1. Overview
Employers must protect workers from health and safety risks. This means they must provide PPE free of charge if a risk assessment shows it is needed.
To stay safe, workers may have to wear PPE such as safety helmets, gloves, eye or hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear and harnesses.
PPE also includes respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to prevent workers breathing in dust, mist, gas or fume.
When to use PPE
Employers must do a risk assessment. Some hazards may still remain after engineering controls and safe systems of work have been applied. PPE may then be needed to reduce the risk of injury from:
- breathing in dust, mist, gas or fume
- falling materials hitting people
- flying particles or splashes of corrosive liquids getting into people’s eyes
- skin contact with corrosive materials
- excessive noise
- extremes of heat or cold
What the law says
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations place duties on employers to ensure that PPE is:
- properly assessed before use to make sure it is fit for purpose
- maintained and stored properly
- provided with instructions on how to use it safely
- used correctly by workers
Employers must ensure workers have sufficient information, instruction and training on PPE use.
There is guidance on the extended scope of PPE law which was amended in 2022 to include employers' duties towards 'limb (b) workers'.
If you provide PPE, you should ensure it complies with product supply legislation.