22 Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
Closing the Loop: Setting Up a Health & Safety System in Your Small Business
personal protective Equipment
It's the employer's responsibility to identify and understand the hazards in the workplace. In a
perfect world, you would be able to eliminate all hazards. It's not a perfect world. That being
the case, you're responsible for providing appropriate personal equipment to your employees
and making sure they know how to use it.
When you're selecting personal protective
equipment, keep this in mind:
It must protect the employee from the
degree of the hazard
It must meet all of the legislated safety
standards
It must fit properly and suit the work:
equipment that isn't worn because it's
uncomfortable or doesn't allow you to
perform the work properly offers no
protection. Remember: one size does not
necessarily fit all
It's important that personal protective
equipment is periodically inspected and
maintained, particularly if it's not being
used all the time. It's also important to make
sure that people are using it, and using it
in the way it was intended. Check in with
employees — see what they like, or don't
like, about the equipment. Involve them in
the process.
Keep records — who has what equipment,
the training they received, inspections and
maintenance.
