust, mist, gas or fume; falling materials hitting people; flying particles or splashes of corrosive liquids getting into people’s eyes; skin contact with corrosive materials; excessive noise; or extremes of heat or cold.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPER 1992) require employers to:

• assess risks and select suitable protection;

• ensure all PPE is maintained, cleaned or replaced as appropriate, and kept in efficient working order and in good repair;

• accommodate PPE to protect it from contamination, dirt, loss or damage; and

• inform and train employees about PPE use and maintenance.

It is illegal for an employer to charge for any safety equipment.

Employers must ensure that any PPE provided to their employees is maintained (including replaced or cleaned as appropriate) in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.