Explanation
PPE only protects the person wearing it, and only if it fits, is undamaged and is used properly. That is why it sits at the bottom of the hierarchy of controls: you use it when you cannot remove or guard against the hazard at the source, or as a supplement to that.
Examples are a helmet, safety shoes, hearing protection, safety goggles, gloves, respiratory protection and fall protection with a harness. Which PPE is needed follows from the risk assessment or a TRA. The employer provides suitable equipment, instruction and maintenance; the worker uses it as agreed.
Good PPE management means: the right choice and size, recording issue, monitoring inspections and expiry dates (as with a fall-arrest harness), replacing damaged items and regularly checking that people actually wear it. A toolbox about PPE helps when this goes wrong in practice.
Example from practice
A fitter working at height wears a helmet, safety shoes and a fall-arrest harness. The harness is inspected periodically and taken out of use after a fall.
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