Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes such items as lab coats, gloves, safety footwear, safety glasses, safety helmets, respiratory protection etc. that individuals may need to wear to protect themselves against various hazards.
It is a general principle within safety legislation that PPE should only be used as the primary means of protecting workers or students after all of other practical precautions to remove, reduce or protect against danger have been put in place. HSE indicate a hierarchy of preferred risk contols and within this, use of PPE is indicated as the last resort, to be applied only after all other options have been considered. Risk assessment must provide evidence that this heirarchy of risk control has been considered and applied fully, expecially where the only means of risk control is to be PPE.
HSE hierarchy of risk control and use of PPE
In many situations, PPE provides a very useful supplementary level of protection and it is often used in this way.
Where use of PPE is indicated as necessesary within risk assessments or in local procedures, whether as a primary or supplementary protection, it is a legal requirement that workers and students use all PPE specified. There is also a managerial obligation on managers and supervisors to enforce the use of PPE, following University disciplinary procedures to achieve this where necessary. In such circumstances employees must be supplied with any essential PPE free of charge. (This does not apply to undergraduate students who may be required to provide their own equipment for some courses.)
Persistent refusal to use PPE can be regarded as gross misconduct and so could ultimately be grounds for dismissal. In such circumstances employees must be supplied with any essential PPE free of charge. (This does not apply to undergraduate students who may be required to provide their own equipment for some courses.)
In some situations a risk assessment may conclude that the risk is sufficiently controlled by the working systems and procedures that are in place, but PPE will be made available as an optional reassurance to workers and students. If PPE is offered in this way the risk assessment should make it explict that the risk is controlled by other means and that the use of PPE in this situation is optional.
Even in ideal conditions PPE does not provide absolute protection but is capable only of reducing exposure to varying degrees. Some types of equipment have a published "Protection Factor" which should be taken into account when matching PPE to the risk. Information within suppliers' catalogues and from technical sales specialists will help with selection of suitable equipment. Those responsible for selecting equipment must ensure it is suitable for the risk, is of appropriate quality and fits the wearer correctly. (see RPE section below for additional information on use of respiratory protective equipment.) Users will normally need to be provided with training in the use of any equipment.
The actual effectivness of the equipment under normal working conditions should be critically assessed as its real-life performance, particularly if it is ill-fitting and incorrectly used, may be significantly less than its theoretical protection factor.
This HSE webpage provides some useful additional advice on the use of PPE.
As a general principle, the use of lab coats within laboratory environments is considered to be appropriate both as a matter of good laboratory practice as well as for specific safety reasons.
Respiratory protective equipment (RPE)
Many types of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) rely on a tight face seal for their effectiveness (e.g. dust masks and respirators). Such equipment cannot legally be used to protect workers against a hazardous contaminant unless a “face-fit” test has been carried out on each user to ensure that the particular piece of equipment specified fits properly and provides a good seal. A leaking respirator will be ineffective and it is therefore a legal requirement that the effectiveness of the seal is verified for each individual user. Commercial suppliers of equipment can usually arrange for the necessary test.
Note that this test isn't needed when using positive pressure equipment, such as air-fed helmets, that do not need an airtight face seal to be effective. these are also genrally more confortable for users to wear on a long-term basis than negative pressure equipment where air has to be drawn through a filter.
Only RPE that conforms to an appropriate European Standard may be used as a COSHH control measure. ("Nuisance" dust masks may not conform to any standard and the use of these should be avoided where genuine safety risk exists.) As a minimum disposable respirators or filters should conform to FFP 2 or FFP3 standard. FFP2 provides a higher protection factor than FFP3.
HSE has produced a guidance booklet on selection and use of RPE. This can be viewed here: "Respiratory protective equipment at work: a practical guide." (HSG53)