Toolbox Talk · ~5 minutes

# 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.

[Print the sign-in sheet](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)
[All toolbox talks](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks.html)

## 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:

[Toolbox talk sign-in sheet](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)
[PPE issue & inspection record](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=ppe-issue-inspection-record#form-library)
[Toolbox talk sign-in](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=toolbox-talk-sign-in#form-library)

## A new talk every week.

The toolbox talks page rotates a featured topic weekly — bookmark it, or grab the talk by email every Monday.

[This week’s talk](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks.html)
[Next: Hot Work & Fire Watch](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/hot-work-fire-watch.html)

[Extension Cords & GFCI](https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/electrical-cords-gfci.html)
[All 126 contractor forms](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools#form-library)

## Next, from Blue Crane

- [**Field Level Hazard Assessment**The form the crew fills in before the work starts](https://bluecraneworks.ca/field-level-hazard-assessment-flha.html)

- [**126 free printable forms**The whole Canadian form library, no account needed](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools.html)

- [**Document Control Systems**Sign-offs, certs and safety records, provable in under a minute](https://bluecraneworks.ca/solutions/document-control.html)

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Source: https://bluecraneworks.ca/toolbox-talks/ppe-fit-and-care