What does PPE stand for?

PPE stands for personal protective equipment: equipment worn to protect the body from a workplace hazard. OSHA's general rule, 29 CFR 1910.132(a), covers protection for eyes, face, head and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers.

What are the main types of PPE?

By body part: eye and face protection (safety glasses, goggles, face shields, welding lenses), head protection (hard hats), foot protection (safety shoes), hand protection (gloves chosen for the hazard), hearing protection (earplugs and earmuffs), and respiratory protection (respirators). Protective clothing and fall protection are also PPE.

Who has to pay for PPE?

Under 29 CFR 1910.132(h)(1), the employer must provide PPE required by OSHA at no cost to employees. Exceptions include non-specialty safety-toe footwear and prescription safety eyewear that the employee may wear off the job site, everyday clothing, and replacements for items the employee lost or intentionally damaged. Another standard that says who pays for a specific item overrides these.

Does an employer need a written PPE hazard assessment?

Yes. 29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1) requires a workplace hazard assessment to find out whether PPE is needed, and 1910.132(d)(2) requires a written certification that names the workplace, the person who certified, the date and that the document is a certification of hazard assessment.

What must PPE training cover?

Under 29 CFR 1910.132(f)(1): when PPE is necessary, what is necessary, how to put on, take off, adjust and wear it, its limitations, and its care, maintenance, useful life and disposal. Each person must show they understand and can use it before doing the work, and must be retrained when the workplace or equipment changes or when skills slip.

Why is PPE the last resort in the hierarchy of controls?

PPE does not remove the hazard, and it protects only if it is the right type, fits and is worn every time. Elimination, substitution and engineering controls work without that human step, so safety guidance puts them first. PPE is still required for the risk that remains.

Safety guide · Safety management

Personal protective equipment (PPE): what it is, what OSHA requires, and how to choose it

Short answer

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is equipment worn to protect the body from a workplace hazard, such as safety glasses, hearing protectors, gloves, safety shoes, hard hats and respirators. In the United States, OSHA's general rule is 29 CFR 1910.132, which makes the employer assess the hazards, choose the right equipment, fit it, train people and, in most cases, pay for it.

PPE is the last layer of protection, used for the risk that remains after the hazard has been removed, replaced or guarded. OSHA requires an employer to assess the workplace for hazards that need PPE, choose equipment that fits each person, tell people what was chosen, and train them. The employer pays for most PPE. Eye, head, foot and hand protection each have their own section, and respirators and hearing protection have their own programs. Check your local rules outside the United States.

Last reviewed: November 5, 2026

What is PPE?

PPE stands for personal protective equipment. 29 CFR 1910.132(a) describes it as protective equipment for the eyes, face, head and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers, to be provided, used and maintained in a sanitary and reliable condition wherever hazards of processes or environment, chemicals, radiation or mechanical irritants could injure or impair a part of the body through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.

PPE is the fifth and last level of the hierarchy of controls. It does not remove a hazard. It only puts something between the hazard and the person, and only while it is worn properly. So it comes after elimination, substitution, engineering and administrative controls, and it is what you use for the risk that is left. Where a risk remains, wearing it is not optional.

Types of PPE by body part and the OSHA section for each

PPE by body part: when OSHA requires it and the standard it points to
Body part	Typical hazard	OSHA section	Standard the equipment must meet
Eyes and face	Flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, harmful light such as welding arcs	1910.133(a)(1)	ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 (the 2010, 2003 and 1989 editions are listed), 1910.133(b)(1)
Head	Falling objects; contact with exposed electrical conductors	1910.135(a)	ANSI Z89.1 (2009, 2003 or 1997), 1910.135(b)(1)
Feet	Falling or rolling objects, piercing of the sole, electrical hazards	1910.136(a)	ASTM F2412 and F2413, or ANSI Z41, 1910.136(b)(1)
Hands	Cuts, abrasions, punctures, chemical and thermal burns, skin absorption, temperature extremes	1910.138(a)	No consensus standard named: select by performance for the task, 1910.138(b)
Hearing	Noise at an 8-hour average of 85 decibels or more	1910.95(i)	Attenuation evaluated for the noise it is used in, 1910.95(j)
Lungs	Airborne dusts, fumes, mists, gases, vapors	1910.134	A written respiratory protection program, medical evaluation and fit testing

Fall protection systems are covered by 1910.140, which 1910.132(g) lists alongside the sections above. Welding filter lens shades are in the table in 1910.133(a)(5). Edition years change when OSHA updates its rules, so check the current text.

Two points surprise people. First, eye protection must give side protection where flying objects are a hazard, 1910.133(a)(2), and must fit over or include prescription lenses, 1910.133(a)(3). Second, a respirator is the one item OSHA treats as a last resort inside the standard itself: 1910.134(a)(1) says that for airborne contaminants the primary objective is to prevent contamination by engineering controls, and respirators are used when those are not feasible or while they are being put in place. Respirators have their own program, so the general hazard assessment rules in 1910.132(d) and (f) do not apply to them, 1910.132(g).

The PPE hazard assessment OSHA requires

29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1) requires the employer to assess the workplace to find out whether hazards that need PPE are present or likely to be. Where they are, the employer must select the PPE that will protect each affected employee, communicate the selection to them, and choose PPE that fits each person. 1910.132(d)(2) then requires a written certification of the assessment that names the workplace evaluated, the person who certified it, the date and that the document is a certification of hazard assessment.

1
Walk the area task by task
List every task, the hazards in it and who does it. A job hazard analysis gives you this list.
2
Apply the higher controls first
For each hazard, ask whether it can be removed, replaced or guarded. PPE is for what is left.
3
Match the remaining hazard to equipment
Choose the type and rating from the hazard, not from habit. A glove for cuts is not a glove for solvents.
4
Fit it to the person
Sizes, a face shape that seals, a hard hat that stays on, prescription needs. Let people try options, especially hearing protectors, where 1910.95(i)(3) requires a choice of suitable protectors.
5
Certify and tell people
Sign and date the assessment as 1910.132(d)(2) says, and tell each affected person what was chosen and why.
6
Reassess when the work changes
A new material, tool or layout can change the hazard. Review the assessment when it does.

The free PPE by zone poster turns the result into one sheet per area. The job safety analysis template is a good place to record the task list the assessment starts from.

Worked example: a PPE assessment for a machine shop cell

This example is illustrative. The cell has a CNC lathe, a bench grinder, a parts washer and a forklift aisle at one edge. For each task the team first asked what could be removed or guarded, then chose PPE for what was left.

Illustrative PPE assessment for one cell
Task	Hazard left after other controls	PPE chosen	Section
Load and run the lathe, door closed	Chips thrown when the door is opened mid cycle	Safety glasses with side shields	1910.133(a)(2)
Grind a part on the bench grinder	Flying particles; noise	Glasses with side shields or a face shield; hearing protectors if the noise is at an 8-hour average of 85 decibels or more	1910.133(a)(1); 1910.95(i)
Handle cut parts with sharp edges	Cuts to the hands	Cut-resistant gloves chosen for the edge, not for solvents	1910.138(a) and (b)
Refill the parts washer	Splash of liquid chemicals to eyes and skin	Splash goggles; gloves rated for the fluid on its safety data sheet	1910.133(a)(1); 1910.138(a)
Walk the forklift aisle edge	Foot injury from rolling or falling loads	Safety shoes	1910.136(a)

The choices are an example, not a recommendation for your cell. Your own hazard assessment decides.

Counting the cell's PPE items gives the sign-off list. Five tasks produce five PPE types (glasses, hearing protectors, cut gloves, splash goggles with chemical gloves, safety shoes), and each operator who does all five tasks needs training on every type. 1910.132(f)(1) lists what the training must cover. Put the sign-offs in a training matrix.

Training, damaged equipment and who pays

Under 29 CFR 1910.132(f)(1), each employee who must use PPE is trained to know at least five things: when PPE is necessary, what PPE is necessary, how to put it on, take it off, adjust and wear it, its limitations, and its care, maintenance, useful life and disposal. 1910.132(f)(2) says each person must show they understand the training and can use the PPE before doing work that needs it. 1910.132(f)(3) requires retraining when the workplace or the PPE changes, or when someone shows they have not kept the skill.

Defective or damaged PPE must not be used, 1910.132(e). Employers must provide PPE at no cost to employees, 1910.132(h)(1), with exceptions: non-specialty safety-toe footwear and non-specialty prescription safety eyewear, if the employee may wear them off the job site, 1910.132(h)(2); everyday clothing and weather gear, 1910.132(h)(4); and replacement PPE that the employee lost or intentionally damaged, 1910.132(h)(5). Where another OSHA standard says who pays for a specific item, that standard wins, per the note to 1910.132(h). Employee-owned PPE is allowed, but the employer is still responsible for making sure it is adequate and kept clean, 1910.132(b).

Common PPE mistakes on the floor

Issuing PPE before asking whether the hazard can be removed, replaced or guarded.
One glove, one pair of glasses for every task. Each hazard needs the right type.
No written, signed hazard assessment, so there is nothing to show an inspector or a new supervisor.
Training once at induction and never again, even when the tools or materials change.
Equipment that does not fit: a loose respirator, hearing protectors that do not seal, a hard hat that slides off.
Damaged items kept in use because stock is short. Make a replacement point easy to reach.
Treating non-compliance as a discipline problem when the PPE is uncomfortable or slows the job. Ask why people take it off.

How LeanSuite helps

LeanSuite helps you keep the program running once the assessment is done. Safety tags let anyone report a hazard, a missing item or a damaged piece of equipment in seconds, and the report is routed to an owner and tracked until it is fixed. Competency Management keeps certifications and their status. The Safety Improvement page shows the rest.

Safety Improvement

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Workplace safety in manufacturing, run from one platform: report hazards in seconds, fix them with tracked actions, train people and see safety KPIs on your tier boards.

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FAQ

Questions about personal protective equipment (PPE)

PPE stands for personal protective equipment: equipment worn to protect the body from a workplace hazard. OSHA's general rule, 29 CFR 1910.132(a), covers protection for eyes, face, head and extremities, protective clothing, respiratory devices, and protective shields and barriers.
By body part: eye and face protection (safety glasses, goggles, face shields, welding lenses), head protection (hard hats), foot protection (safety shoes), hand protection (gloves chosen for the hazard), hearing protection (earplugs and earmuffs), and respiratory protection (respirators). Protective clothing and fall protection are also PPE.
Under 29 CFR 1910.132(h)(1), the employer must provide PPE required by OSHA at no cost to employees. Exceptions include non-specialty safety-toe footwear and prescription safety eyewear that the employee may wear off the job site, everyday clothing, and replacements for items the employee lost or intentionally damaged. Another standard that says who pays for a specific item overrides these.
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.132(d)(1) requires a workplace hazard assessment to find out whether PPE is needed, and 1910.132(d)(2) requires a written certification that names the workplace, the person who certified, the date and that the document is a certification of hazard assessment.
Under 29 CFR 1910.132(f)(1): when PPE is necessary, what is necessary, how to put on, take off, adjust and wear it, its limitations, and its care, maintenance, useful life and disposal. Each person must show they understand and can use it before doing the work, and must be retrained when the workplace or equipment changes or when skills slip.
PPE does not remove the hazard, and it protects only if it is the right type, fits and is worn every time. Elimination, substitution and engineering controls work without that human step, so safety guidance puts them first. PPE is still required for the risk that remains.

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