This document discusses personal protective equipment (PPE) and the importance of proper training. It notes that according to statistics, millions of injuries occur in the workplace every year and many could be prevented by proper use of PPE. However, surveys show that workers often fail to wear PPE correctly or at all due to factors like discomfort, lack of awareness of hazards, and lack of training. Proper PPE selection, training workers on hazards and PPE limitations, and ensuring they understand usage protocols are essential for compliance. OSHA requires training programs cover when PPE is necessary and how to use it properly. Regular retraining is also important to ensure safe PPE use.

1. Personal Protective
Equipment
Ronco - Industrial Safety Products
An informative gathering of general
knowledge on PPE.

2. PPE - Statistics
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there
were more than 4 million recordable nonfatal
injuries and illnesses in private industry workplaces in
2007. And while the BLS, the Occupational Safety
& Health Administration (OSHA) and other organizations
regularly track and evaluate many details about
workplace injury and illness statistics, a key question
remains: How many of those injuries and illnesses were
the result of non-compliance or improper use of personal
protective equipment (PPE)?

3. PPE is more than just a good idea. In fact, OSHA requires
the use of PPE to reduce employee exposure
to hazards when engineering and administrative controls
are not feasible or effective in reducing these
exposures to acceptable levels.
Yet, 85 percent of safety professionals surveyed at the
2007 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress said they
had observed people in their organization failing to wear
PPE when they should have been. Moreover, 47 percent
said this had happened on numerous occasions.

4. Sixty-six percent of the safety professionals polled went
on to say that PPE compliance was an issue within
their organization – with 40 percent describing it as a
“major concern” that they were attempting to correct.
The main reasons for noncompliance, according to
these safety professionals, are a feeling of
Invulnerability among workers, lack of awareness of
workplace hazards, lack of training on proper PPE use
protocols, and ill-fitting, uncomfortable garments.

5. Proper Compliance Starts with Proper
Selection
First, when PPE is “connected to” the wearer,
compliance becomes more automatic.
For example, integrating earplugs with safety
glasses via a lanyard makes complying with
hearing protection protocols much easier, because
the PPE is in easy reach and is not an
afterthought.

6. Second, PPE that allows workers to express their
individuality leads to greater compliance. Providing
a range of options in terms of color, and other style
aspects gives workers some control over how they
look.
When people are content with their appearance in
the PPE, it follows that they will be more likely to
wear the PPE appropriately.

7. Third, PPE that is perceived as “cool” is more
likely to be worn. That is why many PPE
Manufacturers are looking toward the consumer
fashion and sports apparel industries for cues
on the latest styles, which can be adapted for
the PPE market.

8. In addition to these three themes, consider the
issue of overall PPE comfort and “wearability.”
If coveralls don’t provide adequate breathability, if
safety glasses fog up during use, or if protective
gloves don’t allow for hand dexterity, there is the
chance that users will avoid wearing the PPE, or
that they will modify the PPE in some way, thus
compromising its protective features.

9. PPE Training
Safety professionals typically undertake an extensive
review and analysis of the hazards in their workplaces and
the potential risks those hazards pose to their workers,
because basic hazards analyses and risk assessments are
key to the PPE selection process.
But how often are those risks and hazards clearly
communicated to workers who wear the PPE?

10. A key part of promoting proper compliance with
PPE protocols is making sure users are trained to
understand the consequences of non compliance.
For example, they need to understand that there is
a big difference in the PPE required -- and the
risks to a worker’s health and safety if PPE is not
properly worn -- between a worker exposed to a
quart of acetone in a well-ventilated room and a
worker exposed to a large vat of acetone in an
enclosed space.

11. Workers also need to understand that, even when
they may not be in imminent danger of being hurt,
some wearing protocols are designed to avoid
problems linked to long-term exposure.
Just because the danger isn’t obvious and imminent,
doesn’t mean the use protocols are less important.
Wearers should have a “commonsense“ understanding,
of why they are required to use PPE properly.

12. PPE training is part of OSHA’s requirements under
29 CFR 1910, which states that PPE training
programs should address:
• When PPE is necessary.
• What PPE is necessary
• How to properly don, doff, adjust and wear PPE.
• The limitations of the PPE.
• The proper care, maintenance, useful life and
disposal of the PPE.

13. The standard goes on to state that “each affected
employee shall demonstrate an understanding of
the training specified … and the ability to use PPE
properly, before being allowed to perform work
requiring the use of PPE.”
In addition, “when the employer has reason to believe
that any affected employee who has already been trained
does not have the understanding and skill required…the
employer shall retrain each such employee.”

14. OSHA notes that circumstances where retraining
is required include, but are not limited to, situations
where:
• Changes in the workplace render previous training
obsolete.
• Changes in the types of PPE to be used render previous
training obsolete.
• Inadequacies in an affected employee’s knowledge or use
of assigned PPE indicate that the employee has not
retained the requisite understanding or skill.

15. Moreover, OSHA requires employers to verify that
each affected employee has received and
understood the required training through a
written certification that contains the name of each
employee trained, the date(s) of training, and that
identifies the subject of the certification.

16. PPE – Do We Know?
Improper re-use of PPE may become an even bigger issue if
we are ever faced with a pandemic, especially since PPE
may be required by people who may not normally use PPE
as part of their jobs and therefore are not trained in proper
protocols.
For example, will the general population know the difference
between a basic procedure mask and an N95 respirator?
Will they know when a mask becomes unhygienic and
“clogged” enough to warrant a new one?

17. Noise pollution is another commonly overlooked
protection issue that may be linked to improper
training.
The need to change the level of protection
afforded by PPE when moving from one area of a
worksite to another is not visually evident and can
be easily missed.
For example, installing and teaching workers to recognize
clear visual signage showing the exact locations in a plant
where different levels of hearing protection are needed
would be an important focus area for PPE training.

18. Benefits of PPE Training
While training employees in the proper use of all PPE is
important, it is especially important to educate users on the
nature of workplace hazards and the consequences of not
using PPE as well as what to do in the event of protective
clothing or equipment failure.
One essential aspect of training is to make the user aware
of the need for protective wear and to instill motivation for
its proper use and maintenance.

19. OSHA suggests several benefits of proper
training in the use of PPE.
• Allows the user to become familiar with the equipment
in a non-hazardous, non-emergency condition.
• Instills confidence of the user in his/her equipment.
• Makes the user aware of the limitations and
capabilities of the equipment.
• Increases worker efficiency in performing various
tasks.
• Reduces the likelihood of accidents.

20. And don’t forget about what happens when
the employee leaves the workplace.
Training in off-the-job safety concerns shows
an employer’s commitment to a worker’s
safety 24 hours a day.
Now for the Test!