Basic personal protective equipment (PPE) is the first and last line of defense against workplace injuries. For the purposes of this discussion, basic PPE includes protective footwear, hand protection, eye protection, and ear/head protection.
A PPE program is one of the first components that employers explore and implement when beginning an employee safety program. After the safety programs get started and mature, however, the focus on requiring the use of PPE often decreases which can cause complacency and even reduce PPE use.
PPE often prevents a minor injury from becoming more serious. Wearing gloves can prevent a smashed finger from being cut which could lead to a serious infection. Safety-toe footwear can prevent toes being broken. A hard hat can prevent head lacerations or worse.
Human behavior will often revert to unsafe actions when we stop discussing safety-related issues
This program was created to ensure the safety and health of employees to correctly select and use the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to protect from potential workplace hazards. This program will enable the employer and its employees to be in compliance with OSHA regulation Section 1910.Subpart I Personal Protective Equipment.
