What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
PPE is equipment which can be used or worn to protect you from risks to your health and safety.
The equipment can range from respirators, to safety boots to anti-vibration gloves, and can be crucial around the workplace, as not only will it protect against those one-off accidents, but also those medical conditions which form over a period of time, these are known as industrial diseases.
What are an employer’s duties?
The duty of an employer to provide PPE to employees who may be exposed to risks to their health and safety, is contained in The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992. This legislation states that an employer must have completed an assessment of the PPE prior to it being implemented in the work place to assess its suitability to the task.
However, simply providing this equipment does not go far enough. Employers must ensure that their employees are provided with such information, instruction and training as is adequate and appropriate to enable their employees to know the risks that they are avoiding or limiting, how the PPE is used and any action which needs to be taken by their employees to ensure that the PPE remains in good repair, efficient working order and state.
An employer must also ensure that the PPE is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. This means that the PPE must be cleaned or replaced when necessary. An employer must also ensure that the equipment is stored in the correct place.
PPE Compensation Claims
If you have had an accident as a result of a lack of or inadequate PPE at work, you may have a claim for compensation. In this situation it is advisable to take the following actions:
- Make your employer aware of your injuries as they may need to fill out an accident report
- Seek medical assistance for your injuries
- Check for witnesses to your accident and obtain their contact details
- Get the advice of a specialist in personal injury
How Nelsons Can Help
If you have any questions in relation to the topics discussed in this article, please contact a member of our expert Personal Injury team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.