What this check covers

This free check tests whether personal protective equipment is actually protecting people, not just present. Nine questions cover selection from a documented understanding of the hazard rather than a generic site list, whether stronger controls were considered before PPE was relied on, fit for the individual and for the task, compatibility when several items are worn together (eye, hearing, respiratory and head protection), training on when PPE is required and its limits, supervisors reinforcing correct use rather than only after an incident, inspection, cleaning and storage of reusable PPE, prompt replacement of damaged, contaminated or expired items without discouraging people from reporting defects, and the issue and inspection records the risk or regulation calls for. Four questions are safety-critical: hazard-based selection, fit, compatibility and prompt replacement. It rests on the general duties of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the specific PPE requirements of the regulations that apply to your work, rather than a single regulation. It is written for the person who issues and manages PPE on a site, in a factory or across a contract. The presence of PPE does not prove protection, and the questions are built around that gap. Our free PPE Awareness Course and PPE Inspector Awareness Course cover use and inspection in more depth.