PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

PPE is protective clothing or equipment worn to reduce exposure to hazards, used as a last resort after other controls under the PPE at Work Regulations.

Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, includes items such as hard hats, safety footwear, gloves, eye protection, hearing protection, and high-visibility clothing worn to protect against workplace hazards. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, amended in 2022 to extend duties to certain limb (b) workers, require employers to provide suitable PPE free of charge where risks cannot be controlled by other means.

PPE is regarded as the last line of defence in the hierarchy of control, used only after elimination, substitution, engineering controls, and safe systems of work have been considered. Employers must ensure PPE is suitable, compatible, properly maintained, and that workers are trained in its correct use.

On construction sites, minimum PPE such as helmets, footwear, and high-visibility clothing is commonly mandated, with task-specific PPE added according to the risk assessment.