Welcome to Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, training for healthcare workers. This session is for all employees required to wear personal protective equipment.

PPE is frequently the best available defense against job hazards that can cause injuries or health problems. That’s why you’re often assigned PPE and required to wear it.

Today, you’ll learn why using the right PPE for the job is so important. You’ll also learn about hazards that require PPE and how to select, use, and maintain your PPE so that it can always provide the protection you need.

Session Objectives

The main objective of this session is to provide you with the information you need to use PPE effectively to protect against job hazards. By the time the session is over, you will be able to:

• Recognize the importance of PPE to your safety and health;
• Identify job hazards that require the use of PPE;
• Select appropriate PPE for the task you’re performing;
• Inspect and fit your PPE properly;
• Remove and dispose of PPE safely; and
• Maintain PPE in good, safe condition.

What You Need to Know

During the session, we’ll discuss:

• Why using assigned PPE is essential;
• Common healthcare hazards that require PPE;
• Types of PPE that could be necessary;
• Proper selection, inspection, use, and maintenance of PPE; and
• When new or different PPE might be required.

Why You Need to Wear Assigned PPE

Why should you bother to wear personal protective equipment? There are several very good reasons.

• When you work in the healthcare field, you might be exposed to a variety of workplace hazards, depending on your job. For example, patient care, housekeeping, pharmacy, lab, maintenance, supply, and laundry could expose you to hazardous chemicals, contagious infections, sharps, and radiation. Food service and maintenance could expose you to mechanical or heat hazards.
• We use many controls such as ventilation, enclosed processes in the lab, segregation of X-ray equipment, and isolation rooms to help protect you against workplace hazards. But controls can’t always eliminate all job hazards.
• When hazards can’t be eliminated, PPE serves as a protective barrier between you and the hazards.
• Another reason, of course, why you need to wear assigned PPE is because it is required—both by our workplace policy and by OSHA regulations. OSHA requires us to provide you with appropriate PPE and requires you to wear it.

Are you familiar with the workplace’s policy on required PPE? You should be. Check with your supervisor if you have questions about the policy.

OSHA Requirements

OSHA also requires us to provide you with PPE training sessions like this one so that you will know:

• What PPE is needed for each task you perform;
• How to use PPE correctly;
• What your PPE can’t do for you—in other words, its limitations; and
• How to maintain your PPE in good, safe condition.

Common Healthcare Hazards Requiring PPE

Many jobs in the healthcare field require some kind of PPE to protect against a variety of possible hazards. For example:

• Skin penetration by sharps;
• Chemicals;
• Antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer patients and other potentially harmful drugs;
• Blood and other potentially infectious materials; and
• Tuberculosis or other airborne bacteria.

Common Healthcare Hazards Requiring PPE (cont.)

Other hazards you may face include:

• Mechanical hazards, such as moving equipment parts or flying particles;
• Heat from steam or hot equipment;
• Radiation from X-ray equipment;
• Light radiation, such as laser beams or UV rays; and
• Any other hazards that your supervisor has identified as a safety or health risk in your job.

Think about the hazards of your job. Can you list them all?

PPE Is Your Personal Defense Against Hazards

PPE is your personal defense against whichever of these hazards you face while working. Depending on the task you’re performing, you could be exposed to hazards that could injure your:

• Eyes or face;
• Skin;
• Respiratory system;
• Feet;
• Hearing; or
• Head.

Eye and Face Protection

Several types of PPE are available to protect your eyes and face.

• Shatterproof safety glasses protect against impact from flying chips or particles. Side shields provide additional protection and may be worn to protect against chemical and blood splashes.
• Goggles generally provide more protection than safety glasses and can protect eyes not only from flying particles, but also blood, liquid chemicals, and hazardous gases, vapors, mists, and dust.
• Filtered lenses are required to keep out harmful light radiation, such as when working around lasers or when welding. The stronger the light, the darker the lenses must be.
• Face shields protect your face against flying particles and splashing liquids but won’t necessarily protect your eyes. So remember that you must always wear safety glasses or goggles under a face shield.
• If you wear prescription eyeglasses, you’ll need either eye protection with corrective lenses or goggles that can be worn over your glasses.

Think about the eye and face protection you need for your job. Do you always use it when eye and face hazards are present?

Skin Protection

PPE can also help protect your skin from chemicals and infectious materials as well as cuts, abrasions, burns, and punctures.

• Gloves are the primary form of skin protection. Depending on the job you’re performing, you may need to wear:

– Disposable gloves to protect against infectious materials such as contaminated blood or chemical hazards such as potentially harmful drugs;

– Cotton work gloves for dirt, splinters, and rough surfaces;

– Leather gloves to protect against sharp edges and moderate heat;

– Rubber, neoprene, or vinyl gloves to protect against chemicals and other skin irritants such as industrial-strength cleaning solutions; or

– Heat-resistant mitts to protect against burns in food service.

• Remember to always follow posted guidelines when wearing gloves. There may be times that double-gloving is required or other specific instructions.
• You may also need special clothing to protect skin, such as gowns, aprons, lab coats, and caps or hoods. All of these items can help protect your skin’s exposure to hazardous materials.

Think about the skin protection you need in your job. Do you always select the right skin protection for the hazards you face?

Respiratory Protection

You can irritate or damage your lungs and respiratory system as well as other organs if you inhale harmful chemical vapors. You may also need protection against airborne viruses and bacteria, as well as bloodborne pathogens.

• You should wear a mask if there is a risk that blood or other infectious materials could splash in your nose or mouth.
• Wear a respirator if there’s a risk of inhaling hazardous chemical vapors—for example, if you work in a lab. If you’re involved in patient care and the air in an isolation room might be contaminated with tuberculosis-infected droplets, you will also be required to wear a respirator.
• Your supervisor will tell you when a respirator is necessary, provide you with the right kind of respirator, make sure you get a good fit that fully seals out contaminants, and make sure you are trained, if necessary. Notify your supervisor if you have had any significant changes to your face, such as dentures or surgery, or weight gain or loss. You may need to be refitted for your respirator.

What type of respiratory protection do you need in your job? Do you always use the right type of PPE to protect against respiratory hazards?

Foot Protection

Your feet need protection on the job, too.

• Even if no special protective footwear is required for your job, you should still wear sensible, sturdy shoes with nonslip soles to work. For example, you may need shoes with rubber or wooden soles to provide traction on wet floors. Sandals, flip flops, or high-heeled shoes are not safe or appropriate for most jobs in a healthcare facility.
• For some jobs, special safety shoes with reinforced toes may be required—for example, if you handle heavy objects that could fall on your foot or toes and break a bone.
• In other jobs, boots may be required to protect your feet from chemical or biological hazards.
• Or you may need to wear shoe covers to protect against bloodborne pathogens or other infectious materials.

Hearing Protection

If you work in a noisy area or use noisy equipment, you may also need hearing protection to prevent hearing loss. The type of hearing protection you use depends on the level of the noise. There are three basic types of hearing protection:

• Earmuffs offer the greatest protection but must have a perfect seal around the ear to do their job. Glasses, long hair, or long sideburns and beards can make it difficult to get a good fit.
• Earplugs seal the ear canal and may come in standard sizes or be individually fitted. They are often disposable. Reusable earplugs should be cleaned after each wearing to remain effective.
• Canal caps, which are like headphones, seal the entrance to the ear canal.

Homemade hearing protection, like putting cotton in your ears, is never effective and should never be used in place of required hearing protection.

Do you need to wear hearing protection on the job. Have you chosen the type of protection designed for the level of noise?

Head Protection

You need to wear a hard hat to protect your head when there is a risk of falling objects or bumping your head while you work. Hard hats protect your head in two ways:

• The hard outer shell resists blows and penetration.
• The shock-absorbing suspensions—the head band and straps inside—act as a barrier between the outer shell and your head to absorb impact.

But remember, a hard hat can’t protect you properly from impact if you wear anything under it. That means no caps or sweatshirt hoods under a hard hat.

If you need head protection on the job, do you always remember to wear it when required?

Hazards and Protections

• Do you understand all the information that has been presented so far about job hazards that might require PPE and the PPE that might be required? It’s important for your safety and health that you understand and remember all this information.

Now we’ll continue to the next set of slides where we’ll discuss some important points about selection, inspection, use, and maintenance of PPE.

Select the Right PPE for the Job You’re Performing

We spend a lot of time and effort on selecting just the right PPE to protect you against the particular hazards you face. We will provide you with PPE that:

• Protects you from identified hazards in the jobs you perform;
• Is of safe design and construction and gives you a good fit;
• Is sanitary and reliable;
• Provides more than minimum protection and protects against multiple hazards when necessary—for example, gloves that protect against both chemical and biological hazards; and
• Meets required safety and health standards established by OSHA and the American National Standards Institute.

Select the Right PPE For Chemical Hazards

When you need to protect yourself against potential chemical hazards, there are two excellent sources of information about selecting the right PPE:

• The label on the container, which will tell you the hazards of the chemical and recommend proper precautions, including the right PPE;
• There is also a safety data sheet, also know as SDS and formerly known as material safety data sheet, or MSDS, for each chemical. This provides more detailed information about hazards and required PPE.

If you still have questions about hazards or required protection, ask your supervisor before you begin the job.

Do you know where to find important safety and health information on labels and SDSs?

Inspect PPE Before Use

To do its job, PPE must be in top condition.

• To be sure it is, inspect PPE carefully before you put it on. And that means before each use.
• When you inspect your protective equipment, look for holes, tears, scratches, dents, cracks, wear, or other problems that could prevent the equipment from doing its job and expose you to hazards.
• Never use defective, worn, or damaged PPE. Turn it in and get an effective replacement before you start working.

Think about how you inspect your PPE before use. Are you performing inspections properly so that you’ll be sure to catch any defects or damage that could put you at risk?

Get a Good Fit

To be effective, your PPE has to fit correctly. Respirators, shoes, and some hearing protection may have to be custom-fitted. Other PPE, like gloves and safety glasses, come in a variety of sizes. It’s up to you to get a good fit. PPE fits well when it:

• Provides you with the protection you need; and
• Is comfortable enough to allow you to move and perform your job well.

Remember to check fit before each use. PPE can stretch and wear over time.

Do you know how to check to make sure you’re getting a good fit for all items of PPE you wear? Without the right fit, you could be exposing yourself to serious hazards.

Remove and Dispose Of PPE Correctly

When you are finished using PPE and protective clothing, be careful to remove and dispose of it correctly to avoid contamination. Here’s what to do, step by step:

• Remove PPE and protective clothing when it’s contaminated or, if that’s impossible, do it as soon as you finish the task;
• Remove contaminated protective clothing and PPE one piece at a time, from the top down while wearing gloves to protect your skin;
• When you remove your gloves, grasp them on the inside and peel them off without touching the outside;
• Place contaminated clothing and PPE in assigned containers; and
• Wash thoroughly after removing PPE.

Think about the way you currently remove contaminated PPE. Are you following safe procedures?

Maintain PPE Properly

All tools have to be kept clean and in good condition in order to work well. PPE is no different.

• Clean reusable PPE before you put it away. For example, wash safety glasses with soap and water to keep lenses clean. Also clean reusable earplugs so that they will remain effective.
• Once it’s clean, store your PPE carefully in a safe place where it won’t be damaged or lost, such as the top shelf of your locker. Avoid any conditions, such as heat or moisture, that could damage PPE.

Do you follow proper procedures for cleaning and storing PPE so it will be in good condition the next time you or somebody else needs to use it?

Selection, Use, and Maintenance

Do you understand the information presented in the previous slides about:

• Selecting the right PPE for the job?
• Inspecting it before each use?
• Using it correctly and maintaining it properly?

PPE is one of the most important ways you can protect yourself from job hazards. Make sure you know how to use it properly.

When New or Different PPE May Be Required

PPE is specially selected to protect you from the specific hazards you face on the job. But when the tasks you perform change, hazards may change, too.

• For example, when new equipment or substances are introduced into your work area, you may also face new or different hazards.
• In addition, when hazards change or when new hazards arise, new or different PPE may be required.
• You may also be assigned new and improved PPE when design or manufacturing technology changes and PPE is made safer and more effective.

If new or different PPE is required, your supervisor will explain the need for the change and prepare you to use the new PPE correctly and safely.

Think about situations on the job where you have been required to use new or different PPE. By cooperating with the change, you were protecting your health and safety.

Use PPE Responsibly

It’s our responsibility to identify workplace hazards and provide you with the PPE you need to protect yourself from hazards of the job. But it’s your responsibility to use the equipment you’re assigned, and use it correctly, so that it can do its job and protect you while you’re doing your job. To use PPE responsibly, you need to:

• Know the job hazards and which protective equipment is called for;
• Use the equipment that is provided in the way you’ve been taught;
• Check the equipment before each use to make sure it’s in good condition, and report any problems with PPE to your supervisor before you start to work;
• Take good care of the equipment assigned to you, and keep it clean; and
• Remove equipment carefully so that you don’t contaminate yourself, and clean or dispose of it properly.

Key Points to Remember

These are the main points to remember from this session on personal protective equipment:

• OSHA requires the use of PPE when workplace hazards can’t be eliminated;
• PPE provides you with a barrier of protection against job hazards;
• You need to know how to select, inspect, use, and maintain your PPE correctly;
• Always use assigned PPE; and
• If there’s anything about PPE you don’t understand, ask your supervisor before you begin the job.

This concludes the Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers training session.