What is the importance of personal protective equipment?

What is the importance of personal protective equipment?

The application of personal protective products cannot eliminate or reduce the root cause of harm, but PPE should always be regarded as the last line of defense.

According to the American Chemical Abstracts Registry, there are as many as 7 million chemicals in the world, of which more than 100,000 are already on the market, more than 70,000 are frequently used, and there are more than 1,000 new chemicals in the world Species.

Dangerous chemicals refer to highly toxic chemicals and other chemicals that are poisonous, corrosive, explosive, combustible, and combustion-supporting, and that are hazardous to humans, facilities, and the environment.

In the following situations, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is appropriate:

● When using more effective means, such as engineering control or administrative means, to control the hazards of chemicals is not feasible, personal protective equipment should be used, such as during maintenance or repair work;

● In a critical situation, when personnel need to be in direct contact with high concentrations of chemicals;

● More effective solutions are being developed or implemented, using personal protective equipment as a temporary means.

The application of PPE cannot eliminate or reduce the root cause of harm. Therefore, the wearer may be exposed to harmful situations due to equipment failure for some reason. In some cases, using PPE may be inconvenient, which affects the safe and effective completion of the task. Despite all its shortcomings, PPE should always be regarded as the last line of defense.

The types of PPE include clothing, such as gowns, gloves, shoes, and apron, and other equipment, such as artificial respiration (filter), glasses, and face masks.