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Assessing suitable PPE

To allow the right type of PPE to be chosen the different hazards in the workplace need to be considered carefully. This will enable an assessment to be made of which types of PPE are suitable to protect against the hazard & for the job to be done.

Your supplier should be able to advise you on the different types of PPE available & their suitability for different tasks. It may be necessary in a few particularly difficult cases to obtain advice from specialist sources – including the PPE manufacturer.

The following factors should be considered when assessing the suitability of PPE:

Is it appropriate for the risks involved & the conditions at the place where exposure to the risk may occur? For example, eye protection designed for providing protection against agricultural pesticides will not offer adequate face protection for someone using an angle grinder to cut steel or stone.

Does it prevent or adequately control the risks involved without increasing the overall level of risk?

Can it be adjusted to fit the wearer correctly?

Has the state of health of those who will be wearing it been taken into account?

What are the needs of the job & the demands it places on the wearer? For example the length of time the PPE needs to be worn, the physical effort required to do the job & the requirements for visibility and communication.

If more than one item of PPE is being worn, are they compatible? For example, does the use of a particular type of respirator make it difficult to get eye protection to fit properly?