SA's first PPE conference draws top speakers
Published: 16th Apr 2026

The Safety First Association and SAPEMA hosted SA’s first PPE conference in March, cramming 20 papers into a 2-day event, which also featured a number of PPE supplier stands. Here, we carry edited versions of 7 of them to illustrate the diversity of the topics. We expect to carry more in the next edition.
As several speakers pointed out, the ‘Hierarchy of Controls’, a list of safety steps for people at work drawn up by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), places PPE at the bottom of its list as ‘the least effective’ measure. Be that as it may, as the variety, complexity and constant evolution of PPE illustrates, it’s the most dynamic level in that hierarchy.
Tags: SAPEMA
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