Personal Protective Equipment

After engineering controls and workplace practices are used, personal protective equipment (PPE) helps minimize the risk of bodily injury. The type of PPE required are based on the hazards and procedures involved. For chemical hazards, the PPE required is listed on the Material Safety Data Sheet. Prudent practices should be followed when working with hazardous equipment such as power tools, lasers, hotplates, DNA viewing sources, centrifuges and vacuum pumps. It is important to note that not all PPE are created equally. For example, different chemicals require different types of gloves. It is always important to make sure you have the right PPE for the hazard and that you completely understand its limitations. You should always inspect your PPE prior to use. Damaged PPE will not provide adequate hazard protection.

PPE cannot provide any protection unless you USE it!

Types of PPE Body Parts Protected
Glasses and Goggles Eyes
Face Shield Face
Gloves Hands and Arms
Lab coat and Apron Body
Closed-toed Shoes Feet
Helmet Head
Earplugs Hearing
Fume hood Respiration


Types of Hazards Sources
Impact and Penetrations Vacuum and Partial Pressures
Compressions Roll over or crush
Heat Hotplates
Harmful dust Asbestos
Radiation Isotopes
UV light DNA Viewing Sources
Toxic fumes Chemicals

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