Personal protective equipment is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The dangers addressed by personal protective equipment include physical, electrical, heat, chemicals, biohazards, and airborne particulate matter. Personal protective equipment may be worn for job-related occupational safety and health purposes, as well as for sports and other recreational activities. Browse through this category for specialized clothing or equipment worn by employees for protection against health and safety hazards and find various personal protective equipment available in Zambian stores.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks and/or respirators or other equipment designed to protect the wearer from injury or the spread of infection or illness.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Hard Hats. - Hard hats are required when working in areas where there is a potential for injury to the head from falling objects. In addition, hard hats designed to reduce electrical shock are required when working near exposed electrical conductors that may contact the head.
Leggings, Foot Guards, and Safety Shoes.
Earplugs and Earmuffs. - Because they fit directly into the ear canal, ear plugs offer greater protection than ear muffs. This means that ear plugs are suitable when you need the highest levels of protection, for instance in very loud workplaces such as factories, airports, and foundries. Ear plugs are also very light and easy to carry.
Gloves. - Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a guard for what a bare hand should not touch.
Eye Protection. - Three main types of eye protection exist, each with advantages and disadvantages. They are safety glasses, goggles, and face shields. Safety Glasses: Safety glasses have shatter-resistant lenses made of materials like polycarbonate or propionate plastic with side shields.
Surgical Face Masks.
Respirators. - Respirators protect users in two basic ways. The first is by removing contaminants from the air. Respirators of this type include particulate respirators, which filter out airborne particles; and “gas masks” which filter out chemicals and gases. Other respirators protect by supplying clean respirable air from another source. Respirators that fall into this category include airline respirators, which use compressed air from a remote source; and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), which include their own air supply.
Face Shields. - Face shields are personal protective equipment devices that are used by many workers (e.g., medical, dental, veterinary) for protection of the facial area and associated mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth) from splashes, sprays, and spatter of body fluids. Face shields are generally not used alone, but in conjunction with other protective equipment and are therefore classified as adjunctive personal protective equipment. Although there are millions of potential users of face shields, guidelines for their use vary between governmental agencies and professional societies and little research is available regarding their efficacy.
Personal protective equipment may include items such as gloves, safety glasses and shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, or coveralls, vests and full body suits.
Types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)