Proper PPE (personal protective equipment) is any equipment worn to protect against workplace hazards, selected based on a formal assessment of the specific risks present. It includes protection for the eyes, face, head, hands, feet, ears, and respiratory system. The key word is “proper”: the right PPE matches the hazard, fits the individual worker, and is put on and taken off in the correct sequence to avoid contamination or injury.
What Counts as PPE
PPE covers a broad range of gear, and the correct choice depends entirely on the hazard you face. The main categories are:
- Eye and face protection: safety glasses, goggles, face shields
- Head protection: hard hats, bump caps
- Hearing protection: earplugs, earmuffs
- Respiratory protection: N95 respirators, half-mask respirators, full-face respirators
- Hand protection: gloves made from nitrile, latex, butyl rubber, leather, or other materials
- Body protection: gowns, coveralls, arc-rated clothing, high-visibility vests
- Foot protection: steel-toe boots, metatarsal guards, chemical-resistant boots
- Fall protection: harnesses, lanyards, self-retracting lifelines
No single piece of equipment protects against everything. A hard hat does nothing for chemical splashes, and safety glasses won’t help in a high-noise environment. That’s why proper PPE always starts with identifying the specific hazards first.
How Hazard Assessment Drives PPE Selection
Under OSHA standard 1910.132, employers must assess the workplace to determine which hazards are present or likely to be present. This isn’t optional. The employer is required to produce a written certification documenting the evaluation, who performed it, and when.
Based on that assessment, the employer selects PPE that protects against the identified hazards, communicates those decisions to every affected worker, and ensures the equipment fits each person properly. A respirator that gaps at the seal or gloves that are too loose can be worse than useless because they create a false sense of security.
Respiratory Protection
Respirators are one of the most commonly misunderstood types of PPE because not all of them protect against the same things. The differences matter.
NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece respirators like the N95 filter out at least 95% of airborne particles. They protect against dust, mist, and biological aerosols, but they do not protect against gases or chemical vapors. If you’re working around solvents, paint fumes, or other vapors, an N95 won’t help.
Reusable elastomeric half-mask respirators also achieve at least 95% filtration when fitted with particle filters, but they can be equipped with cartridges or canisters that handle gases and vapors too. This makes them far more versatile. International alternatives like the KN95 offer a minimum of 80% filtration efficiency, which is notably lower than the N95’s 95% threshold.
Cloth masks and basic disposable masks are not respirators. Cloth masks may block large droplets but generally don’t filter small particles. Barrier face coverings achieve only 20% filtration at the base level, though enhanced versions reach 50% to 80%. None of these are substitutes for a NIOSH-approved respirator when the hazard calls for one.
Fit matters as much as the filter. Respirators must be fit-checked every time they’re put on, and many workplaces require formal fit testing to ensure a proper seal against the face.
Hand Protection
Choosing the right glove material is critical because chemicals pass through different materials at very different rates. A glove that holds up for hours against one solvent may dissolve in minutes when exposed to another.
Nitrile gloves, one of the most common choices in labs and medical settings, perform well against many chemicals but have clear weaknesses. Acetone breaks through nitrile in about 2 minutes. Dichloromethane penetrates within an hour. By contrast, butyl rubber gloves resist both of those chemicals for over 8 hours with no detectable breakthrough. Natural rubber (latex) also blocks acetone for over 8 hours but falls apart in under 10 minutes when exposed to dichloromethane or toluene.
The critical concept is breakthrough time: the point at which a chemical begins passing through the glove material at a measurable rate. Once breakthrough occurs, the glove is no longer protecting you, even if it still looks intact. This is why chemical resistance charts exist for every glove material, and why grabbing whatever gloves are closest is not proper PPE selection.
Eye, Face, and Head Protection
Safety eyewear and face shields sold in the U.S. should meet the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 standard, which sets performance requirements for impact resistance, optical clarity, and coverage. OSHA accepts any eye or face protection the employer can demonstrate is at least as effective as Z87.1-compliant gear. Look for the “Z87” marking on the lens or frame to confirm compliance.
A separate standard, Z87.62, covers protectors designed to minimize exposure to blood, body fluids, and other potentially infectious materials. This is the standard behind the splash-resistant goggles and face shields used in healthcare and first response.
Hard hats should be inspected regularly for cracked, deformed, or perforated shells and brims. The suspension system inside the hat absorbs impact energy, so frayed, torn, or deteriorated suspension webbing means the hat needs to be replaced, even if the outer shell looks fine. Chalking or loss of surface gloss on the shell can indicate UV degradation, which weakens the material over time.
Hearing Protection
OSHA’s permissible exposure limits tie noise levels directly to how long you can be exposed. At 90 decibels (roughly the volume of a lawn mower), the limit is 8 hours. At 100 decibels, it drops to just 2 hours. At 115 decibels, the maximum exposure is 15 minutes or less. Any impulse noise above 140 decibels, like a gunshot, exceeds the safe threshold regardless of duration.
Employers must provide hearing protectors at no cost to anyone exposed to an 8-hour average of 85 decibels or more. That 85-decibel “action level” also triggers a hearing conservation program, which includes regular hearing tests to catch early signs of damage. If your hearing test shows a measurable shift from your baseline, your employer is required to ensure you wear hearing protection going forward.
Electrical Arc Flash Protection
Workers exposed to electrical arc flash hazards need arc-rated clothing, which is categorized into four levels based on the energy it can withstand. Category 1 clothing is rated for a minimum of 4 calories per square centimeter, suitable for lower-energy tasks. Category 2 doubles that to 8 cal/cm². Category 3 jumps to 25 cal/cm², and Category 4, the highest level, is rated at 40 cal/cm². Each category specifies not just the clothing but the full ensemble of protection required, including face shields, gloves, and head protection rated to the same level.
The Correct Order for Putting On and Taking Off PPE
Wearing the right PPE isn’t enough if you contaminate yourself while putting it on or taking it off. The CDC specifies a precise sequence, particularly important in healthcare and any environment involving biological or chemical hazards.
When putting PPE on (donning), the order is: gown first, then mask or respirator, then goggles or face shield, then gloves last. The gown should cover from neck to knees and wrap fully around the back. The respirator gets a fit check after positioning. Gloves go on last and should extend over the gown’s wrists so no skin is exposed.
When taking PPE off (doffing), the order reverses in a specific way designed to prevent the contaminated outer surfaces from touching your skin or clothing. Gloves come off first, since they’re the most contaminated. You peel one glove off by grasping the outside with the other gloved hand, then slide your bare fingers under the wrist of the remaining glove to remove it without touching the exterior. Next, remove goggles or the face shield by handling only the headband or earpieces. Then peel the gown away from each shoulder, letting it turn inside out as you roll it into a bundle. The mask or respirator comes off last, and you touch only the ties or elastic bands, never the front surface. Hand hygiene immediately follows.
Inspecting PPE Before Use
PPE degrades over time, and damaged equipment can fail at exactly the wrong moment. Before each use, check safety glasses for chipped, scratched, or scraped lenses and inspect headbands for fraying or loss of elasticity. For hard hats, look for cracks in the shell, deformation, or a chalky surface that suggests sun damage, and check the interior suspension for tears or stretching.
Gloves should be visually inspected for punctures, tears, or discoloration that may indicate chemical degradation. Swelling or stiffness are signs that a glove material has been compromised. Respirator valves, straps, and seals all need checking, and any component showing wear should be replaced before the respirator is used.
Who Pays for PPE
In most cases, employers must provide and pay for all required PPE. Workers should not be bearing the cost of equipment mandated by a hazard assessment. There are a handful of exceptions: non-specialty steel-toe boots and prescription safety glasses don’t have to be employer-funded if workers are allowed to wear them off the job. Everyday clothing, weather gear like winter coats and sunscreen, and items worn for consumer safety (like food-service hairnets) are also excluded. Lifting belts are specifically exempt because their protective value is considered unproven. If a worker loses or intentionally damages PPE, the employer can require the worker to cover the replacement cost.
Even when workers supply their own equipment, the employer remains responsible for ensuring it’s adequate, properly maintained, and sanitary.