Personal Protective Clothing (PPE)

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (the PPE Regulations) require every employer to ensure suitable PPE is provided to any of their employees who may be exposed to a risk to health and safety whilst at work and at no cost to the employee.

What is PPE?

PPE means all equipment and clothing which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work and which affords protection against one or more risks to health or safety. Protective clothing includes aprons, gloves, safety footwear, safety helmets, high visibility jackets and clothing designed to protect against adverse weather conditions. Protective equipment includes eye protectors, safety harnesses, respirators ad live jackets.

Ordinary working clothes and work uniforms that do not offer specific protection are not covered. Therefore caterers’ overalls and similar clothing provided solely in the interests of food hygiene does not constitute PPE, whilst a reinforced glove provided to a chef to safeguard against injury would count as PPE. Any requirement for equipment under the Road Traffic Act 1988 for use on the public highway, e.g. crash helmets, still apply, but are excluded from the PPE Regulations.

The PPE Regulations do not apply to devices such as shields, truncheons and “rape alarms” that are designed to protect a worker from a criminal act. Filters for display screens (including those that purport to protect against radiation) and so-called “VDU glasses” are not forms of PPE, neither are spectacles with corrective lenses that are required under Regulation 5 of the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992)

Charge for PPE?

Employers must not charge employees for PPE. Temporary workers who are engaged on contracts for services are self-employed and in the REC’s view are technically responsible for providing their own such equipment. Where deductions are made to cover the cost of PPE, such deductions must not bring the temporary worker’s wages below the National Minimum Wage.