Personal Protective Equipment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Protective Equipment - Essay Example For the purpose employers plan and execute a Health, Safety and Environmental (HS&E) Policy for its organization that monitors and assesses process, material, product, working environment, premise for identification, elimination and future prevention of a hazard. This is done through elimination of a potential hazard through substitution or reducing its impact through engineering and administrative controls. Controlling a hazard at the source is the best way to protect the employees. Substitution method involves replacing an ingredient / material use in the process or a machine with a less dangerous one. Engineering control involves building a barrier between the employees and the hazard through enclosure, isolation and ventilation (ILO, n.d.). Administrative control limits the amount of time an employee spends at a hazardous job by changing work schedules, providing longer rest period or shorter work shifts, or shifting hazardous work process where limited people would be exposed. T his measure reduces exposure time and does not eliminate the hazard. If all control measures fail then employer must provide their employees with appropriate PPE, along with training for usage, cleaning & maintenance of (CCOHS, 2011). PPE is worn to minimize exposure to a hazard and does not in any way reduce the hazard itself. Hence they are considered as the last resort / choice in control measures. A very common workplace hazard is noise pollution experienced on account of repair / maintenance being conducted nearby or in the same building on near floors or even on the same floor in an adjacent room. Usually employer provide ear plugs or muffs (PPE) as a common control measure assuming that the discomfort / hazard is temporary and would be eliminated once the repair work is done. Wearing hearing protection reduces the noise and likelihood of hearing damage however does not in any way