5 Steps To Effective PPE Assessment and Selection

1. Conduct a walk-through survey of work areas to identify workplace hazards. Look for all the basic hazard categories:

• Impact
• Penetration
• Compression (roll-over)
• Chemical
• Heat
• Harmful dust
• Light (optical) radiation

2. Consider sources of risk. Observe sources of:

• Motion, such as machinery or processes where any movement of tools, machine elements, or particles could exist, or movement of personnel that could result in collision with stationary objects
• High temperatures that could result in burns, eye injuries, ignition of protective equipment, or other heat-related hazard
• Chemical exposures
• Harmful dust
• Light radiation, such as welding, brazing, cutting, furnaces, heat treating, high-intensity lights, and so on
• Falling objects or potential for dropping objects
• Sharp objects that might pierce the feet or cut the hands
• Rolling or pinching objects which could crush the feet or hands
• Electrical hazards

Also consider the layout of work areas and the location of workers, and how these might contribute to risks. 

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3.   Organize data. Following the walk-through survey, organize the data and information in a useful way for the accurate assessment of hazards. The objective is to prepare for an analysis of the hazards in the environment to enable proper selection of protective equipment.

4.   Analyze data. Having gathered and organized data, estimate the potential for injuries and illness. Each of the basic hazards should be reviewed and a determination made as to the type, level of risk, and seriousness of potential injury from each of the hazards found in the area. The possibility of exposure to several hazards simultaneously should be considered.

5.   Select appropriate PPE. After completing the assessment, select the best PPE to protect against the risks by:

• Learning all you can about available PPE, considering the protection offered by the PPE as well as its limitations
• Comparing the hazards associated with the work environment with the capabilities of the specific types of PPE
• Selecting the PPE that ensures the maximum level of protection

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