Thinking Beyond PPE in the Workplace

Choosing the right personal protective equipment and wearing it properly can go a long way towards preventing injury to both yourself and to others. It ensures that workers are protected and significantly decreases the risk of illness and injury, helping to avoid liability issues. 

However, PPE should always be the last line of defense against injuries in the workplace. You cannot be complacent and think that simply because you have PPE on your employees that they are safe. There has even been a fair amount of confusion about what is considered PPE given shortages of appropriate equipment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it may seem as though things have gone back to “normal”, during this period of time we must all remain vigilant about how we work. Conducting thorough risk assessments within the workplace helps to form the basis for the management of health and safety issues. By taking the time to conduct your risk assessment effectively, you are taking every step possible to protect your employees and members of the public from potential harm within the workplace.

Working safely is something that we should all be able to do every day. Whether in an office or in a high risk environment, adhering to safety procedures is important for everyone. Safe working environments promote a safe working culture and are delivered most effectively through sustained assessments, training and by consistently providing improved working practices.

As well as providing adequate PPE, employers are required to train each worker to know when it is necessary to use, what kind of PPE is necessary, the limitations of the equipment, how to properly put it on, adjust, wear, and take it off, how to take proper care of it, how to maintain it, and disposal of the equipment. You should check and monitor all safety equipment regularly, this ensures that it is suitable for the task that it is intended to do, and review your risk assessments regularly, updating them as necessary if things change.

Personal Protective Equipment should be your last line of defense. Always make sure that you wear it, but don’t let it be the only thing that you have keeping you safe at work.