Construction Library
Health & Safety
PPE
Also known as: Personal protective equipment
PPE (personal protective equipment) is the clothing and equipment worn to protect against site hazards, and the last line of defence in safety.
PPE stands for personal protective equipment: the items a worker wears to protect against hazards that cannot be fully controlled another way, such as hard hats, hi-vis clothing, safety boots, gloves, eye protection and hearing protection.
PPE matters, but it is the last line of defence. In the hierarchy of control it comes only after you have tried to eliminate, substitute and engineer the risk out. It protects one person if the other controls fail, rather than removing the hazard itself.
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