SELECTING JOB TASK PPE

The issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.

To start with, what protective product groups and product options are we talking about?

• Head protection – (bump cap, hard hats - with or without chin strap, skull caps/hoods, shaft sinking helmets, anti-riot helmets)
• Eye and face protection (safety glasses/goggles – prescription versions, face masks/ visor-screens, face shields, welding shields/helmets)
• Hearing protection (ear plugs, aureoles, earmuffs and custom-made hearing protection devices)
• Hand protection (long/short cuff gloves/mittens: cotton, leather, PCV, nitrile, latex, Kevlar, chainmail, cut/mechanical resistant, electrical, thermal, etc.)
• Foot and leg protection (safety shoes/boots, gumboots, leg/ankle spats, knee pads, anti-leg cut padding)
• Fall Arrest protection (safety harnesses: restraint/fall arrest, safety anchors, retractable lines, safety lifelines, fall rescue kits)
• Respiratory protection (dust masks, respirators: particulate &/or gas vapour filtered, a breathing apparatus: a snorkel supply to self-contained (SCBA)
• Body protective clothing:
  • Various types of safety suits/overalls (Cotton, Demin, PVC, Polyester, Nylon, Kevlar, food grade, medical suits, aprons, hi-vis vests)
  • Hot & cold environmental clothing (Leather, wind/rain proof &/or temperature padded)
  • Electric flash protective clothing (Arc flash head, hand/body protection clothing)
  • Biological & chemical hazard protecting clothing (Bio-overalls, gowns, scrubs, coveralls, dust coats)
  • Chest protective (security) clothing (bulletproof vests, body shields)

& this list is not exhaustive!

Firstly, to identify the specific risks within a job-task, a formalised Job Task Risk Assessment needs to be performed by a suitably competent person. The job-task assessment should not be a basic Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment (HIRA), which usually does not consider every Job Task Step that is required to be performed during the Job-Task’s execution. Consequently a specific Job-Task Step risk Assessment should be performed to identify & select the necessary for that Job task work.

Secondly, for each job step identified, the assessment needs to consider the type of risk & exposure & to what part of the human body & how the risk/exposure is going to impact on the human body, (i.e. by physical contact or exposure, inhaling, ingestion or skin penetration) as they will indicate the PPE selection focus.

Thirdly, from the table overleaf, identify which of these unsafe actions, conditions, risk &/or exposure situations will, may or could be encountered while performing each of the job-task steps identified for the specific job task being assessed. 

From the above comments, it becomes evident that some suitably competent person needs to perform the job-task risk assessments & then apply the necessary Hierarchy of Control measures as a process to mitigate the job task work risks & exposures, before applying the selection & provision of PPE, as the last resort, to protect workers from their remaining unmitigated job task risks & exposures.