3.2 Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Question 1

PPE should be regarded as the last resort to protect against risks to health and
safety. Engineering controls and safe systems of work should be considered first.
This is because:

Answer 1

 PPE protects only the person wearing it, whereas measures controlling the risk at
source can protect everyone at the workplace.
 Maximum levels of protection are seldom achieved with PPE in practice and the
actual level of protection is difficult to assess.
 If RPE is used incorrectly, or is badly maintained, the wearer is unlikely to receive
adequate protection.
 RPE is uncomfortable to wear and is an intrusion into normal activities.
 RPE may interfere with work.

Question 2

Type and level of protection required

The risk assessment will indicate the type of protection required from:

Answer 2

 type of substance and its nature e.g. corrosive, toxic etc.
 form of the substance
 route of entry into the body
 concentration of the substance.

Question 3

There are two broad categories of RPE:

Answer 3

respirators and breathing apparatus (BA)

Question 4

The key factors in selecting appropriate RPE are:

Answer 4

 The level of oxygen present in the air to be breathed

 The presence of toxic chemicals that may pose an imminent risk to life.

Question 5

Respirators work by

Answer 5

filtering contaminants out of the air so that the wearer breathes
clean air

Question 6

BA works by

Answer 6

delivering a supply of breathable air from an uncontaminated
source

Question 7

Types of Respirators

Answer 7

Simple
filtering
respirators

Power
assisted
respirators

Question 8

Types of Breathing Apparatus

Answer 8

Fresh air hose
BA

Powered airline
BA

Self-
contained BA

Question 9

There are three main types of respirator filters:

Answer 9

Particle filters
Gas/vapour filters
Combined filters

Question 10

Filter efficiency

Answer 10

P1: low efficiency: used with PF4 respirators. Do not use against fume unless 
the
manufacturer can guarantee protection.

P2: medium efficiency: used with PF10 respirators. Not to be used against fume
unless the manufacturer can guarantee protection.

P3: high efficiency: used with PF20 or PF40 respirators.

Question 11

Gas and vapour filters
The classification of gas and vapour filters is based on how much of the specified
contaminant they can hold in a laboratory test at set conditions.

Answer 11

 Class 1: low capacity.
 Class 2: medium capacity.
 Class 3: high capacity.

Question 12

RPE should only be selected and used after a justification has been made in the risk
assessment required by law. It can be used in the following situations:

Answer 12

 Where an inhalation exposure risk remains after other reasonable controls have
been put in place i.e. residual risk.
 Short-term or infrequent exposures where other controls at source are not
reasonably practicable.
 While putting in place other control measures (interim measures).
 Emergency escape for safe exit from an area where hazardous substances may
be released suddenly in the event of control systems failures e.g. a chlorine tank.
 Emergency work or temporary failure of controls where other means of controls 

are not reasonably practicable.
 Where emergency rescue by trained personnel is necessary.

Question 13

Selection of RPE

In order to decide on the suitability and selection the following factors must be taken
into account:

Answer 13

1) Chemical and toxicological related factors
2) Task-related factors
3) Worker related factors.

Question 14

A confined space is

Answer 14

a substantially enclosed space e.g. a chamber, tank, vat, silo,
pit, trench, pipe, sewer, flue, well or small room with limited access and inadequate
air exchange. A confined space may not necessarily be enclosed on all sides.

Question 15

Task-related factors that need to be considered when selecting RPE:

Answer 15

Work rate 
Wear time  
Abnormal temperature or humidity 
Power tools used  
Clarity of vision  
Clarity of communication 
Mobility 
Congested work area  
Potentially explosive atmosphere

Question 16

Assigned protection factor (APF)

The APF is the level of respiratory protection that can realistically be expected to be
achieved in the workplace by 95% of adequately trained and supervised wearers
using a properly functioning and correctly fitted respiratory protective device.

It is calculated, under test conditions by

Answer 16

dividing the level of air borne contamination
by the level that would be breathed in (i.e. after the RPE has done its job). If there
were 50mg/m3 of contaminant in the air and 5mg/m3 got passed the RPE the APF
would be 50/5 = 10.

Question 17

The minimum protection required (MPR) from specific RPE can be calculated by

Answer 17

measuring the workplace concentration outside the facepiece of the RPE and
dividing it by the maximum allowable concentration inside the facepiece of the RPE
(i.e. the WEL)

MPR = workplace concentration of contaminant outside RPE facepiece
maximum allowable concentration inside the RPE facepiece (WEL)

Question 18

It should be noted that RPE may not provide the level of protection stated by the
manufacturers. This may be because:

Answer 18

 Poor air flow or a reduction in battery power
 The fitting of incorrect cartridges or a failure to replace them before saturation
 Equipment incorrectly fitted or incompatible with other personal protective
equipment being worn
 The presence of other contaminants resulting in a decrease in saturation time
 Inadequate training in its use and particularly in the care that should be taken in
its removal
 Poor maintenance and inadequate storage resulting in the face piece being left
exposed
 Damage occurring during use and inadequate monitoring and supervision to
ensure the equipment was always used when required
 The equipment might not have been manufactured to the appropriate standards.

Question 19

There are two basic types of RPE fit testing

Answer 19

Qualitative fit testing: is a simple pass/fail test based on the
wearer’s subjective assessment of the leakage, via the face seal
region, of a test agent. If the wearer can detect the test agent
(either a bitter or sweet tasting aerosol; or an odourous
compound) the fit test is failed.

Quantitative fit testing: provides a numerical measure of the fit that is called a fit
factor. These tests give an objective measure of face fit. They require specialised
equipment and are more complicated to carry out.

Question 20

Maintenance is a requirement for all RPE, except for single use RPE, and should be
carried out by properly trained personnel. An effective maintenance system includes
the following:

Answer 20

 Examination: checking for faults, damage, wear and tear, dirt etc.
 Testing: to ensure PPE is operating as intended
 Cleaning: including disinfection if appropriate
 Repair
 Replacement.

Records of examination and testing must be kept for five years.

Question 21

When choosing safety eye wear the following should be considered:

Answer 21

The  nature  of  the  hazard
The risk factors
Intended  use
Type  of  lens
Ocular  performance
Comfort  and  fit
Compatibility with other PPE

Question 22

After considering the specific requirements of skin and eye protection, the following
general issues should be considered:

Answer 22

 Consultation and user trials
 Comfort of the equipment
 That everything purchased carried the CE mark
 That all personal protective equipment provided met the appropriate standards.

Question 23

The following training should be given to users of PPE:

Answer 23

 The health risks of the chemical in use.
 The type of personal protection to be used and the reason for its use.
 The methods to be used for putting on and taking off the equipment without
causing contamination including decontaminating or discarding gloves after use.
 The methods of examining the equipment for damage or degradation, particularly
gloves, and for reporting defects and obtaining replacements.
 How to store the equipment correctly.
 How to carry out self-examination of the skin and the action to be taken if
problems were to occur.

Question 24

Other than training, there are practical measures that can be taken to increase the
correct use of PPE. These include:

Answer 24

 Management leading by example
 Employees being involved in the selection of the equipment
 Ensuring the availability of a range of sizes in gloves and fully adjustable face
shields
 Ensuring employees were required to sign for their equipment and maintaining
records of issue
 Issuing the equipment on a personal basis and providing adequate storage
facilities
 Using propaganda, signs and posters and incentive schemes
 Monitoring compliance in the use of the equipment with a recognised code of
discipline for non-use
 Monitoring the effectiveness of the equipment issued and replacing it with an
alternative type if problems were encountered.