Personal protective equipment: definition and meaning of occupational risks
Do you know personal protective equipment?
Do you know personal protective equipment? In the company, whatever department it relates to. This is important to ensure the safety of employees. The employer must be responsible for the safety of his employees. Therefore, employers must keep the list of for their employees Team will determine the most suitable personal protective equipment. Let us understand the rules of this device in more detail, and what risks they can protect you from?
What does PPE explain?
PPE or Personal Protective Equipment is defined in the Labor Code (Article R.233-83-3) as follows: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a device or tool that is worn or worn; is held by a person in front of one or more people Protect risks that could endanger their health and safety.
Therefore the protective equipment. According to the requirements of the work regulations, the company must provide this protective equipment to employees. Every employee must be protected from the risks during his work, and this protective equipment is never his responsibility, while it is the responsibility of the employer.
Therefore, employers must fully determine the risks to which company employees may be exposed in order to achieve adequate protection for all relevant positions.
What risks does this personal protective equipment cover?
If PPE is mandatory for the company, that is because PPE has many risks covered in order to avoid the most common occupational accidents. These risks are different, and relevant to each sector and industry. Because of different companies Have the necessary equipment to protect employees.
Employees must be particularly protected from the following risks:
- Employees can be exposed to chemical or biological agents. Therefore, skin risks that these active ingredients can cause must be avoided.
- Protective measures should also be taken to prevent the respiratory tract from coming into contact with biological or chemical agents.
- The device must protect employees from high temperatures.
- The device must protect employees from the risk of colds.
- Also consider exposure to radiation or noise.
- Risk of electric shock.
- Risk of impact or crushing
- Risk of falling or piercing
- And many others...
What types of PPE can the company find?
To avoid most of these risks, PPE can take several forms. They protect not only the eyes, head, hands, and feet, but also the lower or upper limbs. These PPE can be most of the following:
1. Head protection
The head is, of course, part of the body, needs to be fully protected. While head injuries are not the most common, they are usually the most serious. To get good protection, some environments require the wear of a hard hat and goggles. Chemical A breathing mask must also be used for hazards and appropriate hearing protection must be provided to avoid the hazards caused by noise, be it a helmet or professional earplug.
2. Protective suit
The rest of the body should not be unprotected. At high temperatures, workers must wear flame retardant clothing, whether it is work clothes, welding apron or other more classic clothing. Of course, you must also take into account the cold, you must provide suitable clothing. For there are just as many vests or jackets with high visibility for the workers involved. Integrated equipment may also fall into this category. It should also be noted that the employer should provide them with work clothes if a worker’s clothes are soiled during work. These expenses should not relate to the employee, but to the manager of the company who hired him, as described in the 《Labor Code》.
3. Protect the limbs of the body
After all, you need to protect your hands and feet. These are also the body parts of most occupational accident victims.
Employees must protect their hands from high or low temperatures, chemical or biological risks, and even perforations or sharp tools. Safety shoes must also meet certain safety standards. Suitable safety shoes are available for all types of risks, whether it be slingshot, heavy objects falling Piercing tools, they must also be suitable for outdoor or indoor use, depending on the work environment, not only must these shoes not interfere with activities, but they must also support different parts of the foot to reduce the risk of injury from exercise, Avoid heavy lifting or repetitive exercise.
What are the employer's obligations for personal protective equipment?
As mentioned earlier, employers are responsible for conducting risk assessments to find the personal protective equipment that must be made available to workers and some companies may have a Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee (CHSCT) to assist them helps determine which PPE is required. Employers should also provide training on the proper use of such PPE. PPE must be kept in good condition and updated as necessary. Should be checked regularly. Likewise, in most cases, used PPE is strictly prohibited .
With all this information about PPE, what equipment is still missing in your clothing?
