PPE-The specialists in personal protective equipment

The word PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. These are devices designed to protect professionals working in hazardous working conditions. Some trades strongly recommend that employees wear this equipment, while others require it. Categories, obligation or brand, discover in this article everything you need to know about PPE.

What is PPE or Personal Protective Equipment?

There are many types of jobs that require the wearing of PPE. There are those who wear them out of obligation and others out of principle. Discover the main reasons for wearing PPE.

Why wear personal protective equipment or safety equipment

Leaving aside the obligations and the law imposed on the employer and the employees, the main reason for wearing PPE is safety. Several types of occupations expose workers to the risk of injury, tearing, perforation or poisoning. Caution alone is not enough to preserve the health and safety of a worker. PPE contributes to the safety of professionals.

The next two reasons have to do with a vision focused on the future. The second cause is planning for the future in terms of health and income. Your job exposes you to potential accidents. If ever this risk were to occur, you would be injured and could have a disability that leads to an irreversible loss of autonomy (PTIA). You will therefore no longer be able to work and generate an income to meet your basic needs. Employers must raise awareness and require employees to wear protective equipment.

The third reason is to preserve your health. Right now you are young and in great shape. You perform the same activities every day and for a long time. Whether you like it or not, your body takes damage from your environment. Without PPE, you risk losing one of your sense organs, respiratory or digestive or worse, your limbs. In the worst case, this equipment will at least be able to cushion the damage. Wear adequate PPE at your work to avoid suffering in the next 20 or 30 years when you retire.

The fourth reason is for employers and entrepreneurs. For the sake of uniformity, employers make their employees wear PPE. Employees wear uniforms of the same color to promote the company's brand, increase their notoriety (act as advertising) and avoid intrusions within the company.

What are the three main means of protection?

The three main means of protection are the classification of protective equipment according to their usefulness. You can find the means of head protection such as anti-noise headphones. goggles, head goggles, goggles. protection against the projection of substances, sparks or strong light. There are also gas masks, face protection masks or even safety visors.

The second category concerns the protection of the body. This contains work tops (jackets, jackets, vests, etc.), work bottoms (shorts, trousers, bermudas, etc.) as well as integral protective clothing (overalls, ribs and overalls, etc).

The last category is the category of PPE that serves to protect the limbs. This category includes protective gloves (handling gloves, anti-perforation, anti-static) and adapted safety shoes (boots, rangers, boots, and so many others).

According to the labor code, employers have the obligation to guarantee and ensure the safety as well as the health (physical and mental) of their employees.

Do PPE have an expiry date?

The expiration date of a PPE corresponds to the date on which it no longer guarantees the protection of its wearer. A regulation prescribes that manufacturers must indicate the expiry date of a PPE.

However, this date remains subjective, because the durability of a PPE depends on its maintenance and its quality. Apart from disposable items, it is recommended to properly maintain PPE such as hard hats, protective gloves, women's safety shoes.

What personal protective equipment (PPE) to deal with NRBC risks?

For your information, CBRN risks include all Nuclear, Radiological, Biological and Chemical risks. What PPE should be worn to protect the body from harmful products and elements emanating from these accidents?

In the event of CBRN risks, the intervention of a specialized team is necessary to rescue the victims and secure the people in the vicinity. Workers must wear protective clothing designed for this purpose.

CBRN protective clothing is classified under several levels depending on the level of risk, the duration of exposure and the proximity of the wearer as well as the source of the contaminant.

• Type 4 suit, a category of waterproof anti-aerosol suits less resistant to fluids. These products are disposable and their cost is lower.
• Type 3 suits commonly called TLD (Light Decontamination Suit). These are disposable outfits, usually made from plastics. They are waterproof and more resistant to liquids.
• T3P or Permanent Wear Protective Clothing. These are combinations containing an activated carbon. They are comfortable, permeable and filtering and can be put on several times.

To protect the head and limbs, his PPE must be accompanied by protective gloves (nitrile or butyl), protective masks against harmful products and specialized safety shoes.

The major PPE brands

Oxwork distributes and sells PPE of all brands that you can choose. It has an extensive catalog of workwear and protective equipment. Browse the site to browse all of its collections by brand, category or model.

Thanks to customer feedback and comments after user experiences, the store has been able to bring together the best manufacturers of workwear and PPE. Among the most popular you can see: ALBATROS, Blaklader, Caterpillar, Coverguard, Dickies, Eurotehnique, G-tek, Helly Hansen, Isacco, LMA Workwear, Portwest, Regatta professional, Safety Jogger, Timberland and WK Designed To Work.