Personal Protective Equipment — gear worn to minimize exposure to hazards, including hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, high-visibility vests, and steel-toed boots.
🏗️
In the Field
PPE is the last line of defense — engineering controls and work practices come first. Hard hats, glasses, and vests are baseline on any active site. Fall protection kicks in at 6 feet in construction under OSHA standards.
📐
Rule of Thumb
OSHA hierarchy of controls: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, then PPE. Don't jump to PPE when a guardrail would eliminate the hazard entirely.