Personal protective equipment (PPE) overview
This section explains your obligations for providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to employees and different types of PPE available.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work, this can include items such as:
- safety helmets
- ear protection
- high visibility clothing
- safety footwear and safety harnesses
- thermal, weather and waterproof clothing
- respiratory protective equipment (RPE)
As an employer, it is important that you understand your responsibilities and take steps to keep your workers and members of the public safe.
You will need to:
- know what PPE you need to provide to employees
- know what training you need to provide to employees
- ensure employees use the PPE correctly
As an employee, you will need to understand your responsibilities for the use, storage and maintenance of your own PPE.