PPE: Fit, Care & the Reasons
PPE is the last line of defence — it's what's left when everything else has already failed. Which is exactly why 'it was in the truck' isn't a place PPE can be.
How to run it
Read it through once, then talk it — don't recite it. Five minutes at the start of the shift, crew standing where the work happens. Under O. Reg. 213/91, s. 14(3)–(4), the talk is held by a supervisor or a competent person the supervisor appoints — and the sign-in sheet is what proves it happened.
Talk through these points
- Hard hats: inspect the shell and suspension, and replace after any real impact — damage you can't see still kills the rating.
- Eye protection matches the task — impact, dust, or splash are different lenses. Grinding without sealed eyewear is how metal ends up in eyes.
- Hearing: if you have to raise your voice at arm's length, you need protection in. Hearing loss is permanent and it arrives quietly.
- Boots: intact toes, real tread, laced. Footwear failure is a slips-and-crush story waiting for a date.
- Gloves for the task — cut-rated for blades and sheet metal, insulating where needed. And know when gloves near rotating equipment are the hazard.
- Fit is function: PPE that's uncomfortable gets left off, so fix the fit rather than fighting the habit.
Ask the crew
- Whose hard hat has actually taken a hit and is still in service?
- What task this week needs different gloves than we're using?
- Who's got hearing protection in their pocket instead of their ears?
The answers are the real talk. If a question lands on a live hazard, write it down and assign it a name and a date.
Paper it
A talk without a record didn't happen, as far as anyone who asks is concerned. Print these free:
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