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Personal Protective Equipment Essay

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Many work environments depend on the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep workers safe. Although healthcare environments may be the first industry that comes to mind, people who work with hazardous chemicals, dangerous machinery or equipment, and others all require specific articles of PPE to stay safe.
Keeping PPE on hand and in excellent condition, however, is only a portion of the safety protocol. Using and removing equipment correctly, at the right place and at the right time, is also required to minimize the risk of employee injury or contamination.
Different types of PPE are designed to offer employees different types of protection. Those who work with machinery are likely to require gloves as well as eye and ear protection at a minimum. Those who work in healthcare environments may require anything from a basic respirator and gloves to full …show more content…

Studies have confirmed the need for improvement in training procedures to help employees learn how to adequately protect themselves. When full protective equipment is required, all parts of the body must be completely shielded due to the risk of exposure to infected blood or bodily fluids.
Training employees to follow specific guidelines, such as the following for healthcare facilities, will help to minimize the risk of contamination:
Studies verify that when workers are taught how to properly remove their PPE at an appropriate time and place, positive changes tend to quickly become habits. Workers naturally want to protect themselves but often need instruction on how to achieve that goal.
Once you have determined which types of PPE are needed and have provided your employees the proper training to correctly use them, maintaining that usage over time will be the mark for true success. PPE itself will need maintenance and replacement and the workers involved will require periodic bouts of refreshment in safety

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