Personal Protective Equipment: How to Choose the Quality PPE in 2021

1
Personal Protective Equipment How to Choose the
Quality PPE in 2021

• WORKWEAR

2

• The phenomenon of human resource evolution is an
  ever-developing concern of professional employers
  towards the employee. The social and physical
  security of your workforce in every sector
  provides the guarantee that you care for your
  employee and hence you are interested in the
  collective development of your business and
  organization. Having PPE, personal protective
  equipment has become an essential standard to
  follow in every sector of work. Whether it is an
  industry business, construction or mining site,
  safety and security service provider or medical
  sector, each has a specialized need and solutions
  to cover the matter. We are deciphering the
  process for you to know about PPE and what you
  must consider before ordering your staff Kit.
• First of all, you need to understand when we say
  PPE what exactly are we referring to in terms of
  a complete package.

3
What is PPE?

• PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment
  which provides safety and protection against any
  possible foreseeable hazard that can occur during
  the fulfillment of duty or job. It is a very
  specialized and particular combination of tools
  and clothing type which provides protection to
  the worker and addresses various challenges that
  a work scenario can bring forth.
• Every field and work process define their need
  for PPE in a very peculiar way. For an overview
  lets take a look at what type of hazards any
  sector inherits which shows you the way to
  identify your own need to design and procure the
  PPE.
• The design of PPE is directly connected with the
  type of hazard we will face. When we ask the
  experts who evaluate the risk management and
  hazards for companies and corporations they
  define it as follows.

4
The six main categories of hazards are

• Biological. These types of hazards are created by
  biological infiltration, imbalance or accidental
  exposure. Covid-19 is a prime example of such a
  hazard. The contamination of any bacteria, insect
  or animal encounter which can harm someone, the
  infections caused by blood or body fluids are the
  various situations that explain the biological
  hazards.
• Chemical. Chemical hazards refer to the
  interaction with a harmful substance that can
  cause irritation, corrosion or even explosion.
  These hazards can show impact immediately or in
  some cases after a period of time. For example,
  acid splash instantly can be seen on the skin but
  if people work in an ammonia product factory for
  a longer period, it can damage their eyesight,
  respiratory tract or lungs in a long run.
• Physical. The physical hazard ranges from the
  natural disaster, unfavorable environmental
  conditions, accidental situations which include
  but not limited to fire, radiation or pressure
  exposure etc. 
• Safety. The safety hazard is the outcome of
  unsafe workplace conditions or overlooking the
  probable danger attached to it. It ranges from
  stumbling on the road to get an electric shock on
  a rainy day.
• Ergonomic. This hazard is a consequence of
  repetitive body postures and actions which give
  rise to muscular/physical pain or deformation or
  injury. Bad sitting posture, long-standing job
  practice respectively show slouch in a body and
  knee aches as a result.
• Psychosocial. This is an invisible type of hazard
  which is an implication of social oppression
  effect on the workers psychology negatively.
  Bullying, sexual harassment, non-physical
  violence and victimization.

5
Hazard Assessment Chart for PPE
Hazard Type Threat Aspect Example
Biological Virus/pandemic COVID-19
Chemical Chemical spill, heat exposure, Acid splash etc. Acid burn/ heat exposure/eye injury/ life lose
Physical Body injury,  Noise, radiation, height, physical contact Electric shock/ falling from height/
Safety  Ranges from stumbling on the road to accident and nature disasters  All the safety services which manage the safety hazards 
Ergonomic Unfriendly space and items to execute a job. I.e. Long working hours in a singular position, bad posture etc. COVID-19, makes Nurses feet hurt
Psychosocial Sexual harassment, victimization, stress and workplace violence Bullying/child labour/ noise pollution/ human rights violations

Once you understand the relationship between
possible hazards you will be able to know which
toolkit of PPE is your workforce
requirement. The PPE consists of a number of
items and that is why we can call it a PPE kit.
Lets explore what is included in that kit
generally.
6
PPE Tool Kit Items

• PPE can be divided into two sets of item
  categories.
• Gear Items

7

• Boots
• Safety Boots and shoes provide protection from
  electric shocks, avoid punctures, slipping and
  crash on slopes etc. Safety toes are also
  combined with the footwear and the materials used
  are mostly steel, metal, latex or composite to
  fulfill the particular functionality and safety.
• Ear plugs
• The earplugs came in various types and design
  which serves a particular purpose. A few of the
  types are mentioned here are most commonly used
  and are as follows, expandable foam plugs,
  reusable plugs, canal caps and earmuffs.
• Face masks or respirators
• By usage, the face masks can fall into two
  categories of disposable and reusable masks. The
  later classification can be done on the material
  use quality, colour and cut options and
  protection from hazard.
• Gloves
• The safety gloves come in four sections of
  material type as per their utility and quality to
  reduce the risk of hazard. Canvas, leather,
  rubber and metal mesh are the most common and
  effective materials that become the raw material
  for gloves.

8

• Goggles
• Safety spectacles, photo-chromic, warden,
  forensic, medical and general safety glasses as a
  part of PPE tool kit.
• Hard hats
• There are mainly two types of hard hats which are
  known by type and class. Type 1 refers to the
  coverage area of the head which have a risk of
  something falling on, type two is to cover
  persons from all angles. Then there are A, B and
  C categories rated on the electrical insulation
  they provide.
• Safety harnesses 
• Safety harness system is a mechanism is to
  prevent a user from falling from a height. The
  workers attached the kit to their body and create
  an anchor point on a stationary place, this
  ensures that even when one free-fall they wont
  hit the ground.
• Garment Items
• Garment suits material, quality and design depend
  on work conditions, environmental aspects and
  contact challenges of possible hazards. The PPE
  garment item mostly comes as a bodysuit, two
  pieces and three-piece articles as per the work
  requirement, safety and security of a worker,
  comfort and visibility.

9

• The garment item can be further classified into
  the following sub-category as follows
• Protective clothing
• The protective clothing are essential suits and
  uniforms designed to protect the worker from harm
  associated with the type of job they are doing.
  It is a mandatory uniform which is worn by the
  people on regular basis. For examples, the
  ballistic Vests worn by security officials, lab
  coats and visors worn by chemical laboratory
  staff.
• Reflective Clothing or High Visibility Clothing
• Hi-vis is a short form of High Visibility
  Clothing, which refers to the quality of color
  and visibility in a dark or low visible
  environment. The common use of fluorescent colors
  for the base cloth and the light reflective
  luminescent stripes are printed around arms or
  torso. The function of the uniform is to enhance
  visibility at night or cloudy environment from a
  distance. The regulatory bodies recommend it to
  the security service rescuers, traffic wardens,
  miners, construction staff and several other
  sectors to ensure the safety of people.
• Read More Hi-Vis Clothing its Benefits at Work
• Safety and quality assurance
• The safety of human life is the prime concern
  behind the development of PPE. It is so important
  for employers to not only make sure that PPE is
  an essential part of the procurement projection
  of your company but also following the standards
  of quality given by the following guide.
• You can find the detailed codes, set of standards
  and guidelines to follow in Australia. View

10
PPE selection criteria brief

• As a conclusive takeaway from the selection point
  of view of PPE for your industry or work sector
  will be the awareness of protection standards,
  hazard identification, safety with the comfort of
  the worker. This need to be understood that
  without the compliance of the set standards of
  PPE the regulatory bodies can seize your workflow
  on the basis of unsatisfied quality measures.
• So the most important aspect is the quality
  assurance of PPE in terms of material, signage,
  color vibrancy, durability and visibility for the
  garment item and for gears go for the authentic
  retailers which offers warranty of the gear. As
  much as it sounds intricate, it is equally
  crucial not only for the safety of human life but
  also for the reputation of your business.