Personal Protective Equipment or Gears For Industrial Work
List of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or Gears For Industrial Work.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is designed to protect workers from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.
Personal protective equipment must be regularly inspected and maintained to ensure that it is in good condition. If the gear breaks or becomes defective, it must not be repaired but must be immediately replaced by non-defective gear.
Classification of Personal Protective Equipment:
Personal protective equipment can be divided into the following classes-
- Head protective equipment
- Eye and face protective equipment
- Ear protective equipment
- Respiratory protective equipment
- Hand and finger protective equipment
- Foot protective equipment
- Special clothing
1. Head Protective Equipment:
The various types of head protective equipment are used in different environments. Usually safety helmets and hats are used as head protective equipment. Wherever there is a danger of being struck by falling or flying objects, or whenever there is a risk of head injury through collision with apparatus or pipes, it is obligatory to wear an approved safety helmet or hat.
Safety helmets can be made of various materials, such as-
Polyethylene (laminated plastic):
- Resists impact, water, oil, and electricity.
Synthetic Resins (glass fiber impregnated with resin):
- High strength to weight ratio
- High dielectric strength
Aluminum Alloy:
- Protect against impact but not against electric shock
A safety helmet must have the following properties:
- Chemical resistance
- As low a weight as possible
- It must not deform when subjected to pressure from the side
- It must have an adjustable internal fastening so that it clings to the head and will not fall off when the wearer bends down.
2. Eye and Face Protective Equipment:
Eye and face protective equipment serve to guard the eye against the hazards of impact, splashes from chemicals or molten metal, liquid droplets (chemical mists and sprays), dust, gases, welding arcs, non-ionizing radiation and the light from lasers.
Eye protectors include
- Safety spectacles
- Eye shield
- Safety goggles
- Welding filter/goggles
- Visor
- Welding helmet
- Plastic face shield
- Metal screen face shield
The nature of the job determines the type of eye and face protective equipment that should be used.
Related: Introduction to Industrial Safety & Signs
3. Ear Protective Equipment:
Excessive noise in traffic, at work, at industry, at home or at anywhere may lead to fatigue, deafness, psychological disturbance, etc. Every effort should be made to reduce the sound level by engineering control, but when this is not possible, then it is advisable or in some cases compulsory to wear ear protective equipment.
The permissible noise exposure for 8-hour duration is 80 dB (British Standard). This level may be increased slightly as duration of exposure decreases.
Mainly two types of ear protectors of different materials are used in different noise levels. These are as follows.
- Insert type ear protector: Earplug
- Muff type ear protector: Earmuff
4. Respiratory Protective Equipment:
Working in a poisonous or harmful gaseous environment, everyone should use the respiratory protective equipment.
The following types of respiratory protective equipment are used in different environments:
Mechanical Filter Respirator: Protects against dust, mist, etc.
Chemical Cartridge Respirator: Used for adsorption of low concentrations of certain vapours or gases. Uses adsorbent like:
- Activated charcoal
- Soda lime (calcium hydroxide with sodium or potassium hydroxide)
Air-line Respirator: Can be used in atmospheres not immediately dangerous to life, especially where working conditions demand continuous use of a respirator.
Self-contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA): When a man must work in a hazardous atmosphere at distances greater than 300ft. It comes from a source of fresh air, he should wear a self-contained breathing apparatus, which carries its supply of oxygen or air. Only men who are physically fit and well trained should wear SCBA.
5. Hand and Finger Protective Equipment:
Gloves of various designs provide the protection of the hand and finger against a range of industrial hazards, including:
- Cut and abrasions
- Extremes of temperature, hot and cold
- Skin irritation and dermatitis
- Contact with toxic or corrosive liquids
The following types of gloves are normally used.
- Leather gloves
- Rubber gloves
- Linen gloves
- PVC gloves, etc
The nature of the job determines the type of hand and finger protective equipment that should be used.
6. Foot Protective Equipment:
Ordinary shoes give little or no protection against falling objects, corrosive liquids, sharp objects, nails, etc. It is therefore obligatory to wear safety shoes.
- Metal-free shoes, Boots: These are available for use where there are severe electrical hazards or fire and explosion hazards.
- Safety shoes with metal guards: Should always be worn during operations where heavy materials, such as pig iron, heavy casting, and timbers are handled. They are recommended to be worn if there is a possibility of objects falling and striking the foot above the toe cap.
7. Special Clothing:
Special clothing (safety clothing) refers to garments, which are designed for a specific hazardous environment where the ordinary clothing does not give enough protection against minor injuries. This clothing can usually be worn over ordinary clothing.
Special Clothing Includes:
- Liquid and gas tight clothing
- Apron
- Rainwear
- Socks
- Fire resistant clothing
- Overall jacket, etc
8. Miscellaneous:
When a person works at high levels or in closed spaces where the air supply may not be adequate or he/she may be injured, he/she should wear this equipment.
These include the following types of equipment:
- Safety ropes, Safety belts
- Safety harnesses
