Your complete guide to buying PPE

When it comes to buying PPE for your team, there is a lot to consider.

In this guide, we take you through everything you need to know to make informed purchases for your business.

What is PPE?

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment worn to prevent or minimise exposure to workplace hazards that could cause injury or illness, including sharp or falling objects, chemicals, dust, excessive heat or cold, noise, and electricity.

Examples of PPE include hard hats, safety goggles, safety gloves, coveralls, ear defenders, safety footwear, and hi-vis clothing.

Buying PPE to protect against a workplace hazard should always be a last resort. Where possible, employers should seek to eliminate the hazard completely – or at least change the way their teams work to avoid them coming into contact with it.

What does the law say about PPE?

The law on PPE in the UK is governed by the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992.

These require employers to make sure PPE at work is:

• fit for purpose
• properly stored and maintained
• provided to workers alongside suitable instructions for how to use it safely
• used correctly

Ensuring PPE is used correctly means giving workers enough information, instruction and training; following each manufacturer’s given instructions for use; and monitoring individuals and teams to ensure continued compliance.

When it comes to buying PPE, how do I know which items are ‘fit for purpose’?

Items of PPE must conform to certain agreed standards governing their sale to the UK market.

Conforming PPE will display the appropriate UKCA or CE mark, and should be supplied with both a declaration of conformity, and instructions in English.

Besides these basics, there are several other factors that it is important to consider when buying PPE. These include:

• Choice
• Comfort
• Durability

These factors will influence the overall cost of your PPE, as well as how effective it will be at doing the job it is intended to do – preventing injuries and illness (more on this later…)

How much should PPE cost?

When it comes to budgeting for PPE, there is no set amount of money that you should have in mind.

What will be important is to balance the unit cost against the item’s quality and durability, remembering that good quality items with added comfort features are more likely to be worn, and that more durable items will need to be replaced less often, reducing your overall PPE bill in the longer term.

What factors are important when buying PPE?

As we’ve already mentioned above, aside from ensuring that any PPE you buy for your team conforms to legal standards, there are several other factors that you’ll want to consider:

Choice

Does the item, where appropriate, come in a range of sizes and fits to accommodate different body types?

Items of PPE should never be modified to fit, as this can compromise the protection they offer. Oversized items creating an excess of material can become caught in machinery, while some items such as safety harnesses must be the right size to offer the intended level of protection.

When it comes to safety footwear, it is important that female workers are offered ladies’ fit shoes, boots and trainers. Find out why so-called ‘unisex’ footwear designs don’t work for women in our dedicated blog on this topic.

Our tip: Where more than one item of PPE must be worn at the same time – such as safety glasses with a respirator, or ear defenders with a hard hat – employers should select items carefully to ensure that one item doesn’t compromise the efficacy of the other. If in doubt, speak to your PPE provider and ask their advice.

Comfort
 
Workwear and PPE that is comfortable is more likely to be worn – that’s a fact.

Ensuring your workers actually wear their PPE as intended is a key employer requirement under health and safety law, so providing comfortable, well-fitting PPE that doesn’t hamper individuals’ ability to do their job and that they’re not desperate to take off at the end of the day or task is a ‘must’.

Our tip: Look for added comfort features such as premium weight materials, ergonomic design, padded straps and linings, and anti-sweat technology. Also, don’t forget to ask your PPE supplier if you can try before you buy!

Durability

Items of PPE may conform to minimum standards in terms of the protection they afford the wearer, without necessarily lasting a long time.

But PPE made from more durable fabrics may need to be replaced less often, costing you as the employer less overall while also reducing the risk of your workers wearing substandard PPE that may no longer be effective.

For more information on the importance of durability in PPE buying, check out our blog on price vs value when kitting out your teams.

Buying replacement PPE

PPE should be properly stored and maintained when not in use, and kept in good, clean condition.

Occasionally, there will be a need to source replacement parts for items of PPE, rather than provide a completely new item.

While small, less important parts like shoelaces may be replaced by the individual wearer, more specialist equipment is likely to require replacement parts sourced directly from the manufacturer, or even need to be sent back for the required maintenance to be carried out.

If in doubt, employers should consult the original manufacturer’s replacement schedule for the specific item of PPE.

Success in PPE buying

Don’t forget: buying the right PPE is just one half of the equation. To ensure your business is protected in the event of an incident, you’ll want to make sure your workers actually wear and use it as intended.

Educating individuals and teams on the need for PPE alone won’t stop someone being tempted to skip the recommended protective wear for short tasks or when they’re pushed for time. But paying attention to those added extras (choice, comfort and durability) when selecting PPE in the first place should help to alleviate non-compliance.

If you have any questions about PPE at work, or need any help in selecting the best items for your team, please do give us a call or drop us an email and we will be happy to assist.