Match personal protective equipment to electrical, noise, fall, eye and head hazards.
Why it matters
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defence: it protects you when the hazard is still there. Wearing the wrong kind can be as bad as wearing none. A standard hard hat does not protect against electricity, ordinary cotton gloves can get pulled into a drill, and a harness that is not tied off arrests nothing.
Awareness level only. This lesson explains the ideas so you recognise them on day one. It does not qualify you to do the work. Your employer, apprenticeship or school must train you on its own procedures and equipment, and you must work under supervision until they say you are qualified.
How PPE is chosen
Employers must do a hazard assessment for each task and pick PPE that matches it (29 CFR 1910.132 for general industry; construction has similar rules). They must train you on when to wear it, how to put it on and take it off, its limits, and how to care for it. Most PPE must be provided at no cost to you.
PPE is selected by hazard, and good PPE is marked with the standard it meets. Learn to read the markings.
Head protection
Hard hats sold in the US are tested to ANSI/ISEA Z89.1:
- Type I protects from blows to the top of the head; Type II also protects from side impacts.
- Class G (general) is tested to 2,200 volts, Class E (electrical) to 20,000 volts, and Class C (conductive) gives no electrical protection.
An electrician or anyone near energised equipment needs Class E. Replace a hard hat after any significant impact, or if the shell is cracked or chalky. The date of manufacture is moulded inside the shell.
Eye and face protection
Safety glasses, goggles and face shields are marked Z87 (ANSI/ISEA Z87.1); Z87+ means high-impact rated. Use goggles for dust and splashes, and a face shield over safety glasses for grinding. A face shield alone is not primary eye protection.
Hearing protection
Noise damage is permanent and painless, so it is easy to ignore. OSHA requires a hearing conservation programme when 8-hour average exposure reaches 85 dBA (the action level) and sets the permissible limit at 90 dBA. A rule of thumb: if you have to raise your voice to talk to someone an arm's length away, it is probably over 85 dBA. Earplugs and earmuffs have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR); real-world protection is usually lower than the label, so fit matters. Roll foam plugs thin, pull the ear up and back, and hold the plug while it expands.
Hand protection
Match the glove to the hazard: cut-resistant (rated A1 to A9 under ANSI/ISEA 105), chemical-resistant (check the chemical's Safety Data Sheet), leather for heat and abrasion. Do not wear loose gloves near rotating parts (drill presses, lathes) where they can be caught. Electrical work uses rubber insulating gloves rated by voltage class (Class 00 to 4) with leather protectors on top. They must be air-tested before each use and lab-tested on a schedule.
Foot protection
Safety footwear rated to ASTM F2413 shows its protections on a label: I/C for impact and compression (toe caps), EH for electrical hazard (helps protect against contact with live circuits up to a rated voltage when dry), PR for puncture resistance.
Fall protection
In construction, fall protection is generally required at 6 feet (1.8 m) above a lower level; in general industry it is 4 feet. Guardrails and covers come first (engineering controls). When a personal fall arrest system is used, it has three parts, the "ABCs":
- Anchorage rated for the load (5,000 lb per worker or engineered by a qualified person),
- Body wear: a full-body harness (never a waist belt for fall arrest),
- Connector: a shock-absorbing lanyard or self-retracting lifeline.
Workers must be trained, and there must be a rescue plan: hanging in a harness for long becomes dangerous within minutes.
Arc flash PPE
An arc flash is an explosive release of energy from an electrical fault that can reach temperatures several times hotter than the surface of the sun. NFPA 70E sets how employers assess the risk and choose arc-rated (AR) clothing, rated in cal/cm². The rating on the garment must meet or exceed the incident energy for the task. Everyday clothes made of synthetics can melt onto skin. Arc flash PPE is chosen by a qualified person from the employer's risk assessment or equipment labels, never guessed.
Worked example: matching PPE to a task
Task: an apprentice helps a journeyman pull wire in a new (de-energised) building, on a 6-foot stepladder, while a concrete saw runs nearby.
| Hazard | PPE |
|---|---|
| Falling objects, bumps | Type I Class E hard hat |
| Concrete dust, flying chips | Z87+ safety glasses |
| Saw noise (well over 85 dBA) | Earplugs or muffs |
| Cuts from wire ends | Cut-resistant work gloves |
| Dropped conduit | ASTM F2413 I/C EH boots |
The ladder itself is controlled by setup and inspection (lesson 6), not by a harness.
Common mistakes
- Wearing a hard hat backwards when it is not marked as reversible.
- Using sunglasses or prescription glasses that are not Z87 as safety glasses.
- Pushing foam earplugs in without rolling them, so they protect very little.
- Wearing gloves near a drill press or lathe.
- Treating PPE as permission to skip better controls.
Official sources
- OSHA PPE: https://www.osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment
- OSHA noise: https://www.osha.gov/noise
- OSHA fall protection: https://www.osha.gov/fall-protection
- NFPA 70E: https://www.nfpa.org/70E
Checked on 2026-10-23.
Recap
- PPE is chosen from a hazard assessment and must carry the right rating.
- Class E hard hats, Z87+ eyewear, NRR-rated hearing protection, ANSI 105 cut gloves, ASTM F2413 boots.
- Fall arrest = Anchorage, Body harness, Connector, plus a rescue plan.
- Arc-rated clothing (cal/cm²) is selected by a qualified person under NFPA 70E.