PPE stands for personal protective equipment and is the general term for any equipment used to keep people safe whether in a work or a public environment. The acronym has always been an important one, but particularly in this climate, during and post-pandemic.
Technically, PPE can be described as anything that keeps an individual safe from a risk of injury or disease; defined as ‘equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks at work’ on the government HSE website. More predominantly PPE is safety wear or safety accessories that protect workers from common workplace hazards. Since the recent health crisis, facemasks seem to have taken the spotlight with modern PPE, being the go-to, when discussing any protective equipment in the 21st century.
Respiratory Protection (RPE)
Respiratory protection is key to keeping people safe throughout multiple sectors whether healthcare related or industrial. Respirators are necessity to any workers dealing with day-to-day exposures to dusts or chemical particles.
Valved respirators are particularly important to industry workers. Offering one way air flow, individuals can benefit from a comfortable design with an FFP3 level of protection.
In healthcare situations however, valved masks are much less effective, essentially putting patients at risk. The Alpha Solway HX series FFP3 respirators (pictured) is a primary example of the PPE used to battle the Covid-19 pandemic, an essential safety asset provided throughout NHS Scotland.
Hand Protection
Hand protection has always been an important kind of PPE for workers globally, a must for workers dealing with physical, hands-on jobs exposed to dangers and hazards such as chemicals, electricity, and sharp objects.
Mstore have a variety of hand protection variants, all of which have different capabilities and are important to know the difference between:
Cut Protection
Cut protection is needed when dealing with sharp objects e.g. Blades, Glass
Chemical Protection
These types of gloves are imperative for dealing with chemicals varying in corrosiveness e.g. Oil, Cleaning agents, Strong acids and alkalis
Cold Protection
Gloves used for outdoor work e.g. Steel works, Frozen food production
Impact Protection
Hand protection used in industries involving large machinery or heavy debris e.g. Construction, Demolition
Eye Protection
Eye Protection offers a barrier against risks involving airborne hazards as well as excess of light, both of which could significantly damage eyesight. With a wide variety of protective lenses, the benefits of any safety eyewear are only limited to the task at hand.
Hearing protection
Mstore Hearing Protection comes in 2 variants, lightweight and heavy duty. Although self-explanatory categories, the standards needing to be met vary in levels of protection and comfortability.