Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is designed to provide protection from serious injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other hazards. Careful selection and use of adequate PPE should protect individuals involved in chemical emergencies from hazards effecting the respiratory system, skin, eyes, face, hands, feet, head, body, and hearing. No single combination of protective equipment and clothing is capable of protecting against all hazards. Thus PPE should be used in conjunction with other protective methods, including exposure control procedures and equipment.

The eyes are the most complex and fragile parts of our body. Each day, more than 600 people worldwide sustain eye injuries during their work. Thanks to a good pair of safety glasses, these injuries could be prevented. Do you come into contact with bright light or infrared radiation? Then welding goggles or a shield offer the ideal protection.

Wearing a mask at work is no luxury, definitely not when coming into contact with hazardous materials. 15% of the employees within the EU inhale vapors, smoke, powder or dusk while performing their job. Dust masks offer protection against fine dust and other dangerous particles. If the materials are truly toxic, use the full-face mask. This adheres tightly to the face, to protect the nose and mouth against harmful pollution.

The Regulation directly affects importers, distributors and retailers, who now have to share responsibility for providing safe and effective products with manufacturers. Anyone in the PPE industry is now legally required to comply with the Regulation.

The rebranding of the PPE Directive as a Regulation was a significant alteration. The 'Regulation' is a binding legislative act. It must be applied in its entirety across the EU, whereas a 'Directive' is a legislative act that sets out a goal that all EU countries must achieve. In the past it was up to individual countries to decide how they did this.

All organizations involved with the production, importation, supply, distribution, marketing and sale of PPE will have the same responsibilities as the manufacturer, including getting product approval, making sure it conforms to the Regulation and keeping technical files and records. This will level the playing field between manufacturers and importers, and mean that fewer low-specification and counterfeit products will get into the EU marketplace.

Employees themselves also have duties to use the PPE in accordance with their training, report loss or defect and to store the PPE as instructed. The self-employed similarly have a duty to make full and proper use of PPE.

The Regulations do not apply where there is other legislation with mandatory requirements for the provision and use of PPE in relation to specific hazards:

xEmployers are also recommended to consult the potential wearers of PPE before items are supplied because they are usually best placed to know what is demanded by their jobs and the type and configuration of PPE that is best suited to their working environment. It is also recommended, that employers maintain a record of the items issued, to whom, the date of issue and the date of any replacement or maintenance required.

Furthermore, there are also considerable differences in physical dimensions of different workers, depending on their gender, ethnicity, and lifestyle, therefore, different sizes and contours should be available to fit wearers. PPE should also be adjustable and where problems occur, advice should be sought to take account of any medical conditions. In the case of close fitting respiratory protection specific employee fit testing is required. Training, instruction and information will also need to be provided to wearers of PPE. In providing this the following details should be included of.

Companies –from small and developing businesses to Fortune 100 multinationals, domestic and international government agencies retain Hales Global Group for our expertise, abilities, and strength in Open Innovation, Partnership, Market Development, and Business Intelligence consulting. Our unique services empower clients to achieve measurable and sustainable success.