Personal Protective Equipment
Safety gear, or personal protective equipment (PPE), includes gloves, knee and elbow pads, footwear, and other items that employees wear.
- Gloves can protect hands from cold or injury. However, gloves may decrease manual dexterity and make it harder to grip if they do not fit correctly. Wear good fitting thermal gloves to help with cold conditions while maintaining the ability to grasp items easily.
- Proper footwear and anti-fatigue soles can prevent employees from slipping and prevent fatigue from long hours of standing on hard surfaces.
- Knee and elbow pads can protect the body from pressure points when pressing against hard or sharp surfaces.
Back Belts
Back belts are not typically considered to be personal protective equipment. They are not to be used as personal fall arrest system (PFAS), in some instances they may be used for positioning only.
Back belts may help maintain the proper curvature of the spine during lifting or physical exertion and may also provide comfort and confidence while performing work tasks. However, you can't lift heavier loads just because you're wearing a back belt. In fact, if you use them all-day-every-day, your back muscles may likely get weaker.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-9. What is the likely result if you use back belts all-day-every-day?
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